Juggle ? Come on, just huggle !
Reflecting back on where I was in my journey as an Educator when the pandemic broke and the normalcy was interrupted, I was eagerly looking forward to achieving a concise certification for my long association with children and their learning differences through a yearlong PG programme on Learning disability in Bengaluru.
The initial confusion had not only left the institute mute and also the uncertainty prevailed around the households, families alike.
On the brighter side, the ‘Me time’ and ‘family time’ that seeped through was a big welcome for our family as we were settling into everything new from our recent relocation from another country.
The little extra time to lull on the bed every morning, as there was no morning rush into school buses/carpools, was so delightful. We could help ourselves, mostly our minds for a focused daytime work routine. Each person working under one roof independently, maintaining space and sanity was a very big achievement. Adapting to the new norm, totally depending on technology for everything around- Shopping, Work meetings, learning sessions were all fun and challenging enough to keep one motivated through the day.
On the flipside of this situation was missing the connect with the children- the main aspect of Teaching/learning. My worktime slowly made me realise how some online lessons, meetings I was attending got boring and meaningless. Although I pushed myself into accepting the new norm, bringing balance into my working style as an Educator stood very crucial to me.
That is when my new role as a ‘Kannada Teacher’ popped up!
Thanks to our living community, all safe and secluded from corona city vibes. The neighbourhood children’s need to learn the fundamentals of local language, connected me streaming back to the joy of ‘giving and taking’ of teaching.
Soon the Educator in me was found enjoying working part time with children on Language- Sounds, Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension and so forth.
Isn’t that what ‘Education’ is all about? Learning along the journey, embracing the change happily and willingly.
Written By:
Lakshmi Prasad