Teachers During the Pandemic - An Article by NPS Teachers

According to UNESCO, nearly a billion and half students worldwide faced interference in education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also teachers have been challenged, as schools have been forced to move from physical classes to online teaching and learning, with the aim of continuing education at highest standard. But what were teachers’ experiences of the lockdown? What could be better in the future to enhance the situation for teachers and students?

In the article ‘The Trials and Triumphs of the Indian Schoolteachers During the Covid-19 Pandemic’, published in the Journal of Education and Practice, Ms Bishakha Bhattacharyya & Ms Prachi Lahiri from the National Public School Indiranagar and HSR Layout – sister schools to TISB – explored the psychological and financial impact on teachers during the pandemic, as well as learnings for the future. As both authors and researchers are teachers, the recommendations in the article offers an inside perspective. Because of the many aspects covered in the article, here we will focus on some of the teachers’ mental experiences of the lockdown and online teaching and learning.

The data for the article was collected through a structured questionnaire, which was sent to 401 teachers from across India during the beginning, middle and end of an online year (March 2020-March 2021). Open-ended interviews were conducted with seven teachers to get more in-depth understandings of teachers’ experiences. Along with the teachers, 40 principals answered a separate questionnaire, to understand the experiences from a leadership perspective. Most of the teachers and principals who participated are residing and working in urban settings.

In the first period of online learning, March 2020, 41.9% of the teachers felt anxious, and 36.7% felt sad and uncertain. Much of this was related to teachers moving to online platforms that most of them had never used before or did not feel competent with, and internet and other technological issues caused anxiety. Moreover, maintaining a work-life balance, and creating a classroom and good working environment at home were main challenges. Furthermore, having no face-to-face interactions and being socially isolated – along with unresponsiveness among students – created a lack of motivation and boredom for many.

While online learning has continued after the initial lockdown, schools supported and trained their teachers for the new context. 83.5% of teachers felt that they were provided with appropriate training to build their e-skills. Over the year, teachers have worked hard to bond with and make their students active learners through various online tools, presentations and open-ended discussions. This has been done by teachers putting great effort to prepare for classes and design
lesson-plans to improve student interaction. As a result, 27% said they were ‘very successful’ and 61.6% said they were ‘somewhat successful’ at bonding with students, which led to better academic engagement and higher levels of satisfaction among teachers.

At the end of the first year of online teaching and learning, 75% of teachers feel enlightened and prepared to face further challenges. Based on interviews in the study, teachers now believe it to be possible to have effective teaching and learning online, a sign of motivation and resilience among teachers. However, social interaction in person cannot be underestimated, and therefore the physical classroom is essential.

Moving forward, the majority of teachers (51.6%) feel that online platforms can be useful for everything from parent-teacher and management-teacher meetings, remedial classes and handling homework and assignments, advocating for a blended approach of offline and online activities. Teachers feel the need to stay up-to-date with technology and skilling themselves, and this way being ready for whatever the future throws at them.

To get to know more, about financial effects on teachers due to the pandemic and how school leaders have experienced online education, read the full ‘The Trials and Triumphs of the Indian Schoolteachers During the Covid-19 Pandemic’, by Ms Bishakha Bhattacharyya (NPS Indiranagar) & Ms Prachi Lahiri (NPS HSR).