My first experience of the unprecedented virtual classroom shift was “That’s exciting”. To me, my first instinct was “That’s exciting!” A new experience to dive in as a teacher. My students will be welcomed at my home. They will be with me on my sofa, study table and all those places where we have no disturbance. The second thought which came in my mind was that after the lockdown, now life will be organized! It started with a great feeling of brightness and colors all around when I saw students in colorful clothes on my bright screen. To set the mood of the day we start morning greetings followed by sharing good things(in such a pandemic situation). It made me believe that happiness can be found in small things and it can be found anywhere. Each day students were so excited that my waiting room would be ringing 10 minutes prior to the class.
A sense of responsibility was in the air, students at a blink of an eye student learned the technology and tools. I was amazed not to see a noisy class, but a class where students value and respect the speaker and understood the importance of being good listeners They started expressing their thoughts and views through this platform very easily. As the classes progressed I realized that the feedback of the sessions was immediate which helped me to clarify misconceptions from my lessons and plan it smoothly.
Suddenly the virtual classes stopped. There was again a sense of shock on both sides of the screen. Again a pause to exploration and routines. No more guests at my home. A lockdown in a lockdown. The happiness of the mornings, finding out good things around and the smiling faces disappeared. I have always learned and read that learning can happen anywhere and in any form.
Now I keep reading and seeing updates in a hope that tomorrow it will begin again!
Jalpa Pandya, Mathematics Educator, Ekya School, BTM Layout