“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark”- Rabindranath Tagore
We are nearing the 159th birth anniversary of our beloved poet. There are hardly any better words, other than the above, to express the spirit which we humans could carry forward in these testing times. I shall dedicate my experiences in today’s pressing world to the spirit of faith. Faith, the string that threads the past and future. And as we knit the fabric of belief in those threads, every tough day promises a glimpse of goodness. To that light we shall be lead to.
Pandemic is a word with very serious implications on the world in a whole. When our country went into the sudden lock-down due to COVID-19, we at the TGSB too had several questions and worries to ponder over. Needless to say, the priority was to ensure our students, teachers and numerous staff are safe and protected. On the other hand, an abrupt halt to normal operations offers several administrative nightmares. One could imagine the anxious minds worrying on Assessments, Result declaration, PTM. As said, adaptability is the acceptance of change. We saw an opportunity to adapt to challenging times. A new way to collaborate and cooperate.
The TGSB family stood together and dealt with those pressing questions one by one. The teachers and staff worked together in getting the assessments done. With the unparalleled efforts put in by each one of them, results were declared on time. The parents were their happier selves, with the year-long wait to see their kid’s work rewarded. Their kind gestures have further motivated each one of us to work every day forgetting our anxieties of tomorrow.
The TGSB system was always favorable since it’s inception towards technological adaptability and innovation in the practices of pedagogy. With flipped learning and blended learning methodology through a strong LMS platform, already in place, we had the online support classes in rhythm. As a part of their continuous training program, teachers were simultaneously getting trained with the augmented reality tools and products by Microsoft, which helped them to gain better cognitive results and raise the overall productivity of their virtual classes. It was our responsibility as well to share our insights with the education fraternity. With this in mind, every Sunday was dedicated for webinars to bring together parents, teachers, and several dignified educators from the fraternity across the country. The classroom has been recreated, a community is being strengthened and teaching-learning will go on.
Through the period of lock-down, each one of us adapted and adjusted every day, finding innovative ways to uphold the faith in a better tomorrow. The teachers found this as a perfect opportunity to enrich themselves to the changing scenarios in pedagogical practices. They redesigned their lesson plans, realigned the resources and practices to the changes of going virtual. And found new ways to keep the connection with their students intact. They inspired curiosity and ensured the right mix of motivation and instruction. They serve alternately as a student-squabble mediator, supportive listener, and all-around problem fixer. All that effort from their side to ensure the students cope up emotionally with the remote learning practices are much praiseworthy.
The second stage of lock-down in our country was raising a very different set of concerns to be addressed for us in the TGSB. We came across the situation of 3000+ daily wage workers, struggling to meet their daily needs. TGSB family came together to cooperate and collaborate once again. Under the roof of PRERNA (CSR Initiative) along with FOODIES DELIGHT, we managed to look for ways to address these concerns. With generous contributions from the Teachers, Staff, Sub-Staff, Parents, and our neighbors today we are able to feed 3 times a day to this community of workers.
This pandemic has pitted the entire humanity against a virus, which propagates very efficiently from one to another. We were challenged to keep away from our daily routine and our dear ones alike. We had to be together in it, yet far apart from each other. For once, we reframed social distancing as solidarity. Such are our challenges. We had to distance ourselves to show our care for neighbors, acquaintances, and even strangers, in the same intent of sharing the love for our closed ones. “We must begin to see the negative space as clearly as the positive; to know what we don’t do is also brilliant and full of love”.
This is the time to stay connected, share, and ready to fight it together. Let us honor all corona virus helpers’ doctors, nurses, delivery staff, farmers, teachers, researchers, sanitation workers, grocery workers, Security personnel, Army, Police, Government officials, and emergency services workers for keeping us safe. Their dedication, commitment, and courage deserve our deepest gratitude and admiration.
STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE
