The month of October brought its own set of challenges to ETA Owais Mahmood. Haze and smog spread to Jambi City, making it difficult for students to attend class in person, forcing instruction online with reduced time. Classes were live online for two weeks, bringing memories of what things were like during the pandemic. One of the biggest challenges was engaging the students. Owais and his co-teachers tried many things to get their students’ attention. They had students popcorn reading, play Simon Says, and even stretch with cameras on at various points throughout class time. It was very apparent that these strategies worked and led to more engagement rather than teaching during the whole class period.

Thankfully, this was temporary, and students could begin attending school in person again later in the month. This experience gave Owais and his co-teachers perspective and ideas on engaging students behind the computer screen. Everyone, including teachers, prefers having in-person classes rather than online.

Owais Mahmood is currently teaching at SMAN 4 Jambi, Jambi.