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What Makes A Teacher Great? Indian Educators Take Our Q&A.
We collected some first-hand accounts of teachers talking about the remarkable changes they’ve brought to their lives and to the institutions they’re attached to.
We don’t believe that a teacher’s success chart is only rated by their student’s achievements. Right from their capacity to handle work stress and making extra efforts to keep themselves updated with the new reforms in the education field, there are hundreds of other tasks that define great teaching.
Commemorating the theme of the month ‘What makes teachers great in a K-12 setting,’ educators told us that one’s success as a teacher depends on their capacity to harness knowledge during uncertainties and drawing strength from within to bring upon a positive, revolutionary change to the society, one child at a time.
We collected first-hand accounts of some teachers talking about the remarkable changes they’ve brought to their lives as well as to the institutions they’re attached to. Right from dealing with the pandemic by honing their teaching skills to introducing innovative student-programmes, they’ve done it all. Excerpts:
‘Adversity is the greatest teacher’
Neera Singh, Principal, Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
I believe that adversity is the greatest teacher and unity can defeat any obstacle.
Unmatched, dreadful, and perplexing, Coronavirus pandemic has taught me to surge above individual fiascos, manage apprehensions and undergo a thought-provoking transformation. Over the past sixty days, the greatest challenge for me wasn’t about putting learning in jeopardy but to come up with a full-proof blueprint of an enduring and robust ‘Schooling for Life’ system.
I realised that believing in the ‘WE’ culture is far more empowering than the ‘I’ culture of authorization. One always needs a Core Team of growth accelerators and that’s exactly what I did. We formed, from my proficient faculty, an Operational Team that decided ‘Access to learning, no matter what the location is.’ And, we stuck to this agenda.
- Caring tips were shared with the entire fraternity to raise their Emotional Quotient, Happiness Level and Mental Well-being.
- A computerized network was arranged throughout, which equipped and empowered my staff and students to emerge with upgraded skills in technology by elevating everyone’s Digital Literacy and optimizing Innovative Virtual Learning experience through apps like Teno, Google Classrooms, Google Duo, Google Meet, Google Hangouts and Online modules.
- In this trajectory, our prized parents also contributed to creative ideas and constant feedback. This generation is the drivers of a paradigm shift, changing the old order giving place to the new.
‘To put an end to an existing problem, we need to create new solutions’
Rama Datt, Board of Governor, The Palace School
Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, Jaipur, Rajasthan
To put an end or to promote something good, we need to create new groundbreaking situations and solutions. I realized that bullying, which is very common in schools, is generally a result of a student's low self-esteem or the extra unutilized energy in them. This feeling and habit come majorly from their childhood, especially when the child enjoys it without thinking of the repercussions.
In 1996, I planned an Activity Period with a thought that every child has some kind of talent and potential. These fourteen activities were meant to physically exhaust them as well as help them get indulged in their newly-found talents so they could divert their mind in something productive. This Period included:
- Gymnastics
- Karate
- Arthur
- Craft
- Indian dance
- Western dance
- Vocal music
- Instrumental music
- English conversation
- Other indoor activities
Outdoor games took place in the 1st period to let out their extra energy and bring in a feeling of satisfaction before the studies began. In this case, the children were more than happy to be settled for the day. You’ll be surprised to know that there was no bullying noticed after that.
‘The Silver Lining’
Rupali Tanna, Headmistress, Anand Niketan Joeys Ambli Campus, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
The world is closed for Renovation and Grand Reopening is going to happen soon. This thought has inspired me to look for that silver lining around the cloud and make my affirmation list in terms of an acronym of COVID-19.
Connect & collaborate
Optimize the opportunity to reflect, learn and recreate
Value small things in life
Indomitable spirit to adapt and accept challenges
Download the life lessons my parents taught (like resilience and gratitude) and discover the new ‘ME’
19 times breathe in the mantra “Together we will come out stronger”
Taking myself as a lifelong learner and a nation builder, I indulge in reflecting on my journey as an educator by practising mindfulness. Refining my technical skills became my priority followed by reading and learning about the latest educational apps for online learning. My active participation as an audience in webinars organized by ScooNews, ECA, Brainfeed, Edu talks, TIE Bhavnagar Power Talks, Square Tales, Pikler USA and World Forum Foundation enabled me to motivate my team members to adapt to the new normal. With this, an opportunity to share my understanding of ECE as a panellist on TIE Power Talk and ECA Gujarat Territory enhanced my presentation skills.
Apart from this, the amalgamation of my friends, philosophers and educational gurus rejuvenated my insight for the Early Childhood Learning and reaffirmed my belief in the innate capacity of young children. All in all, this pandemic has empowered me personally as well as professionally to come out as a trailblazer, coping with current upheaval in the education system.