School kids feel a vast difference in the new normal

Ahmedabad: Schoolchildren had mixed feelings of joy and fear, while happy to be back at school, the fear of Corona still lingered. There was a lot more confusion for educators, who are simultaneously taking online and in-person classes.

Baishakhi Ray, an educator, said, “We have not broken the tradition of morning prayer and we still do it virtually. But, I notice a big change during the recess. The corridors that were abuzz with children talking and sharing tiffins are now silent. Each student is silently eating her own lunchbox with no communication.”

Amli Singh, a Class X student, said, “Earlier, a half an hour recess was too short, now even a 20-minute break seems long. In two days, I felt that I ate my tiffin in 7-10 minutes, and the rest of the time, I was sitting by myself. This loneliness at school was pinching. ”

For Shlesha Joshi, a Class X student, the joy of being at school, superseded everything else. She said, “We have to wear a mask and sanitize ours hands, and the freedom to be ourselves is missing as we are strictly bound by SOPs. But then, I am happy to see my friends in person. Even if we are at some distance, we can connect in person.”

They say, “Silence is Golden”, but it turned killer for some Class X and XII students, who stepped inside school premises after more than ten months. “The silence was killing as we walked towards our class guided by our teachers with hands soaked in sanitizer,” says Harshvardhan Shukla a student of Class X. Another student Parth Shah, a Class X student, adds, “My excitement fell as all I could feel was the pin-drop silence and see masked faces. The smiles that we used for communication with teachers and batchmates were hidden behind masks.”

Even educators were uncomfortable with masks. Anita Desai, an educator, said, “We have to be loud due to social distancing, but with a mask on, we have to speak even louder to be sure that children can hear us properly.” Bhavna Upadhyay, a maths educator, added, “The mask is indeed troublesome, but following all guidelines is essential as they are board class students and we cannot leave put their health at risk.”