The world has been shaken and stirred before being brought to a grinding halt. Protests and agitations have died down. Major sports leagues and tournaments have been deferred. Meetings, seminars, fairs, and expos are postponed indefinitely. Religious pilgrimages have been halted and celebrations have been discouraged. Even the most sacrosanct annual deadline which is the financial year has been pushed three months. Political parties are now forced to come to a common agenda. Nations are being forced to join hands in their efforts. This is the first-ever war when all of humanity is united.
The twenty-one days of isolation is a unique event in the lives of most people in India. This is for the first time that families all over India by force of circumstance are locked down at home with only each other for solace and comfort. It is the first time that even the most dynamic and pushy individuals are showing signs of helplessness and fatalism in the face of a foe that can only be defeated in a distant future and brought under control through the most lethargic method that one could have imagined. While it has become imperative to stay at home, we need to decide as to how to meaningfully utilize our time. At this time while the world searches for clues, advice for Covid 19 is coming thirteen to a dozen. Needless to say, students need all this advice and more. In response to all these challenges, educators need to link up with parents and students and get their messages across on a daily basis.
Fortunately, most of the schools have their own independent websites. Students have their own accounts and Login Ids and are therefore already interacting with the school regularly. Students of 21st Century are thus prepared to deal with school while staying at home. Lessons can now easily be imparted online. However due to lack of physical proximity with students, much more has to be incorporated into assignments.
The first subject that should see resurgence is values. By staying at home with family, one lesson shining bright for people of all ages is the need for positivity. This starts with empathy and respect towards all elders and those around us such as RWA staff or helpers cleaning the premises.
This period can breed both creativity and destructiveness among students. Towards this end, we should start with the simpler lessons. For starters, children should be encouraged to contribute towards household jobs that they may not have hit her to fore performed. In this process, they will get fresh ideas of what to do with discarded clothes, bottles or paper to indulge themselves in the artwork.
Online is a lifeline. Social distancing means, even more, socializing, even more meetings and even more research. So we have Webinar, Google hang out, Zoom calls, video calls and many other possible ways to connect and pass on knowledge.
The growth of the Covid 19 pandemic has actually struck fear in many people like never before. We have never witnessed such frequent twists and turns in life. Just when we thought that China will destroy the virus Italy started facing the worst possible brunt, followed by Iran, Spain and now even the mighty USA. In this milieu of uncertainty, contentment and being happy with whatever we have in possession is what Covid 19 is teaching us. This is not just a spiritual lesson, but undeniably is a new skill being gradually inculcated. This can be further emphasized by parents and teachers.
Covid 19 has also taught us as teachers how to run a school and class by connecting virtually. It may be a long haul, but we ultimately will altogether fight it out only if we are prepared to learn the good truth and root out the ugly truth.
