With the coronavirus pandemic forcing schools and colleges to shut down, education shifted online. Even though virtual classrooms are the best available option right now, online teaching has its own challenges.

One teacher has proved when there’s a will, there’s a way. Manju Gugnani, a Mathematics teacher, blended technology with jugaad to make learning easier for her students.

Mathematics is not a subject that can be taught without a blackboard. So, Gugnani used a heap of books and a wooden plank to make a stand, solved maths problems in her notebook while sharing the screen with her students. A photo of Gugnani’s jugaad has gone viral on social media.

When the lockdown began in March, Gugnani used to struggle to take online classes. From learning to join meetings and figuring out the features, she learned it all from scratch. When she began to get comfortable with the application, she had to switch to another meeting app.

Why is it not audible?

Why can’t others see me?

Why is it asking to rejoin?

Every time Gugnani faced an issue, her daughter Disha came to rescue her. She watched YouTube tutorials and also took help from her colleagues.

“Just like the cat didn’t teach lion to climb the tree, you haven’t shown me how to use the snipping tool,” Gugnani once joked.

Within a couple of months, Gugnani became a pro at taking online classes. She even came up with a jugaad to make maths problems easier for her students.

(Image: Disha Gugnani)

She connected her phone with her laptop using an application so that she could show her students how to solve the questions. To place her phone in the right position, she used a pile of books, a plank and a stool.

Gugnani’s husband helped her test the idea before she started using it in her classes.

Gugnani has proved that no matter what the obstacles are, a teacher will find a solution because teachers teach from the heart.

Netizens were impressed with Gugnani adapting to the “new normal”. One user said, “Teachers have really moved on from their classroom routine jobs to pro-techies in this pandemic times.” Another wrote, “That’s great. Salute to her and all the teachers.”

Happy Teachers’ Day!