“Teaching is one profession where work from home is impossible,’’ I had heard myself say quite often with agreeable nods from every one.
When the covid 19 pandemic was in its flaring heights, feeding us with constant updates on the disheartening realities, a growing impending fear began clouding in. Life took a halt, a complete pause, a 360-degree U turn; rendering us crippled in every aspect of our existence.
The world seemed to be threatening to bind us humans inside the four walls of our homes making us claustrophobic. Felt like we were boxed in, in a small room, with the windows tightly shut. But then there was one window which would open every day, the virtual window. The classroom, which miraculously fit inside a small laptop screen. Unimaginable right? How could a whole classroom fit inside a laptop window? Yet it happened. Every day morning, the war comrades trooped in to the classroom. There were war cries even! War cries, to keep up our spirits, our motivation and of course our sanity too.
“Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday school,” this quote from Robert Fulgham’s book - “All I wanted to know I learned in kindergarten,” has been my credo since I read it. Being among kindergarteners, I loved the way the profound realizations from the book kept reaffirming more and more. Those little cherubic faces never failed to hand me with valuable life lessons every day. I reckon, these are the many reasons teachers choose to teach kindergarten!
When the pandemic struck absolute pandemonium among adults & children alike, I thought the grimness of it all will strip me of these personal beliefs. I thought, in the current scenario it made no sense. These should be chucked out of the window!
But as time elapsed, I realized, not once was these credos compromised.
I list down a few ‘nuggets of wisdom’ from the book that I hold so closely. These did not shake even once, in spite of the so called “unfeeling, detached” classroom experience we all stereotyped this type of learning to be.
1) When you go out into the world, hold hands and stick together! We did stick together through out, when we were bogged down by the many pitfalls and the resultant palpitations that came with virtual teaching. We held hands and travelled too, through virtual tours, reminding each other to wear masks and sanitizers!!
2) Play fair! We played fair. Learned to take turns, listened and ensured there were no differences. We all sailed in the same boat.
3) Share everything! We made friends. We celebrated birthdays, shared our stories and jokes, prayed for each other. Laughed together.
4) Be aware of wonder. We wondered together at the little seed in the styrofoam cup, the roots go down and the plant goes up. We wondered at the nature of life.
5) Say you are sorry. We said it a lot of times. When things did not work the way it had to, when we forgot the rules. We open heartedly apologized to each other.
6) Live a balanced life— we learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. In spite of the grim reality that plagued us, we continued to learn, think, draw, paint, sing, dance, play and work every day.
These little kindergarteners were just about to start their formal experience out of their cocoons of a home, but the pandemic put a stop to it. Still, they adapted, we adapted.
As we draw a close to this turbulent academic year, I marvel, at how attached we all are. Their world revolved around us and our world around them even outside the virtual classroom. So, the bonding is not missed. It’s ok that we could not meet them physically.
I salute the war comrades, both the teachers and the young students, and continue to keep my “All I wanted to know I learned in kindergarten” credos close to my heart, come what may!
“Teaching is one profession where work from home is impossible,’’ but is it not true that the word impossible itself says I’m possible?