Teachers go extra mile to help students

Coimbatore: Many corporation schoolteachers have risen to the occasion during this pandemic time, helping their students cope with studies.
Many students, the teachers said, could not attend the online classes as their parents used to carry the only smartphone available in the house to their workplace. “So, we create videos and send them on WhatsApp for them to watch whenever the phone is available at home,” said one of the teachers.
Some teachers also conduct online classes in the evenings, mostly between 6pm and 8pm, when parents of most students would be back home from work.
Christopher George, a teacher with Uppilipalayam corporation primary school, says while he takes online classes after 6pm, only 25 of the 37 students could attend the classes, as parents of the remaining six reach home late at night. “I will make a separate video for them and they will be asked to visit the school to watch the same. They will be given a worksheet to do the homework, which they will submit the next day. All the students are given an activity related to lessons to improve their critical thinking.”
S Sumathi, headmistress, Sanganur corporation middle school, says the schoolteachers would visit the students at their houses to check whether they were coping well with the online classes. “If the students have any doubt, teachers will clarify them on the spot. They will check the students’ notebooks and ensure that they are watching Kalvi channel. The students who require more attention will be asked to visit the school for 30 minutes to clear their doubts.”