With schools and universities shut courtesy the pandemic, institutions have been forced to move all of their education to the internet.

Work from home has not just hit the working class but also students who have to now adapt to new ways of learning.  The internet is filled with articles, debates, discussions and blogs around student and adult learning.  I see not much being either written about – focusing on the teachers.  They are the one’s who got affected the most by this endless lockdown.  They were the one’s who had to wake up one morning and rethink their entire teaching methods and not just move them online but make it as effective as contact classes.  Not to forget the intense scrutiny they are being put through, what with parents hovering around each online session and even turning themselves into students.  I spoke to many teachers and have seen the stress they are being put to. 

Lack of necessary skill sets to move their classes online, minimal support from their institution, bandwidth and technology related challenges are a few among the many challenges they have to face.

We mustn’t forget, even they have a family.

This post is a shout out to all the teachers who are along with the health care professionals and others in the frontline.  They too are our ‘Covid-19 Warriors’ who are not being spoken of much.

There are no two ways – teaching is demanding. We’re counting on our teachers to shape and transform our next generation, but we pay them pittance.  I see that all others are being paid special allowances to work extra during the pandemic, but not the teachers.  In fact teachers are the last in the list of priorities when we talk about increased pay.  On one hand when parents want student fee to be waived off and institutions under increasing stress to sustain business, teacher salary takes the first hit.

So, to all the teachers, I say a big thank you.

It’s time ‘teachers’ got their due!