A Hero in The Midst of a Pandemic


Everything seems deserted; the streets are vacant, the shopping centers are empty, and the schools are serene with no crowds of the students. Many people lose their jobs and work from home because of the effects of the coronavirus. Covid-19 requires us to keep our distance from each other to reduce the spread of the virus. This is also felt by the educators that must be far apart from their students. They used to teach in class, but now they teach from home. The students who are usually crowded in classrooms, the field, even the canteen are now all quiet. They are now studying at home according to government recommendations. However, with the limitations that exist during this coronavirus pandemic, teachers are still thinking about their students by teaching online.
Anisah Faraswati (20 years old) is a teacher assistant at a private elementary school in Tangerang. She has been an assistant for approximately one year and teaches in grade 3. As an assistant teacher, she only focuses on teaching religious subjects. However, if the homeroom teacher is on business, she should be able to handle all the lessons. She said that the responses of the students' parents of students about online learning are numerous. Some are enthusiastic and some are confused because of the lack of knowledge of digital technology. Fortunately, only a few of the students' parents were confused, the rest of the students' parents responded positively and understood about the current pandemic situation. Teachers also have to adjust themselves when teaching online. "First of all, I was afraid that the material would not be conveyed to the students, but Alhamdulillah, due to the good cooperation between the teacher and the students' parents, everything was well controlled," explained Anisah.
During this pandemic, Anisah taught online through WhatsApp and Classroom. She works gives assignments, lessons, and learning materials consisting of videos or modules every day for the students. At the school where Anisah taught, followed the policies of the government that not to burden students with many assignments. During online learning, she only teaches two subjects everyday which usually can be 4-5 lessons. The assignments given while studying at home are various and not burden the students. "Depending on the material and subject, if the thematic the assignment is done in a book, sometimes practice making a creation, singing a compulsory song consisting of video or voice note. Meanwhile, if BTQ is memorized surah consists of video or voice note.", explained Anisah.
Anisah told me if her students' responses were very funny about this online learning. "Many students complain that they are tired of studying at home because their mom is so fierce so, that they miss being at school, they also can't play with friends," said Anisah. The thing that she misses most when teaching face-to-face is a classroom atmosphere which is usually filled with diverse student activities, now she only can see her students via video. Anisah advises the teachers who also felt the same way to take care of their health and remain at home so that the pandemic would end quickly.
In conclusion, due to limitations to COVID-19, teachers continue to provide knowledge to their students. They are still thinking about how their students can continue to learn during the coronavirus pandemic. It is not only medical personnel who are heroes in this pandemic, but also teachers who continue to teach their students. Everyone can be a hero in their respective fields by helping each other.

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