Page 14 - Teachers of India Stories

Asha Sidhpurwala

Aga Khan School, Sidhpur (Gujarat)

he ‘Work from Home’ experience is best epitomized with Darwin’s
‘Survival of the Fittest’ theory. In the daily humdrum of life during
Tthese unique times, a multitude of responsibilities beckon, as a moth-
er, teacher, caregiver and the numerous other ‘hats’ that I don every day.
With the support of all the stakeholders – family, institution, colleagues and
leadership team members; I have managed to keep my head above water.
In school, we immediately adopted new learning strategies by using
technology to virtually facilitate classes and optimize the learning of our
students. Despite these challenging times, my team and I have worked pas-
sionately and enthusiastically. According to me, a teacher is another kind of
a COVID Warrior, where we fight to ensure that students despite the disad-
vantages of ‘learning from home’ rise above them to access uninterrupted
learning. In this process, we play a small yet significant part in building the
nation towards a better tomorrow. As I reflect on my learning these past
few months, I have had to unlearn and learn more than I ever could have
imagined. Nothing prepared me for this phase, but this phase will definitely
hold me in good stead for the future.
I am proud to have learnt the different strategies to engage my students
virtually. From applications like Kahoot to improve learning engagement
among students to Google Forms which help me to create assessments and
gauge a student’s understanding. In addition to this, I have had to adopt
different techniques in my personal life to be more effective to keep my
family safe and healthy. Each day starts early, with a carefully planned rou-
tine in order to execute the multiple tasks which need to be carried out in
the day. It begins with meditation, where I nurture my being and progresses
to watering the plants and preparing a hot cup of tea. With breakfast made
and other chores tended to, I get ready to be transported virtually to school.
During every class break, without a break, I rush to cook and complete
any pending house chores. Such is the routine, where I oscillate between
home and schoolwork. In my free time, I play carrom, volleyball and four
house corners with my husband and son. Each day looks different. It is
another day to learn about another application or attend a training without
any geographical barriers or even participate in competitions. Truly, the
only constant during these times has been change. I am proud to be asso-
ciated with an organization like AKESI and work passionately using inno-
vative methods to engage my students and self, during these challenging
times.