By Namrata Kulkarni, Classroom Teacher
Whoever thought that one day I would be teaching a group of 3-6 year olds Math through a video call? My first ever virtual math class. My teaching partner and I were introducing the concept of division to our kids and did a lot of pre-planning beforehand to make sure this first lesson would run smoothly. We tested if our video looked all right, we did a sound check, we saw if the lentils we were using as our plant seeds for the day were big enough for kids to see on their screen and we also tested standing up and making sure we were still visible in this class! We learnt all the tricks and trade of the video forum we were using, took turns to experiment who would be in the spotlight and even practiced the full lesson twice before we went live! So much prep for a 30 min lesson. I don’t think I realized how much this prep would help though. We went live and we had 14 out of our 18 kids come and I cannot tell you how amazing it was! We talked about video rules, agreed to abide by them so we can all use this media safely. Our rules were pretty simple, no backgrounds, no chats and we got to see all their faces. Our kids remembered everything, our way of teaching, my sense of humor, raising a hand and showing us their work through their camera. It was phenomenal.
Just as we adjusted to this virtual lesson, they adjusted too and that’s what makes this unusual time in history a memorable moment for all of us. As we all stay home and learn many new ways of leading our lives, our students do too. Our virtual lesson was testament to the fact that our students are much bigger risk takers than we shall ever be. Adjusting to not having your teacher in front of you, not seeing friends who mean the world to you, not having your regular routine and not playing outside, these students are full of grit and determination to keep the show going on.
Their enthusiasm and passion has made this virtual teaching as much fun as it was in the classroom, if not more. We miss seeing them of course and hope we all come back soon. Till then, see you at our next virtual class!
