I love virtual school visits. I enjoy talking to children about my books, encouraging them to explore reading and writing, and taking them through my journey as a writer. Visiting schools virtually was such a novel experience that I wrote an essay for The Curious Reader about it. But of course, as virtual visits go on, more stories are created. That’s the fun of working with children, isn’t it?
Recently, I did a session with a group of about 200 children. I know from experience that it’s important to lay down the rules at the outset, and one of the rules is no mics. If 200 children switch on their mics, there’s utter mayhem. Most children are now used to the idea, but at this school, the session was rather chaotic to begin with. In the beginning, before the session began, I did answer a few questions out of turn but as more and more participants joined in, I shook my head and kept repeating, “Use the chat box. If you have a question, use the chat box. I can’t hear 200 of you at the same time. Use the chat box.”
A few children did have questions. Of all sorts.
Why are we here? (Um …)
When will the session get over? (This, before we’ve even begun.)
Is class V B supposed to come? (Um …)
Who is the teacher in the room? (I wasn’t sure how to answer that.)
Slowly, they settled down, with several more “Please use the chat box” instructions from me.
About fifteen minutes into the session, when everything became a little quiet, a tiny voice piped up, “But … Where is the chat box?”
Ah. Another day, another lesson learnt.
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