Performing in the new normal

After an entire day of working in front of a screen, as many aspire, I wanted to end the workday by chilling with a movie. While browsing the list, nothing much appealed, and in this gloomy weather, thought a ‘feel-good’ movie shall cheer the mood up. Perhaps the algorithm of the platform ‘artificially read my mind’ and this movie randomly appears entitled Music of My Heart, a year 1999 movie starring Meryl Streep as a violin teacher for an elementary school. For the benefit of those who has yet to watch, I shall not ‘spoil’ the movie with a synopsis, but if you have watched before, this particular scene caught my attention and pardon me for not being able to type the entire conversation in verbatim, but it roughly goes like this:

In the Principal’s Office: 

Parent: You are shouting all the time! 

Roberta: They have to listen to me!

Parent: I am raising Becky in a supportive atmosphere!

Roberta: I am trying to teach discipline!

Principal: I think what is Mrs. Lamb trying to say is, Roberta, you are a little too harsh, but I am sure you might be able to soften your comments.

Parent: Good

Roberta went back to her violin class, and commence teaching, and halfway through their recital:

Roberta: Ok that’s enough (sigh). Well, that was pretty good, not so bad.

DeSean: It wasn’t? I thought we were stunk.

Roberta: I could say that some people may be practice a little more. (She began calling out a few students & asked whether they practiced, and students answered no)

DeSean: Roberta, why are you acting like that?

Roberta: Like what?

DeSean: Like nice.

Roberta: Well, don’t you want a nice teacher?

DeSean: Well I already got nice teachers. You added some variety. 

Guadalupe: Yeah, we like you better the way you used to be

(All students nodded & agreed in unison)

Becky (daughter of Mrs. Lamb): I agree. This is even worse. You’re acting weird now.

Roberta: Ok, I take it all back. You stunk, you all stunk! 

(All students LOL)

I would like to reiterate that highlighting this particular scene is NOT an entitlement for teachers & educators to speak rudely to our students (as it recently happened), but each teacher & educator is unique in their (or our own) ways to manage our students. What strikes me most about this scene is each student learns and acquires uniquely in their own way, and effective teaching happens because a teacher or educator recognises this uniqueness yet manage to identify & tackle the ‘breakeven point’ of the entire group of learners.

This pandemic has already created challenges & hurdles in learning and teaching, so we hope everyone understand our struggles in this new normal circumstance. It’s easy for everyone to say & deem that teachers & educators aren’t performing as much as what they should be doing back in the old normal, but educators & teachers are still figuring out every day on how to manage this situation in our best capacity confined within a 9 box grid virtually to ensure no students are left behind. 

Ironically, we are blamed for an infected student coming to school (despite SOPs are in place), or one colleague infected the virus from their spouse. When the schools are closed, it is because we are merely melaksanakan arahan (executing an order) pressured by the authorities & public, NOT because teachers & educators requested for it. I am sure teachers and educators here do miss standing in front of the board / projector screen with a group of learners physically (and socially distanced) present in a classroom.

We wish to remind that learning and teaching still goes on. One may deem our tasks are ‘easier’ as seated in front of a screen talking to our learners, but remember the backstage that everyone never see. Amongst our peers, the debate of whether Hangout or Zoom is better, either Kahoot or Quizziz is superior, have ended. Our minds now lingers in the new normal how can teaching and learning can still happen effectively and assessments can still be undertaken. Every educator & teacher are coping in our best capacity to menjalankan tugas (undertaking our duties), but doesn’t this accord us ‘frontliners’, just like how a medical personnel attends to an infected patient, or a security personnel guarding a roadblock?

Wishing us, the ‘frontliners’ in the education system a happy belated Teachers’ Day. Thomas Edison did not fail, but he discovered 10,000 ways that a light bulb did not work. Teachers & educators shall not fail, but we shall (or have) discovered 10,000 ways of teaching & learning effectively in the new normal.