The silver lining in the Covid-19 cloud

By Adam Bashneen

It’s well said, “Don’t let what’s happening around you consume you and weigh you down.” The Covid-19 pandemic surely affected everyone the previous year. Education was hit badly and the new academic year 2020-2021 of most schools got cancelled. A lockdown was imposed and we all had to be inside our homes not knowing what to do.

I was very disheartened at that time but, then, our school Apeejay, Saket, rose to the challenge and made our lives interesting by introducing online classes for students. At first, it all just seemed impossible. Many children lacked a good internet connection and many were not computer-savvy.

Our teachers at Apeejay, Saket who have always taught us that we should be thankful for everything we have, were our best guides. They made things easy for us, and went to lengths to conduct online classes smoothly in place of a physical interaction with students. It was truly commendable, on their part!

Every teacher made these classes appear as good as offline classes and children participated actively. Computers, internet access, online group meetings etc. posed many hurdles, but with time, everyone tackled these issues successfully. Our school’s Moodle software got revamped and had completely new features for uploading assignments which were then graded by our teachers.

The inter-school events were not cancelled but were organised with a lot of enthusiasm. Chunauti, Vichitra Vigyaan and Maths Quest were some of the events combined into a 3-day online competition called ‘Trifecta.’ The teachers and students in the Interact Club did their best as well.

We conducted drives such as tree plantations at our homes and shared pictures with our teachers. We made posters and wrote slogans to spread awareness about the environment. Demonstrations of projects were done online by teachers and students, and we dug deep to discover more platforms for us to test and practice quizzes and worksheets. The detailed guidance and painstaking efforts of our school to ensure that the classes run smoothly was appreciated by everyone.

However, this year and the previous year, I really missed being at school on Teachers’ Day to personally wish and thank each and every one of them for their tremendous efforts. The pandemic restrictions prevented us from doing so.

Many students also won awards and accolades, thanks to the persistent motivation of our teachers. Our Investiture Ceremony was conducted online, and the feedback from parents each time an event was conducted provided regular enhancements in the systems. Parent-Teacher meetings too were conducted online with time-slots being assigned to parents as per their wards’ roll numbers. Dance was taught online along with other co-scholastic activities such as art, yoga, music and physical training.

It is wisely said, ‘Beauty is not that which you were born with, but the character based on human values.’ The ‘Awakening Citizenship Programme’ of the school taught us these values, and the importance of being a good human being.

I am certain that with the determination of teachers and the school, we can proudly work towards ‘soaring high.’