Lockdown is something not the world was used to, until 2020. Both isolation and lockdown are equally complex and difficult for almost everyone irrespective of their age and background. More than physical, it takes an emotional toll on every individual across the globe affecting the psychology of the entire human race.
On the flip side, this is the rarest time which may never come again in the near future. If this exceptional time can be organized and scheduled properly, then it can be converted as a great time for enhancing productivity and nurturing positivity. Such a time as this, is new to everyone and it is very important to understand that the way we gear up ourselves at this moment can make us an unavoidable resource at our institution or organization.
While every educational institution is closed, the student community gets lot of time, which is usually unlikely. There are numerous ways in which this time can be utilized effectively in order to gain hefty returns in the days to come.
It’s imperative to explore and learn various new skills which may be of high demand while this period lapses off and exposes you to the whole new spectrum. While the world reopens to the new normalcy, most of the learning methods might have lost its vogue and new culture of learning and practicality will be applied. If your existence has to be felt prominently then how you utilize this time to mould yourself will be the best help you could do to yourself to face the new world.
Even if you haven’t taken any steps for this until now, it is alright to begin right away, than never. Involve yourself and work on different projects that can help you gain a great exposure to the trending technology, learn a new language, inculcate the habit of reading lot of books, try a new hobby, enroll yourself for an online course and never neglect to take steps to discipline your life by organizing your own personal things.
By doing this, you not only feed your brains but also you are earning some very valuable credits to make a winning resume. Having such significant information under a header called "Lockdown Achievements” in your resume, will not only enable you to have an edge over others but I bet that, you can never go unnoticed and you will be a resource that can never be ignored.
One of my personal suggestions for any student is to ‘Create a Bucket List’ of things you would wish to do or places you wish to visit etc. It may be like ‘You wish to speak at the UN’ or ‘you wish to visit the Taj Mahal’ be it anything. Doing such things not only makes you find who you really are, what your likes are, it can also help you widen your imagination and ultimately leads you to find the purpose of your existence.
Last but not the least, always ensure to carry a positive attitude, keep putting yourself in areas that motivates and encourage yourself to be a better person.
On the other side of the rope, with the students suddenly being required to learn from home, teachers are exposed to a whole new genre of teaching. Teaching online is something, which is completely different from what a personal connect, could give. Here is when every student encounters uncertainty of what their way of education could be anymore and what their future holds with this type of learning.
During such times, it is essential that the teaching fraternity finds new ways to engage students by exploring creative teaching methodologies that can make the students be attentive and focused. For this, the teachers have to start honing themselves with new digital and technological skills that can grab the unhindered attention of the students and can also encourage the students to learn in a more advanced manner.
The students being placed in a comfortable home atmosphere are prone to lot of distractions like television, web series and online games. Thus, it is an absolute need for the teachers to blend their way of teaching that is more purposeful, practical and interactive so that it encourages the students to challenge themselves to do more. Usage of pictorial representations helps the students to be more attentive and will pave ways to enhance their creativity as well.
While you as teachers take such measures by going an extra mile to capture the attention of this growing generation, then I can challenge you that even if your organization plans to execute a lay-off in such unprecedented times, you can easily be a resource who can never be laid off at any cost.
Yes, just like how every problem is different, so are the ways to find solutions. The pathway to find a solution is nothing, but best called as ‘Opportunity’. There can never be a better ‘Opportunity’ called ‘Problem’ in each of our cases individually. Let’s use the best of our opportunities and keep marching forward with success.
About the Author
Preethi Daniel is the Group HR Manager at Ruah Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd. Author could be reached at preethi@ruahtech.com.au