Covid-19 impact on teacher’s growth: How can we help them?

Covid-19 impact on teacher’s growth: How can we help them prosper more : – COVID-19 has brought about changes to the education system that impact teachers in multiple ways. The inequalities between private schools and government schools are sharpened by the move to online education. This is compounded by the fact that students from economically weaker sections of society have become hard to reach, and teachers do not know how to support hard-to-reach students who are also severely affected by the pandemic.

 Digital gap exists at learners’ level as well as teachers’ level, not only in India but across the globe. The extent of this gap varies from region to region depending upon the infrastructure, the socioeconomic background of stakeholders, and many other local factors like the particular culture of a community.

While adjusting to a new teaching environment, the face of the home environment also changed. The line between home and work was eliminated, leaving teachers to care for their own children and teach their students simultaneously COVID-19 has brought about changes to the education system that impact teachers in multiple ways. The inequalities between private schools and government schools are sharpened by the move to online education. This is compounded by the fact that students from economically weaker sections of society have become hard to reach, and teachers do not know how to support hard-to-reach students who are also severely affected by the pandemic.

 Digital gap exists at learners’ level as well as teachers’ level, not only in India but across the globe. The extent of this gap varies from region to region depending upon the infrastructure, the socioeconomic background of stakeholders, and many other local factors like the particular culture of a community.

While adjusting to a new teaching environment, the face of the home environment also changed. The line between home and work was eliminated, leaving teachers to care for their own children and teach their students simultaneously.

Ways that can boost up educators mental health:-

• School systems must protect teacher jobs and salaries so that there is a motivated workforce    ready to get students back to speed when schools reopen.
• Teachers must be equipped to assess students once they return to school so they can identify what key content and skills have been lost and need rebuilding as well as detect warning signs of dropping out.
• Support Teachers Technologically to Ensure Teacher Effectiveness

 Ways to enhance professional development :-

1.   There is an exclusive school job platform www.schoolshiring.com available for job seekers in schools where schools are looking for teachers to share their expertise, including what they’ve learned about teaching online during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Consider submitting a written piece to a publication.
2. Stay-at-home orders have resulted in many conferences shifting to a digital platform. Some of these conferences award either PDPs or a certificate of attendance that teachers can submit to their state department of education
3.  If you are a conference presenter, request a letter from the conference organizer that specifically details the professional development you provided to the attendees. Some organizations offer free or low-cost online webinars and courses to teachers.
4. School closures have empowered teachers and schools to create social media groups or channels on Youtube, facebook and instagram to provide supplemental instruction and academic enrichment to their students. These channels primarily consist of digital lessons, tutoring sessions, live demonstrations, and virtual read-along. Educators can now devote more time to providing fun, innovative virtual learning experiences that will allow students to grow academically at their own learning pace.
5. With schools making the shift to online learning, this lockdown is the perfect opportunity for teachers to build their capacity with educational technology tools and pursue certification badges to train other educators on the proper use of the tools. For teachers who are currently searching for a new position, these certifications will significantly increase their marketability as more school leaders should be looking to hire teachers who possess a strong knowledge of the classroom applications of edtech tools.

Learning has no criteria; no matter if you are a kid, an adult, old, working, housewife, educator or principal. Learning is something which is ongoing and never ending, so take this pandemic, covid or lockdown as a chance to groom yourself to improvise your skill and personality.Learning anything requires commitment and the ability to push through the uncomfortable feeling of not being very good until reaching competency. While on the path to competency, a little motivation can go a long way.

“Being a student is easy. Learning requires actual work.”

— William Crawford