PW invited parents of Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana to share insights on initiatives they took to enhance their children’s learn from home experience

“Enabling our children to adapt to new technologies and online teaching-learning wouldn’t have been possible without school support and counseling by its dedicated staff. However, I ensured that my children — Bhavya, class IX, and Josya, class III — had access to a reliable Internet connection, ate timely meals, got at least eight hours sleep, attended online classes and completed assignments on time. We also made sure they engaged in extra-curricular activities — robotics for my son and classical dance for my daughter.” — Dr. Monika Singla, neurologist, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana

“It has been a pleasure spending time with my children — Penaaz (graduate), Harnoor (class XII) and Ajitesh (class X) — and watching them grow into confident individuals. First and foremost, we drew up a daily time able for them as this practice instills discipline. I must admit learning from home has been a surprisingly satisfying experience, as the children are learning with the purpose of gathering knowledge instead of focusing on grades. They play board games and engage in physical activities of their choice in the evenings. While serving as municipal commissioner, I was a frontline worker in the prevention and management of Covid-19 in Ludhiana. My experience has instilled a deep sense of social responsibility within our children.” — Kanwalpreet Brar, director (tourism & culture), Punjab state government

“ How to ensure my children learnt new skills while growing physically and mentally was the first question on my mind after Covid-19 shut down schools. We drew up a chart for duties and home rules for my children — Jayna (11) and Hitansh (7) — and suggested ways and means to earn brownie points. In this way, they are learning to become independent, disciplined and thoughtful individuals. For recreation, I enrolled the children in painting with coffee, art on stone and homemade jam online classes. Learning from home also provided splendid opportunity for family members to learn from each other.” — Punita Bembi, homemaker

“To ensure a smooth learn from home experience, we provided my teenage daughter Kyra (13) with a laptop computer, a stable Internet connection and a noise-free room with a study table and chair. In these challenging times, we are grateful to the school management and committed teachers for ensuring learning continuity through their digital online learning initiatives. I am happy to share that Kyra is punctual and attentive during her online classes and submits her assignments on time. Evenings are spent doing free hand exercises and attending rahao (‘pause’ in Gurbani) online spiritual class for teenagers.” — Mandeep Pahwa, director, Mukat Pipes Ltd