Pune: Teachers’ Day celebrations get a new meaning in changing times

By: Anjali Jhangiani
PUNE: Teachers’ Day celebrations will move online this year. Students are making videos, putting up a show over video conference and coming up with other innovative ways to show their appreciation of their teachers.
Some students have been practising for a few weeks to put up an entertaining show for their teachers. “Last month, we formed a committee of students, who wanted to volunteer to arrange a programme.There are 20 of us who, will give an A cappella performance featuring a medley of old Hindi and English songs. It has been tough to practise from homes but the effort is nothing compared to the lengths that our teachers have gone to teach us during the lockdown and give us some sense of normalcy during these trying times,” said Anusha Kale, student of Std X.
Schools also want to show appreciation to their staff for being so resilient as they had to completely change their mode of operations by going online.
Amruta Prabhu, principal of HDFC School Pune, said, “Our senior students planned a virtual assembly for the teachers. That apart, we will also be collaborating with our sister schools in Bengaluru and Gurgaon for a session with the managing director and trustees. Teachers across the country have shown extraordinary tenacity and forthrightness in taking this challenge head on in spite of several hurdles.”
Jayshree Venkatraman, principal of SNBP International School, said that her students have planned a special event for the day based on role reversal. “The senior students will take over classes for the day where they will tell stories that the teachers came up with. The teachers will attend classes along with junior students. They will also make e-cards and certificates for their teachers. It is all the more important to celebrate Teachers’ Day this year because it has been a roller-coaster ride with no end to challenges, but they continue to inspire,” she said.