“Ma’am I am sorry, I cannot concentrate and these online classes are just not working for me. I think I will resume the class later this year,” messaged my B2 class student from the German class. I’ve been teaching German ever since I can remember. It has been almost three decades that I have been teaching language to students from schools, colleges as well as professionals who want to travel to Germany for work purposes. But the past three months have been the worst with regards to my classes and I genuinely hope and wish no one has to suffer this much ever again.

As soon as the lockdown was issued, I had to stop my classes. My school grade students were in between their examinations and had no idea about the future of their exams either. The same issue was with the college students. And the professionals, they had their own issues as few were facing job loss problems while others were loaded with a heavy amounts of work from home. 

The first one month I really thought I had my vacation, early. But soon I realised that this pandemic is not going to rest and I might have to suffer a huge monetary loss as I started getting messages from my students saying they wanted to quit or postpone the course. I had to give them refunds and it was something that I absolutely hated. 

Now after 2 months, I am trying to get acquainted with the ‘New Normal’ of Online Learning. Trust me when I say I am technologically challenged. It is so difficult to manage every student’s timing and get them to work on the WhatsApp worksheets, zoom classes all of it. Many a times there are  connection errors which makes communication even more difficult. I am 54-year-old, and for a woman who rarely uses her smart phone to its full utility, I have been on the laptop and phone for more than 10 hours per day. 

I live alone in a society that hasn’t yet allowed maids or delivery boys. So I have been doing not just teaching but also the cleaning, grocery and essential shopping on my own. I have to prepare teaching material, and then check the assignments and give feedback. I have been working round the clock literally, all the time. After all this, I have to make my own meals, and I hardly have the energy to do it so I just end up having some quick food most of the time. I feel so stressed; My eyes have been burning, my back has been hurting in a way that it might soon kill me. I loved my profession before this pandemic but now I literally have to push myself to the laptop and talk to the students. I don’t feel satisfied or motivated anymore. Would this whole situation ever go back to normal again???