By Br. Solomon Morris
March 16! The desk top calendar read. The day, we could say, our school life froze. When I walked into my office, I reached out to flip over the slightly dusty page of the calendar. But I decided against it, just to remind myself, how quickly lives can change.
Usually when we talk about Corona virus, we tend to focus on number of lives lost, jobs lost, the sad state of our migrant workers, the poor who are suffering, the crumbling economy and mighty work of the health care workers. The reality is that this pandemic is changing our lives in so many ways that we could never even have imagined. One of the ways is how school education is functioning.
What has changed for the schools?
STUDENTS: The sudden lockdown meant that some of the boys’ exercise copies were left in school! Children were frantically calling their teachers to get instructions on where they should enter their assignments. Some senior students left their text books in their classrooms! (not that they are missing them much).
They are missing their friends, the laughter, the pranks, the teasing, the sharing of tiffin, the brave and often successful attempts in bunking classes by slipping into the washrooms, the reluctant visit to the barber, the P.T and aerobics classes, the skateboards, and the learning!
Their lives have changed abruptly. Parents and teachers who accused them of spending excessive time at the mobile and computer screens were now looking for excuses to justify the use of these important but necessary gadgets. The tables were turned! Students were having a field day using the excuse of daily onslaught of assignments to secretly indulge in PubG and other games. On the flip side, kids were learning something new apart from games, as the constant influx of work from their teachers compelled them to turn the pages of their books and do some study.
Some of our students found the constant flow of assignments too overbearing. Some felt like giving up! Some could not keep up with the pace. Children had to change their sleeping habits. Some worked late into the night and surfaced quite late the next morning (or should I say, late morning?) One can only hope that these night owls are able to shed their late night habits before the schools start again!
The positive outcome of this lockdown is that our children are spending more time with their parents. Parents are trying their best to help them. The fact that they are home bound, means they are being monitored. Some children prefer to work alone.
The mental well-being of our children is a big concern. How long can they endure this? But children have been remarkably resilient. They seem to have the flexibility to adapt better than the adults. In a survey we conducted a couple of weeks ago, it was obvious that they did not like these so called ‘online classes’. They preferred to be back in their classrooms. From what I gathered, not all our children are on the same page. They cannot! Spare a thought for all the poor kids in lesser known good schools. What about them? Their lives are distraught. They are worried for their future. But for majority of them, it is not the classes that they are worried about. They worry about today so that they can hope to live for tomorrow. They need to be fed.
What is going to happen to all our students who are yet to complete their Class 10 and Class 12 Board exams? What will happen to those who are presently in Class 10? These children are literally left in a limbo. Their momentum of study has come to a grinding halt. Suddenly, their lofty ambitions have reached the nadir. The future seems obscure and nebulous.
Our children need the moral support of elders and administrators. Teachers, parents, counsellors, and academicians all have a major role to play. We need to give them hope. We need to give them confidence to carry on. We need to lead by example.
TEACHERS: Teachers are suddenly thrown out of gear! I doubt anyone has held a chalk in hand since the day the classes stopped. The abrupt stop meant that teachers did not have the time to carry all the books home. Some returned during the lockdown period to look for reinforcement! Almost all our teachers had to make drastic changes. The dreaded mouse was soon to be a familiar friend. The mobile phone was soon going to be an extension of the hand. Children and teachers were ‘zooming’ in and out of their lives. Teachers were busy snapping working sheets to send them on WhatsApp and other apps like Snap Home Work and Google Classrooms. The only Anti-Virus they needed was for the computer!
Our teachers are amazing! I speak for all the teaching fraternity. It is far more challenging to reach across and teach the students through these digital means than in the classroom situation. I know this for sure, because I take about an hour or so to prepare just one lesson! One can imagine all our teachers who take more than 5 classes a day! Hats off to our teachers. And to think that they have to look after their own kids and families! As parents and school authorities, we need to acknowledge the tremendous work our teachers are doing considering the heavy odds against them. Most of our teachers had to learn (and are learning) to use technology the hard way. And have they come a long way! Great job teachers. Our children are grateful to our teachers for what they are doing.
PARENTS: Parents, you are amazing too! Suddenly you are thrown into the throes of having to share your phones and constant bombardment of assignments! Sometimes, the relentless buzzing of messages and instructions must be annoying too. I am sure you prefer to resume work far away from home right now. You have to make huge adjustments and sacrifices. Sitting with your children and monitoring their study can be tiring and stressful. It can be very frustrating too. I feel for all the parents who are both working, especially the doctors and nurses. I also feel for the single parents who particularly have a tough time. The parents who belong to the economically weaker section must be the hardest hit too. Many parents have to share their mobile phones. Some children have access to the mobiles only after the parents return from work. These are not normal times for you, dear parents. But we admire the way you soak up the pressure. It is not at all easy. I also know that sometimes the volume of work that come in a single day can be exasperating for you. It is so easy for us to fly of the handle.
This pandemic is really testing our breaking point. We are all living at the precipice of a steep cliff. Only faith in our steady wings, will help us fly and stop us from crashing to the ground. I believe, we can all hold hands and together face the prospect of seeing the light of a new beginning – a sort of Resurrection where we will rise again from ashes and bloom again like the wonderful flowers we see around us in our gardens and lawns.
God bless all.