Kainaz Variava

An educator through and through, Kainaz Variava loves being around kids and teaching is her true passion. She has been an educator for 18 years and currently teaches Grade 2 at Delhi Public School. 

 

How have things changed since teaching shifted online?

“Things have changed a lot since teaching has shifted online because right now, we just don’t teach small kids, we know very well that whatever we deliver is being supervised and observed by their parents too. We are constantly being judged and a small mistake can make a wrong impression. So we have to be very vigilant and well-prepared with our content.”

 

What are the challenges you face with online teaching?

There are a lot of challenges while teaching online. We observe that the kids take certain instructions very lightly such as eating in the class, sitting properly, and completing the books. We really need to be calm and have patience while dealing with the unwanted situations that occur during the online class.” 

 

What inspires you to keep going?

“My students. I love being with kids and so they are my biggest inspiration. I become a kid myself when I am with them.  Secondly, I love teaching; it is my passion. So when I merge them both (teaching + kids), it brings me happiness and inspires me to keep going.”

Roochi Gajjar

A motivated and driven educator, Roochi Gajjar has been a teacher for almost fifteen years now. Teaching mathematics to Grade 1 at Delhi Public School, she is taking it all in her stride for her students.

 

What is your typical day/schedule since teaching shifted online?

“My daily routine has been changed tremendously. Now, I have to take care of my house as well as my job simultaneously. I wake up by 6:00 to complete house chores and exercise, and it is only after that that I get ready for my classes, which are from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Post my classes I have my daily meeting with my colleagues, after which I have to peep in my kitchen for lunch and then school work again which seems never-ending. During the initial stages, it was very difficult! But then slowly it has now become a new routine.”

 

What are the challenges you face with online teaching?

“Teachers are facing challenges every single day. We are learning new things almost daily so we can be interactive with kids on screen, and grasp their attention while they are in their homely atmosphere.”

 

What inspires you to keep going?

“Every morning, when I see my kids online with a big smile on their faces and lots of energy, I get charged up too. They inspire me every day to keep going.”

Tejal Shukla

Determined to approach online teaching with a positive attitude, Tejal Shukla teaches English to Grades 5 and 6 in Delhi Public School. 

 

What is your typical day/schedule since teaching shifted online?

“I conduct online classes from 9am to 1pm, and then fill up the details about the class taken. I also have to start preparing for classes taking place the next day. I have to coordinate with other co-teachers about the planners, how to teach, what to teach, preparing for online assessments and exams, and so on. All of this is done virtually.”

 

What are the biggest challenges of online teaching?

“Challenges are majorly technical, as we deal with computers and the internet, and completely rely on them. I terribly miss my children and conducting regular classes.”

 

What inspires you to keep going?

“The love for teaching and the children inspires me to keep going. While I fell into this profession by chance, I did not know I would love it so much. Now I cannot imagine being anything else but a teacher.”

Rutu Shah

An enthusiastic educator, Rutu Shah has been teaching Grade 7 math at Fountainhead School for three years now. 

 

What are the challenges you face with online teaching ? 

“The biggest challenge being excessive screen time for both students and teachers. Network glitches are a bigger challenge now in the rainy season. It’s not surprising when a teacher has to repeat – ‘Am I audible class?’ at least 10 times during a session. But, kudos to the students who have been showing tremendous patience during online classes, participating and interacting with as much enthusiasm as they would in a normal class.”

 

What inspires you to keep going? 

“The inquisitiveness seen in students when they want to learn something new, the times when they ask multiple questions just to understand a concept is what keeps me going. Also, students are showing excellent enthusiasm and effort while performing (dancing/singing) virtually for any school event – be it the Independence Day celebration, an online debate, or attending guest speaker sessions.”

 

Arshi Gupta

A kind and enthusiastic educator, Arshi Gupta has been teaching Grade 3 at Fountainhead School for two years now. 

 

What is your typical day/schedule? 

“My regular schedule had me working from 6 in the morning till 4 in the evening, although it has changed during COVID times. We usually start our day by 8:30am and keep working until 5pm in the evening.” 

 

How have things changed since teaching shifted online?

“Things were pretty tough initially, but gradually we got acquainted with the new setting, trying our best to work for the benefit of the students. We regularly interact with students, and talking to them online is a new normal. We make sure to make it as productive as we can.”

 

What are the challenges you face with online teaching?

“The most difficult challenge during online teaching is keeping track of all my students. Each child has their own abilities and ways of expressing themselves. I am glad to say that we have a wonderful set of students who are inclined towards fruitful inquiry. Teaching online can also be challenging when we face technical glitches.”

 

What inspires you to keep going?

“All my students inspire me! They are always eager to share their experiences with me, and I love listening to them.”

Nikarika Rathi

Determined to have a positive impact on her students’ lives, Niharika Rathi has been teaching Grade 6 for four years now at Fountainhead School.

 

How have things changed since teaching shifted online? 

“I have been working on my desk a lot more, with lots of screen time. To be honest, I feel like I am doing a desk job. The interaction with children has moved completely online. The brighter side to it is, I have been home a lot more, and travel time is completely zero.” 

 

What are the challenges you face with online teaching? 

“The greatest challenge is the internet connectivity for me, and making sure that the connectivity will not affect the smooth functioning of the class. It is also a challenge to make sure that every child is actually paying attention and not surfing on multiple tabs.”

 

What inspires you to keep going?

“To have a positive, inspiring impact on the children’s lives. There is no career more rewarding than this. The smile on the child’s face, the happiness and satisfaction when your student has done very well in a test or clearly understands a concept. That “AHA!” moment keeps me going.”

Shezin Siganporia

A teacher who is beloved by all her students, current and past, Shezin Siganporia is the Assistant DP Coordinator at Fountainhead School and the subject in-charge for Business Management, Economics, Global Politics, and Theory of Knowledge. She teaches Theory of Knowledge to Grade 12 students, and has been a teacher for almost 8 years now.

 

How have things changed since teaching shifted online?

“With work from home and teaching online, things have drastically changed for me. I am a mother of twins (3 years old) and so managing them along with working gets very tricky. When the lockdown started in March I tried very hard to keep work and family separate, and made plans and schedules but that didn’t really work. Hence, I decided to let things pace out on its own. I started allowing my children to sit with me during my classes and meetings, I made them eat their lunch along with planning for the next class. There is nothing like a schedule for me nowadays. I just go with the flow, and things are working well that way.”

 

What are the challenges you face with online teaching? 

“I dearly miss my students and the environment at school. I have always wanted to be a teacher and be around students. They make me forget all my worries and motivate me to be a better person. With online teaching we are trying to stay connected with our students but it definitely can’t replace the face-to-face conversations and all the gestures and emotions that otherwise connect us so well. It feels weird when you crack a joke and instead of seeing their facial expressions (all teenagers so they get uncomfortable keeping their cameras on) I have to read ‘hahaha’ in the chat window. I feel nothing can replace the human touch. The happiness I get when I see students moving around freely in their breaks, the shouting and cheering on playgrounds, the snatching of each other’s breakfast, the singing of birthday songs (at times even when there is no birthday 😉 I feel like this is the biggest challenge with online teaching.”

 

Any specific instances during online teaching that stayed with you?

“When the lockdown started my kids were unwell and I was not able to balance work, and I was unable to explain it well to the school management. I was surprised when I received messages from all my seniors asking me to take a break and focus on my family. They assured me that they will make sure that my team members and students don’t suffer because of my leaves. They took up all the tasks which I was supposed to complete, and insisted that I need to be there for my family. Fountainhead supported me when I needed the most and that keeps me motivated to extend myself beyond my limits.”