One of the less focused-on aspects of the new normal under the Covid-19 Circuit Breaker month is how teachers are coping with engaging a bunch of schoolchildren on full-time home-based learning.

Some parents, for instance, have deemed the new learning structure not ideal for their child.

One forum letter on The Straits Times even suggested teachers try and make classes more engaging.

He suggested that this could be "easily done" with live video chats, where teachers can constantly supervise and maintain eye contact with their students.

At least one teacher appeared to disagree with the usage of "easily done", however:

"Perhaps he should be enlightened as to the number of hours we spend crafting online learning materials for the various classes under our charge; meeting our students for ‘live’ lessons during their curriculum time whilst concurrently checking on their health and mental well-being."

And while it's easy to make general statements advocating a better teaching experience, to be fair, some teachers are taking small steps to create a more holistic learning experience — or at least to overcome their personal challenges in grappling with the tech at home.

Take the example of Low Xiaoxuan, a Mandarin teacher from Casuarina Primary School, who faced the challenge of teaching with the textbook while training her camera phone on it at the same time.

Here is her solution:

She apparently got permission from her children to use their toy bricks.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung shared Low's little hack on a post on his Facebook page.

In which he lauded teachers who are "coming up with new ways to teach remotely, collaborating with each other, and overcoming their unfamiliarity with IT tools".

He promised also to share more of these little stories and tips in the coming days.

Top images via Ong Ye Kung's FB page