Page 2 - Teachers of India Stories

Pragti Chaddah

Teacher at Kideens, Borewell road, Bangalore

t is 8:45 in the morning. I place
myself in front of the laptop and
Ilog in to my online teaching plat-
form. As I join the 9 o’clock meeting, I
quickly brush up the topics that I plan
to cover in my half an hour class. I
make sure that I am ready with all my
teaching aids and the props, which I was up making late in the night.
Silently I say a small prayer that the internet does not play a spoilsport
and the PPTs etc. work well. As I see the first child, I unmute myself and
play few rhymes. It is fun to watch children joining the class with few of
them looking very bright and active, while the others still struggling to
wake up. I quietly watch them pressing all icons on their screen- mute,
unmute camera on, off and even changing their background. Oh! I for-
got to mention that my students are in the age group of 5 to 6 years. Yes,
they are inquisitive learners, but they also love to explore.
At 8:55 a.m., I switch on my camera and greet them with a warm good
morning. Suddenly everyone becomes alert, yes, all of them, even the
sleepy heads, and burst out into “Good morning Ma’am”. Though their
good morning is very loud, it has a very soothing effect on my ears and
suddenly it dawns on me that this is what I was longing to hear. It’s so
overwhelming to see the cheerful faces so eager to learn.
Once the class starts there is no looking back. Despite all the technical
glitches that occur at times, the class goes on so smoothly, as if that wall
of computer screen never existed. The sessions are so interactive that it
makes the learning enjoyable for both the parties.
I agree that virtual learning is no where close to physical classes, but
during this trying time of pandemic its great that we have this mode
of imparting education. Teaching in a virtual environment has been a
fascinating experience that has made me reconsider how I connect with
all my students, making me a much better teacher than I was before the
experience.