The principal suddenly called the 55-year-old teacher and told him to learn how to take a class online. He doesn’t have much to say as he knows that if he denies he will be laid off, at this age in this situation he can’t do any other job, to pay for his family he has no choice.
Unwillingly he takes his smartphone to his daughter. She helped him to understand the basics of Zoom, his hands often trembles to go around the tabs, he often freezes trying to understand how this thing works but he has no choice.
The next day he goes to a market to buy a new whiteboard. The price of these small boards soared up, but without these how can he take the class? He took the board in a rickshaw and came home. Placed the board in a chair and started practicing the lesson. It was harder than he thought, staring at a camera and teaching but he has no choice.
The next day he wore a new shirt, will be seeing his students after one and a half months, his daughter helped him to set up the smartphone, and the students were added and the class went on. He was shaky, his voice cracked now and then he was nervous but he has no choice.
Suddenly an unknown ID started using slang at him, the F words, the A words, open threats. He couldn’t understand how should he react, he shouted out of anger and embarrassment, a teacher is being humiliated in front of his students. His life work of earning respect from his students seemed to vanish in seconds. His daughter taught him how to mute students, but the student could unmute himself, the student kept on using slangs and he did it for entertainment. The only thing the teacher could do was to end the class, as he has no choice.
He called for his daughter, she came running and saw her father in tears, she held him tightly tried to calm him down but he kept crying as he never faced such humiliation in his life. That night he had troubled to sleep, as he knew the next day he has to wake up and face the same ordeal as he has no choice.
I write this fictional story in solidarity to all teachers who are victims of Zoom bombing by shameless students. May GOD give you patience and these students’ guidance.
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