In a period of just over a year, this pandemic has drastically transformed the lives of masses of people around the globe, including teachers and students. This period has been one of change, adaptation, adoption, and evolvement in the field of education. As teachers, the transition into the digital world has come in as a big surprise because of this pandemic. Like every other profession in the world, teaching profession has changed dramatically over the past couple of months. The pandemic which started as a global health emergency is now a social, economic and educational catastrophe. The outbreak of Covid-19 has led to a situation of uncertainty and chaos among all the sectors. Education has been at the frontline of Covid-19, being equally affected as the other sectors. One such example is that of the teachers who have been forced to shift their mode of teaching from offline to online overnight. With schools shut across the state, both teachers and students have had to adapt to new types of learning. As a result, education has changed drastically with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching-learning is carried out through digital platforms. As teachers, we’ve not been trained to go the digital way. When the world has slowed down, stress has begun to ramp up for teachers. Teaching inside and outside the classroom are two very different experiences. Honestly, we are also battling not just the virus but also this ‘new normal.’ We are not online teachers. Teaching during this pandemic is so far from typical. It’s practically and realistically nothing schools have ever done before. This isn’t what we’ve signed up for and yet, we’re doing it for the love of the ‘noble profession.’ bear people of the land, kindly acknowledge the fact that we’re kept busy daily from 9:00 am till 3:00 pm sending notes, assignments, projects, conducting test after test, correcting copies. Just because we’re not attending school physically does not mean we’ve stopped working altogether. We’re doing everything virtually at home to avert academic losses and also to make teaching-learning engaging and effective for our students. We are still working fulltime balancing professional and personal life. Regular classes are happening online everyday. Please understand that teaching in this atmosphere has proven to be extremely challenging. Teaching is ten times easier in a classroom. Teachers are now shouldering a difficult task: to replicate the functions of school for months without an actual school. We are adapting and improvising everyday to keep our students learning. Today, we are happy to say that the biggest victory for the teachers during the pandemic has been breaking the geographical barriers and overcoming infrastructural and technological challenges to ensure that our students’ learning is not hampered. In just a matter of months, this pandemic has given our professional lives an almighty shake-up. We’ve changed our instructional model of ‘teaching as telling, learning as listening’ all because we don’t want our students to be at a loss. Going online is the safest for the students but definitely not the easiest for the teachers. I believe teachers are the closest witnesses of the challenges the pandemic has brought for the students, parents and ourselves. And there is no denying this simple fact. Yes, we understand the plight of the parents and other groups demanding fee waiver, asking the schools to come up with steps to do this and that for the parents and students because we are also normal human beings. We also understand that several schools and parents are facing financial crisis because of the pandemic and lockdown enforced by the government. But who will understand our situation? Who will speak for the struggling teachers? Is there a relief package for the teachers too? The sad truth is no. As private unaided teachers, we are also fighting to survive, struggling to bring food to the table. We have bills to pay, families to take care of. What we are doing is how we are living. We are completely dependent on teaching for survival. But no matter what, we have taken every challenge and difficulty as part of teaching and learning. We have pledged to give our best for our students. We hope people take time to realise and appreciate the simple fact that teachers are doing more than ever. Come 5th September, we are appreciated, we are reminded of how important we are in the society. We are called nation builders. We are called the ones shaping the future of tomorrow. We are told that teaching is one job that makes all other professions possible. For that matter, kind and grateful words will flow in that very day and without being said, this trend will continue every year. At this point of time, we don’t want that. We only wish to be understood.
People say, ‘Teachers aren’t working like before.’ Truth be told, we are actually working harder than ever. We are doing what we’ve always done, and more. A lot has happened in just a matter of few months, yet we are grateful to be called teachers, and happier that we still get to impart knowledge to our students each day, even if it’s not in person. The uncertainty around when schools will reopen makes our job even more important. We have learned and relearned to adapt and adopt both the art and science of teaching. In fact, many have opined that we are improving as teachers. In this crisis, teachers have shown that learning never stops. We are prepared to face the challenges as the pandemic continues and even in its aftermath. So, no matter what people say, do or think, our mission as teachers will always remain the same- to impart knowledge to our students.
P.S. This is the other side of the pandemic story.
Weto Losou,
Kohima Town
