Sana Sohoni
March 2020, Pune
“I miss school.”
What started as a week long spring break for Ms. Sana and her middle-school students soon turned into a government announced severe nationwide lockdown against the COVID-19 breakout. The academic year ended abruptly with pending syllabus, athirst teachers and partly-happy, partly-sad students who will now only go back to school in June.
When we asked Sana Sohoni, a Science Faculty at Avasara Academy (a Pune-based school affiliated to Cambridge’s IGCSE Board that also grants scholarships to lesser-privileged girls of potential) about the situation she said –
“In the end, we’re all the same. The teaching community across the world is facing similar challenges – we have students to teach, the internet is not always accessible to all and continuing a dialogue with our children in times like this is crucial. The possibilities to do so are changing rapidly every single week.”
“In the first week, all teachers at Avasara created worksheets which would give our students practice worth a week. Created at home, emailed over to the management, these assignments were printed and sorted into packets and home-delivered to every single student by female school bus monitors and drivers. We began working on week two assignments but this strategy could not be implemented, we had to ensure safety of the bus drivers and our girls themselves, besides there’s a lockdown.”
“We then took to conducting a tele-survey about the internet access available for each one of them at their respective homes. Most girls can study online for an hour or two in the day on mobile phones, nobody has a laptop and some don’t have internet access at all. The school has taken an immediate decision to allocate funds to provide free data to all the girls for home-learning until the official duration of the academic year. Live online lessons remain a distant dream but we will now pre-record video classes, create assignments, learning material and upload it on a platform called Edmodo. The students will be guided to access the same and upload photos of their written assignments, raise doubts, check their grades and track progress in return.”
“It’s tedious and I miss school but the learning will go on!” exclaims her.
Sana, a double graduate in Chemistry & Physics, topped by a Master’s in Physics, is completing a Bachelor’s in Education alongside a full time teaching career. Her life is comparable to the versatility of a melodious framework of a ‘raag’ (राग) in Indian classical music. She is a teacher, a photographer (weddings & classical music), amateur astronomer and a former national level lawn tennis player who harmonises the subtleties of many notes into a singular compelling symphony of her everyday being.
“Adversity brings out the best of us all. A worldwide WhatsApp network of teachers was initiated overnight to share challenges, resources and creative ideas on a single spreadsheet to help us overcome these strange times.”
“While many learning subscriptions like Audible.in and Cambridge are making their paid content accessible for free, the Government of Kenya has launched a radio frequency through which school classes are broadcasted. Many students may not have the internet, but everyone has a radio. Besides, we’re all looking for apps that require one time internet download usage and can be used for offline learning. Anyone in the educational technology space should bring this to life even after the pandemic has passed. We need it!” continues Sana.
Three years ago, she had carved a niche for herself as one of the best music photographers in the Indian classical music cohort along with shooting weddings commercially. She was also keen on scientific research. Out of the many things she could’ve been, how did she become a teacher?
“I’ve always wondered how I got the opportunities I have. Merit, yes. But it’s also luck! Income inequality divides the society and deprives many of a chance at the best things – good school, global exposure, higher education...while blessing others plentifully, thus creating inequality in the society.”
“Towards the end of my Master’s and closer to my earlier consideration of pursuing a PhD, the Teach for India fellowship presented itself. In a few interactions with the institution, I realised the premise of their work (of creating an education equity) aligned with my thought process; it was an opportunity to contribute to solutions for the societal disparity that bothers me.”
“I enjoy research, I enjoy the creative process of making a photograph but I find working in the social sector more fulfilling than running a successful photography business. There was a certain unease with the commercial aspect of photography, the kinds I never experience with teaching even on bad days.”
“Teaching has enabled me to find my sweet spot between science and arts. My subject matter is scientific, something I truly enjoy. The process too begins scientifically with gathering data, analysing it which quickly transforms into a creative flow. The delivery of this knowledge has to be reinvented and made into songs, games, strategic group activities and fun assignments for my students to absorb, and the artist in me takes over. The dynamics are ever changing, my students’ mindsets evolve every few weeks, a fresh batch of students come in every year and I’m compelled to learn and unlearn. There’s never a dull moment!”
Sana breaks out of her vocal reverie and smiles.
“It’s fun but not always easy. I’m teaching when I’m not teaching, passing on behavioural cues that my students then imbibe and imitate. It’s imperative I am mindful of my behaviour as soon as I enter school. There’s constant surveillance!” she laughs.
“My girls’ socio-emotional well-being is also my responsibility. The institution has many literal and figurative forms of sharing spaces where the girls can express, discuss and listen to one another knowing they will not be judged. My smart group brings a mix of life experience to our school and their perspectives enrich my thinking more than they can imagine. I provide a listening space for them and ask gentle probing questions that lead them to what they seek. This applies to their science experiments as well. I become a mere guide walking with them on a self-questioning journey as they learn and evolve.”
“Sometimes, the cues I provide to help them formulate their voices are simple. I strip down this idea of a scientist being a white man in an inaccessible territory by using photos of Indian scientists or female scientists in my presentations. I was the happiest when once a 6th grade student once drew a gender-less figure when asked to draw a scientist.”
“Some of my students strive positively to balance their life at school and life at home. Their parents value education, are proud that their daughter has an Avasara scholarship and yet take time to understand the strong, outspoken girl she is growing up to be. Patriarchy and unawareness may unintentionally gush out as parental nurturing but the girls work on building a bridge. At school, we build on their critical thinking skills and individuality. I teach them to ask the right questions and express their views based on evidence with due respect and empathy towards family.
As days become weeks, Sana worries how her girls would be doing as they stay at home in the circumstances brought upon the world by the pandemic. She’s thankful for the presentation she made on the preventive measures for coronavirus in January as it first broke out in China.
“Many of my students took it home to show it to their parents,” she said. “They thought they needed to. I was so happy!”
“I miss their exuberance. In such moments, I close my eyes and recollect the times when I’m teaching. They listen and listen and try to comprehend. And in one moment they get it. They get it! Their eyes shine in wonder. It’s sheer fulfilment.”
Reminisces the students’ Miss. Sana.
COVID-19 has changed the world. There is an insurmountable oneness showcased by each professional community.
—
frankaffe recognises the persistent intent of the teachers and educationalists during these times.
—
Words: Sana Sohoni, in conversation with Nikita Vhora