On the Upside: Learning and Teaching that Survived and Thrived, and Related Policy Post-Pandemic

The first wave of pandemic was laced with enough uncertainty and the countrywide lockdowns happened too soon for most population to foresee, plan and prepare for what will turn out to be months of staying locked within the four walls.

The times had turned upside down overnight. The urban families which would otherwise come home only to retire and struggled to find time to dine together, were now with each other day and night. As weeks passed and the pandemic broke havoc outside, online school education and work from home became a new normal.

It was an opportunity for some parents to monitor, empathize and help their kids with their learning. Time saved from travels and other outdoor visits was better utilized to mend the widening gaps that had existed in the family system.

On the other hand, though, the already fragile relationships turned devastating for those suffering from domestic violence. For some it was increase in domestic violence, but for the kids facing bullying and discrimination at school, the comfort of home brought relief. In either situation the natural survival instincts dominated over everything else.

For younger generation, involuntary learning outside the classroom picked up as they watched their parents’ responses to uncertainties, anxiety, resource management, losses and grief.

Awareness of life skills gained focus. Parents indulged their kids in matters of finances, domestic affairs and dynamics of survival in emergency. By the end of second wave, kids had witnessed enough life and death to know that life is to be lived outside their classroom and learning is not just about discrete subjects but applying common sense together with knowledge for sustainability.

A whole new paradigm of knowing how human physiology works in tandem with nature emerged. Health, hygiene and good habits for body and mind took priority. It also brought to the fore an understanding of demographics and inter relatability of human race across borders. Pandemic kids have learnt this better than their forefathers how critical it is to protect the planet and its’ environment if the human race must go on another thousand years.

The globally united efforts to discover vaccine and drugs highlighted the interdisciplinarity of education and learning practices. There can never be a more realistic real-world examination for the youth.