The Challenging Role of Teachers During Pandemic

Victoria M. Tan

Keeping learners motivated nowadays is one of the most difficult issues of distant learning. Students may have additional hurdles in absorbing new knowledge and keeping track of the learning process due to a lack of face-to-face interactions, communication difficulties on digital devices, and the need to self-organize or time management. Thus, the responsibility of teachers become increasingly significant in ensuring that students remain eager and motivated to learn. Rather of lecturing to children seated in rows at desks, dutifully listening and recording what they hear, instruction provides each student with a rich, engaging, and unique learning experience.

The educational environment does not stop in the classroom; it also extends to the home, the community, and the rest of the world. Thousands of teachers are leading the way, rethinking every aspect of their jobs, including their relationships with students, colleagues, and the community, the tools and techniques they use, their rights and responsibilities, the form and content of curriculum, the standards to set and how to assess whether they are met, their preparation as teachers and ongoing professional development through webinars, and the structure of the schools in which they work. In summary, teachers are reinventing themselves and their profession in order to better serve their students and schools. Teachers are social workers, guidance counselors, and surrogate parents in one way or another. Teachers go above and beyond in these tumultuous times. Performing a variety of tasks outside of what one might consider a teacher's responsibility is a really difficult and challenging role for teachers during a pandemic.

--oOo-

The author is Master Teacher I at Angeles City National High School