Some teachers make a special effort to beat pandemic’s challenges

The coronavirus pandemic pushed teachers and students out of the classroom, leaving a number of the foremost vulnerable students without access to education. But some teachers found creative ways to attach with students upon seeing the challenges they faced.

For Jemima Peláez, the lightbulb moment was when she saw a lass named Dany on a corner . She considered how the pandemic had left behind many of the poorest students, those that most needed access to education.

Peláez began to offer Dany and other migrant and homeless children classes outside, right the road corners where they spent their time.

Peláez asked for assistance on social media and gathered more volunteers. Now, her “stoplight learning” initiative has 23 street-corner classrooms managed by volunteer teachers in her state of Querétaro and 90 teaching places at the national level. Her strategies are replicated in Jalisco, Mexico City and Veracruz.

Another teacher, Rodrigo Rubio, took a special approach to succeed in his students, many of whom weren't signing certain their online classes. He surveyed students and located that TikTok was their most-used social media network so he found out an account and familiarized himself with the video sharing app. Soon he was dancing, dressing in costumes, even riding a dinosaur in his quest to entertain his students.

But by being innovative together with his presentations online, like the utilization of the Mario Bros. theme, Rodríguez has not only connected with this students but attracted new ones that weren't in his class.

“It’s gratifying to ascertain now, in spite of not personally knowing them, I even have created this link with the scholars .”

The teacher of 33 years, conscious that his students have just one childhood, says he tries to form it a memorable one and “give it all he’s got.”