As an instructor, and dispenser of knowledge it always gives me great joy to impact knowledge to these kids especially during their formative years, being given the opportunity to nurture their young minds and raise them with good moral values that will be the guiding compass of life as they grow is a responsibility I take with full devotion.
Twenty years down the line and I still love my job, different kids with different lives and experiences haved passed under my tutelage yet I am always reinvigorated to teach each new kid how to be better for himself and the world.
But nothing prepared me for this pandemic, days without seeing the children, not knowing how they were holding up, parents with no idea how to keep the children occupied, though I got contracted as a personal teacher during the lockdown, the virtual learning system, didn’t quite capture the essence of learning as the kids got easily distracted, without the school environment feeling. The first wave was an eye opener and reminder that anything could happen.
When the second wave began, the school authorities held a 2 weeks virtual training for the teachers, the objective of the conference among others was to broaden the knowledge and skills of teachers on innovative teaching strategies in times of the COVID-19 crisis and other emergencies. The virtual conference provided a platform for registered teachers to share experiences and learn from experts and fellow teachers on how they were able to manage teaching and learning and how psychosocial support was provided to teachers, learners and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic also to bring them up to speed with how to protect the kids and themselves from covid-19, they were to make sure each kid wore their face masks and wash their hands regularly they were to ensure the kids observe social distancing, the temperature tests were to be carried out for each student, and if any student showed symptoms his parents would be called upon to come take him or her for proper testing.
With the resumption of school, I took my new task seriously as I wanted to protect my kids and myself from this pandemic, I made sure they were aware of the virus and it’s impacts, and they took their safety as top priority hence carrying out each guidelines to the T.
I strongly believe that together we will beat this Global pandemic, If we all do our part by providing sanitizers, face masks and wash hand stations for schools that can’t afford it, by educating kids in your environs on the basic guidelines for battling the covid-19 and providing in your capacity to the community.