The author is Ms. Sonika Sethi, she can be reached at sonrok15@gmail.com In a recent report by UNESCO, more than 91 percent of the student population across the world has been affected by COVID-19 pandemic. This amounts roughly to 157 crore students across 191 countries. India has a similar woeful tale to narrate. Approximately 32 crore students studying in schools and colleges across the country have been forced to stay home due to the pandemic and its associated precautionary measure- lockdown. However, the situation on the academic scenario is not as grim as it seems.Cudgels have been taken up by the government to reach out to all the students out there by promoting virtual classroom teaching-learning methods. While the Education Minister of the country, the Chief Ministers of all the states and all the who's who embarked upon a self-congratulatory trail, self-applauding and self-patting on the back for creating a channel between the students and their education, they conveniently chose to overlook and appreciate the central link required to forge this chain- the teacher. The Prime Minister of the country urged the entire nation to come out and show support and respect to all the 'œCorona Warriors' including doctors, nurses, paramedics and police personnel on 5 April at 9 p.m. by switching off all the lights in their houses and lighting diyas, candles or switching on the flash lights of their mobile phones. The nation whole-heartedly supported the appeal and stood on their balconies or terrace to show solidarity. Some even went to the extent of bursting firecrackers and sounding horns. A few enthusiasts even fired gunshots to ward off the evil spell caused by the China-borne virus. A few days later, the Armed forces of the country paid a befitting tribute to these 'œwarriors' by showering them with flowers and petals via their high-tech choppers. The media, print and social, is going berserk with pictures and posts of Ministers, statesmen and NGOs in a rush to garland and honour the health workers. The average Indian has taken all this in a spirited manner. However, no such efforts or appreciation has been shown towards the teachers of schools and colleges, the so-called Nation Builders who have been equal contributors in these trying times. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, former President of Turkey said, 'A good teacher is like a candle '“ it consumes itself to light the way for others.' What Ataturk didn't realize was that in the times of COVID-19, the poor teacher will have to burn both its ends to meet the demands of its students as well as the society. Most of them have not been paid salaries ever since the lockdown, but instead of holding any grudge against it, they are reaching out to their students in the remotest corners of the country. The government has been conveniently handing out to them a number of non-academic chores too. Some of which include calling random numbers to enquire about the well-being of the families; distribution of ration; purchase of grains in the mandis, so on and so forth. The teachers who are already grappling with this new form of tech-based teaching, are further burdened by the school or college authorities, who chalk out webinars and faculty development or training programs to enhance their skills. Often, these webinars are on such trivial issues like stress management or time management. They hardly realize that most of the stress in the lives of the teachers these days owes its genesis to such unwanted activities. A female teacher in the lockdown period gets up early in the morning, cleans her house as there are no maids to make her life easy, she cooks breakfast, makes preparations for lunch because by the time she ends her online classes, it would be lunchtime. She hurriedly finishes her lunch, washes the dishes and then runs off to log in to the training classes the authorities have arranged for the faculty. The session ends near tea time. She serves tea to the family who expect some snacks along with tea, since she's at homeand the kids definitely need variety. In the evening she does laundry, cooks dinner and then sits down to prepare her notes for the next day's class or some assignments for the students. Her plight is unimaginable. One would say that her family should be lending a helping hand in doing the household chores. Well, the kids have their online classes too and later on they get busy with the homework. So, she is not only a teacher but also a maid, a cook, a washerwoman, a wife and a mother. As if this was not enough, some parents find this to be an opportune time to indulge in 'œteacher bashing'. Some of them are so callous that they post rude posts and comments in their social media groups. The other day, a friend read out a post where one of the parents was complaining that she overheard the teacher while her son was taking his online class and the teacher's accent and pronunciation were 'œatrocious'! Another complained about the faulty teaching methodology of the teacher. Why can't the parents stop their whining and complaining; and for a moment appreciate the teacher's intent and efforts in trying to reach out and teach their wards? The society instead of finding faults, should appreciate the fact that the teachers, too, like everybody else were unprepared for such circumstances and are new to these technical applications. Still they are doing their best to unlearn the old methodology and adapt to the new pedagogical approaches while simultaneously trying to strike a balance between their work and personal life. So, the next time some minister or administrative decides to gloat over the successful implication of virtual classroom teaching, they must remember to include a word of praise for the teachers- the nation builders, who are neck-deep in the task of educating the future generation of the country despite such odds. In case they forget, here's a shout out to all the teaching fraternity, which is doing a tremendous job. Someone has rightly said, 'A great teacher can teach Calculus with a paper clip and literature in an empty field. Technology is just another tool, not a destination.'