TEACHERS -FACING CHALLENGE

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”

Today, we enter a new month but the future remains uncertain. As the second phase of lockdown nears its culmination in India, the government along with the corona warriors such as dedicated medical teams, police system, NGOs, banking sector and those in other essential services, continue to work at the front foot. We salute their commitment and bravery. It’s rightly said that when the going gets tough the tough gets going. One such tough and yet most humble and significant section of dedicated contributors is somehow not being acknowledged as far as I have observed. In many of my previous articles, I have elaborately discussed the role of a teacher. This guide, facilitator, counselor is quietly and patiently shouldering a dual responsibility in this testing time. During the month gone by, I have received a lot of feedback from parents and students appreciating the efforts of teachers and the way they are balancing home and work life simultaneously. Teachers are working hard on making the lesson plans interesting, editing videos, conducting online discussions and solving endless doubts. As the world has slowed down, teaching fraternity is working in full swing. Indian private schools started on time and even the schools in many developed countries are providing free meals to the deprived. Realizing their importance, some countries realized the problem faced by the parents of school going children to pay fee and are now considering to share some percentage of the salary of private school teachers so that if some parents are unable to pay fee, schools do not suffer. Can our governments also think on these lines and consider the problem of parents and teachers? It is a little disheartening to observe that in our country there hasn’t even been a word of acknowledgement from higher authorities, organizations and media for these “off-screen” corona warriors.

So, you might ask why, in these times, when the world is coming together to fight against the pandemic unconditionally, am I bothered to seek validation for the teaching fraternity. Well, I came across an off-putting message which left me wondering, how could someone even think of discouraging these torchbearers of the nation. The message conveyed that the pandemic has revealed that we do not need the school teachers for education as online education is proving to be enough for students. This article is just an attempt to give an appropriate response to people with such a thought process. How unfortunate their teachers might feel today. So, let me tell you what are the teachers doing beyond teaching these days. Besides taking regular lessons, uploading videos and online activities, teachers are also acting as counselors not only for students but for parents as well. Depression has increased at an alarming rate all over the world and teachers are dedicated to take care of the mental health and emotional quotient of the student-parent community. Parents are suffering from deduction in salary and even loss of jobs. On the face of such traumatic times parents are relieved that there is someone who takes care of their child as much as they do. But do we realise that these always happy, positive and encouraging teachers are also parents, taking care of their family, children, household chores and living with the constant fear of deduction in salary. All their fears and responsibilities are double if you come to think of it.  

The information minister of India revived the TRP of national broadcaster Doordarshan by the broadcast of epic serials like Ramayan and Mahabharat. There were many parents who encouraged their children to watch these serials along with them. This was not just to pass time (for that they have plenty of material on Netflix, prime video, hotstar, YouTube and many other resources) but to learn and imbibe values from the life of immortal characters. The Guru or the teacher in these serials have been depicted as supreme and all respected them and their views including Kings and Queens. I know the times have changed and things are not exactly the same, teachers’ role remain significant and we must realize this. We know that education is the key for the world to survive ethically and that is possible because of the educated and committed citizens.

So, what do I seek? For me teachers are nothing but saviors and a ray of hope in these dark times. They do not require validation but yes their ceaseless efforts should be encouraged with verbal appreciation at the least. Government teachers in rural as well as urban India are regularly going for duty as many schools have turned into quarantine/isolation centers. I would like to share the feeling of one of our teachers. One day he could not conduct his class due to some problem new platform he was using. He was so disturbed for not being able to connect with his students that until he succeeded in teaching them after 2-3 hours, he gave up all his other work at hand. This is the commitment of most of the teachers and schools.   A few teachers in a rural India are taking turns and going to school just to water the plants and cleaning the premises so that the schools remain welcoming for the kids when the lockdown ends. A grade three teacher in Maryland, drives to the South Dorchester School four days week to access the WiFi there. She often works in her car while her two teenage daughters do schoolwork. Many teachers in our school take 6 hours classes a day (same is true for majority of the schools) while managing the household chores themselves as the house help isn’t available these days. And the teachers who have school-aged children at home have the additional stress of trying to juggle multiple video calls and other demands on limited internet connection. Stress isn’t new to teachers but what they are experiencing these days is beyond normal. Amy Pollington, a kindergarten teacher in Seattle was on the verge of panic attack at the end of four day rigorous online teaching with household chores, family and children to take care of and nerve wracking internet glitches.

The irony of the situation is that this community has nowhere to go to seek solution and vent their heart out. They have to stand firm like mountains and yet flow soothing and relaxed like a crackling brook. I ask the readers, what else one must do to deserve a little appreciation or has the world become so cynical, skeptical and not to mention practical that the helmsmen of education system don’t even get the credit where it’s due. It's funny, but have you ever noticed that the more special something is, the more people seem to take it for granted? There are parents who appreciate the efforts of individual teachers but if we can do the same as community for all the teachers that would motivate all.

Without any doubt, these powerhouses of affection, patience, knowledge and creativity deserve our whole-hearted appreciation and motivation. On the International Workers’ Day, I salute these navigators of education system and the sculptors of a nation’s future. In these difficult times, I just want to say this to my dear teacher-student-parent community,

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcoming. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached"
 

So, keep up the good work and dedication, for good things come to those who wait.