CUDDALORE: Here is a teacher, bringing an old-world charm into the profession and helping her students maintain sanity during these mind-numbing times. She visits her students at their houses and makes sure they are doing okay.
Mahalakshmi, the 49-year-old teacher we are talking about, teaches Tamil in the Naduveerapattu government higher secondary school. She has been teaching over 700 students from Classes VI to X for about 25 years now.
Once Mahalakshmi finishes her morning chores every day, she starts telephoning her Class X students and schedules meetings with them. The practice of visiting each of her students during the pandemic has been
going on for almost two weeks now, thus becoming a routine for her.
She hopes to keep her students motivated and boost their morale. Mahalakshmi says, "As schools have been shut since March due to the Covid lockdown, students are facing uncertainties. They are forced to adapt to a lot of changes academically. Ergo, after the Class X boards were cancelled, I decided to meet them. I was concerned and curious about their whereabouts and their mental health, as many students come from economically weaker backgrounds."
She advises parents and students not to panic and assures them that schools will reopen once the conditions get back to normalcy. "I have so far covered only my Class X students. As most of their houses are adjacent to one another, I call and inform the students about the casual meet up every morning. I educate them about the pandemic and precautionary measures to be taken and give them with their confidence to get through the crisis," beams Mahalakshmi.
"Having spent ample hours together in the school, these children have gradually become like my own. I do not ask them to study and lecture them on how to pass time. If I did, they would not want to meet me. By visiting the houses, both parents and students feel encouraged. This will only strengthen the bond between my students and me," she adds.