Teachers’ Day: A Class apart

‘There should not be a single child who is deprived of education’
Anju Soni (56)
Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Senior Secondary Smart School (Girls), Jawahar Nagar, Ludhiana

Like soldiers serve our nation at borders, we the teachers serve our country by providing nation-builders to the country. I wanted to impart knowledge and skills in some way to the coming generation.

My biggest challenge is that there should not be a single child deprived of education. If any student drops out in the middle of the session due to any reason, I put all my efforts to bring her back to school again.

My greatest joy is when my students get excellent scores and inform me about their placements.

There has been a drastic change in the education system with the emergence of AI and self-learning tools. These new advancements have rid the students of rote learning and they are acquiring knowledge with application and skills.

‘Teacher can reconstruct the negative energy into positive, uplift society’
Amarjit Singh Chahal (44)
Govt Senior Secondary School, Ranghrial (Mansa)

Amarjit Singh Chahal, teacher at
Govt Senior Secondary School, Ranghrial (Mansa).

I chose teaching as it gives me an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the students. A teacher can reconstruct the negative energy into positive to uplift human resources of the nation. Teachers can find out the possibilities among students and nurture them to be good human beings.

My biggest challenge was to understand the individual differences and capacities of the learners and provide them with the best opportunities and environment to learn. The admission of girl students in higher studies is still a challenge in rural areas. Science education is still a dream for poor rural students.

Although a successful career of his students is the biggest achievement of a teacher, the greatest joy of a teacher doesn’t depend merely on the worldly progress of his students as it is useless without high moral values, etiquette, discipline, virtues and contribution to the nation.

AI will make a huge difference in the learning process. While it will provide students with spontaneous answers, it will reduce physical interaction between teachers and students. Technology cannot replace the emotional attachment of teachers with the students. AI will be a boon in backward areas of the country.

‘My greatest joy… earning trust and faith of students and their parents’
Lavjeet Grewal (45)
Government Primary School, Chanan Wala village, Fazilka

Lavjeet Grewal, Government Primary School, Chanan Wala village, Fazilka

As a child, I was inspired by the dedication, passion, and the positive impact my mother, who was teacher, had on her students. Watching her nurture young minds and witnessing the way she helped her students grow intellectually and emotionally left an indelible mark on me.

It has been a challenge to work in schools near the international border with limited resources and recurring natural calamities such as floods. The obstacles I encountered are multifaceted and have entailed innovative solutions to connect students with education. I adapted teaching methods to accommodate limited resources, utilised community engagement to foster a supportive learning environment, and generated aid and resources from relevant authorities and NRI donors.

My greatest joy as an educator was not in winning state or national awards but in earning the trust and faith of my students and their parents. Building a strong bond of trust is the foundation of effective teaching.

‘Founder of any real revolution will definitely be a teacher’
Rakesh Sharma (47)
SGRM Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Zira, Ferozepur

Rakesh Sharma, SGRM Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Zira, Ferozepur.

If the society, the country and the conditions are to be changed, then this change should start from the schools. The teacher is the person who can change the thinking of the students which can eventually bring a change in the society. Whenever there will be a real revolution in the country, the founder of it will definitely be a teacher.

I have realised in my 24 years of service that the social and economic conditions of the students in government schools play a big role in their attitude towards education. Earning a living and their parents are more important for them than education. It has always been a challenge for me to educate those students. This challenge becomes even bigger when the parents are also not enthusiastic about the child’s education.

For me, those moments are the most joyful when a student’s eyes light up after understanding something, when I see students’ dreams come true. Those moments are unforgettable for me when I would be standing in a bank queue and an employee comes to tell me proudly that he was my student.

AI and abundance of self-learning tools have made education much simpler and easier. Therefore, it is necessary that the teacher should be updated with these daily changing tools and not consider them as their substitute but as a complement to fulfill the needs and curiosity of their students.