Faith in God brings comfort and cheer, even in the midst of stress and crushing difficulties. Faith is what helps us trust God in difficult times. March 2020 will forever be known in the education community as the month when almost all the schools in India shut their doors. Christukula Mission Higher Secondary School was one of those schools who fell victim to this worldwide closure. It all started with the declaration of lockdown by our Prime Minister due to the pandemic. Thus, lockdown became the first word added to our Covid-19 vocabulary. The entire country thought everything would become normal within a fortnight of lockdown. Nobody knew that this would take months forcing us to adapt to the new normal. As a part of an educational community, it was our sole responsibility to fulfill the tasks entrusted to us by the society.

After a month of lockdown, we introduced the teachers to the school application 'EduPro'. The teachers were asked to design their semester syllabus to resume the process of teaching. After Spending years in the world of traditional teaching it was very difficult for the teachers to shift to the virtual world of teaching. The educators were introduced to various applications like V-recorder, V-Editor, V-Compressor, MS- office etc. The students were sent links to access their subject videos. Many students had no access to digital devices or internet connectivity at homes. We hemmed alternatives for those students as well. Blackboard teaching turned into pdf notes and each home turned into a virtual classroom. It was even more challenging for us as we had to transform each student's home into a mini school. Nobody was prepared for this outbreak but with every passing day we got a new experience. Each day of falling apart was a stepping stone for everyone. Semester examination question papers were sent online to the students and they were asked to answer them and submit it to school. The teachers corrected the notebooks and assessment sheets before exams. PTMs were held regularly after every semester to inform the parents about the progress of their wards. During the month of October, we started with our online doubt clearing sessions. Thus, the teachers got acquainted with ZOOM as an online teaching platform. Initially it was tough but with each day they excelled. It was a joyful experience for the teachers to see their students on the other side of the screen. By the month of December, the entire school started with the doubt clearing sessions through Zoom along with the uploading of videos. Various events like Teachers’ day, Children’s day and festivals like Diwali and Christmas were celebrated virtually and the students were given opportunities to showcase their talents on-screen. Olympiads were also conducted online during this year. As per the orders from government to start Classes 9 to 12, especially 10th and 12th STD as they have to face board exam this year, we slowly started with our physical doubt clearing sessions for the board classes. This was a very crucial decision, as the teachers had to work twice as hard as the physical classes as well as the regular uploading of notes were continued. The school premises, the classrooms were arranged according to COVID-19 protocols, the rooms were and are still regularly sanitized, students strictly monitored. It was very painful to see some of the students after leaving the school gate standing in groups and buying eatables from outside, so we decided to make our teachers stand till the main road and monitor our student’s safety. Many hurdles came and they still come but we move on with prayers and support of each and every member of Christukula family.

Each day during Covid was difficult from everyone's end but by the grace of God the CKMS fraternity was able to sail through the COVID storm. The entire school worked hard in this Covid era, right from the highest authority to the lowest strata. Our parents shouldered the responsibility of the teachers as they had to monitor their child’s education at home. This year has been a rollercoaster ride for all and we hope and pray that it ends soon. We at CKMS assure the society that we will give our best with whatever available resources we have and continue to pass on the spark of knowledge to the torchbearers of tomorrow.