Since the Covid pandemic invaded our planet late in 2019, our lives have undergone drastic changes. A single virus has reduced the ‘master species’ to something less than human at times, under the impact of economic slowdown, loss of lives, and above all, the mental burden of fear and uncertainty about what the future holds. As I write this, Covid hospitals in India are in panic mode as they lack beds, ventilators and oxygen for patients. The fatality count is mounting relentlessly, even including some who were vaccinated. The pandemic situation as represented in the media is overwhelming, at times.
Within this larger picture, our academic concerns may seem quite irrelevant, at first. The cancellation of Class X Board Exams by CBSE and postponement of NEET/JEE, JRF and other major exams by NTA certainly prove that the challenge now for all of us is to stay safe and survive the pandemic rather than pass exams and move up the educational or career ladder. Definitely, this is the priority, at home and at school, in our DPS Tapi Learning Partnership.
Given the fact, however, that all students are homebound for over a year now, and that their daily routines have been significantly altered by the pandemic, we cannot ignore the modicum of normalcy that online education provides in their lives. I am aware that both teachers and students are struggling to keep themselves motivated and focused under critical pressures of the pandemic affecting their families and friends. I can see the strained joyless faces of some students online, struggling to concentrate and sometimes drifting off, with cameras frequently switching off and no responses to repeated questions. Even students who participate seem to be functioning at lower energy levels than they usually do at school. The summer heat and the pandemic are both taking a toll. But to keep learning is the best way to engage your brain positively in these difficult and dark times. Assignments and assessments may seem tiresome and draining, but they help your brain to develop through active learning. The pandemic should not become an excuse to cover up our own shortcomings. Remember at all times, that we are homo sapiens, who survived and evolved through our intellectual ability. A good mental workout can be as exhausting as a physical one!
We cannot ever give in, no matter how difficult our fight is against this virus. We cannot be together in school or in social gatherings due to physical distancing, but we can support each other mentally, by sharing our frustrations, griefs, worries and also our coping mechanisms and strategies to survive this pandemic. How do you remain safe and survive? How do you cope with your daily burden? How do you motivate yourself? I’ll share my own views here, and those students, parents and teachers who read this piece please do share yours as Comments below.
I try to strictly follow the Covid-safety procedures of mask, sanitisation and social distancing. I have taken my first vaccine shot. I usually allow myself some time in the day to worry or grumble about problems at school and home. But after that, I begin to focus on possible solutions and remedies. I accept the fact that I cannot improve every situation, and must bear with outcomes that I cannot alter. I connect telephonically with family and friends regularly, because they provide positive support to my morale when I feel low. I also try to stick to a daily routine, with some variety added. Above all, I accept the flaws in myself and people around me, that I had hardly noticed in my pre-pandemic days. The pandemic has also brought out the best in some people. I make myself firmly believe that with the help of the vaccine, we all of the DPS Tapi family will come through this pandemic safely and meet again one day, on campus – hopefully, sooner than we can now think. Get vaccinated, stay indoors as much as possible, follow all safety procedures, and if you are currently unwell, I pray for your speedy recovery.
Dr. Sanjukta Sivakumar
Principal