The transition to distance learning has brought a unique set of challenges for educators across the UAE, but for teacher-mothers, the shift has meant navigating a delicate and demanding balancing act.
As classrooms moved into living rooms, these women found themselves simultaneously managing their professional duties as educators and their personal responsibilities as mothers, often leading to extended hours and heightened stress.
For many, the dual role requires not only delivering high-quality education to their students but also ensuring their own children remain engaged and on track with their virtual classes. The emotional and physical toll of this juggling act is a sentiment echoed by many across the country.
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Maryam, a teacher and mother, described the experience as highly demanding and exhausting. “It requires extensive preparation, including designing lessons, assigning tasks, and ensuring that all links and materials shared with students are accurate and accessible,” she explained. “In addition, I must continuously monitor students’ attendance and actively motivate them to participate during online lessons.”
She highlighted the specific difficulties of teaching younger or lower-level students virtually. “There is a significant challenge in delivering content effectively to lower-level students, as they require more individualised support and closer guidance from the teacher. This adds to the overall workload and requires additional time and effort.”
Beyond her students, Maryam must also tend to her own family. “At the same time, I need to balance my professional responsibilities with my role as a mother — supporting my own children while teaching, supervising my students, and solving the various technical and academic issues they face. Therefore, online learning has become extremely stressful and demanding for us as both teachers and mothers.”
Haifa Mohammed Alwan, a 29-year-old working mother in the education sector, shared similar sentiments. With three children ranging from nursery to primary school age, the recent extension of distance learning and the closure of nurseries have added layers of complexity to her daily routine.
“Since my field of work is educational, my job has also shifted to a remote learning system,” Haifa said. “The difficulty here lies in balancing the need to monitor my children to ensure they attend their classes on time and complete all their assignments — even my youngest, whose nursery has also moved to distance learning — with my need to isolate myself to complete my own work tasks.”
Despite the hurdles, Haifa remains optimistic, crediting family support for making the situation manageable. “If it weren’t for the support of family, it would have been much more difficult, especially since their father and I are both busy with work demands. With God’s grace, the remote school day passes successfully and gives us a beautiful sense of accomplishment. The situation during Ramadan was much harder, but I think it will be easier as we return to regular working hours.”
Kholoud Mohammed Al Kaabi, a learning resources specialist at a school in Al Ain who also handles administrative duties as a domain coordinator for nine schools, faces the monumental task of balancing her career with raising five children.
“The extension of distance learning requires us, as working mothers, to exert greater effort to organise our time between work and monitoring our children’s studies,” Kholoud noted. “This may be accompanied by some challenges in reconciling family and professional responsibilities.”
However, she expressed strong support for the government’s proactive measures. “We trust the wisdom of our wise leadership and their constant concern for the safety of society and the continuity of education. The UAE has proven its ability to deal with various circumstances with high efficiency, and we, in turn, stand in support of these decisions for the benefit of our children and our nation.”
Distance learning extended post-spring break
The challenges faced by these teacher-mothers are set to continue, as UAE authorities recently announced that distance learning will be extended for an additional two weeks following the spring break.
The Education, Human Development, and Community Development Council confirmed that students across public and private schools, as well as universities and nurseries, will study remotely starting March 23.
This measure, aimed at ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the community, also includes flexible remote work arrangements for caregivers among federal government employees, providing some relief for parents navigating this extended period of virtual education.
Source: Khaleej Times