Best Practice

​

A Montessori Teacher is the first formal teacher, with whom the child comes in contact after his parents and family members. His interaction at this level with the teacher paves the foundation of his future beliefs and opinion about the world outside. The process of learning is never ending and so is the process of teaching, simply because, every time we learn something new, good or bad, there is a teacher involved. There are many areas in which I have grown and improved with time and experience in Mont. Classrooms and I am happy to state that I am still growing as a teacher.

My greatest reward is the satisfaction I get when I see their glowing eyes, while they do something new such as learning to read or effectively expressing their imaginations through a sketch with wavering pencil strokes. The teacher’s enthusiastic yet peaceful demeanor is reflected in the classroom. Children are great imitators. Their behavior is a reflection of the teacher’s conduct in Classrooms. I have also observed that due to my inclination towards music, the children of my class developed a natural orientation and liking towards jingles and prayers. They eagerly wait every day to sing the National Anthem.

Class Control is another important aspect of teaching especially when you are handling small children.  I have experimented with the strategy of using story as an effective tool. Instead of asking them to be quietly seated, it is better to start with a story appropriate to their age group and having a moral. As children start listening, they become quiet and slowly get seated in their place. It only takes a minute to win over the kids and once you have succeeded, teaching becomes the best job in the world. Stories can be incorporated virtually into every areas of the curriculum.

With the little experience I have gathered working with these young children, I firmly believe that teachers are only facilitators. Rather than forcing the child to learn in a way which is desirable and suitable for us, we should create situations where the child can learn at his own pace., interpreting things in his own way. Once it so happened when I was interacting with a child during admission, where this little girl was given a picture of a flower to colour. A bowl full of mixed colour was lying on the table and the child was asked to pick up crayon from it. After 5mins or so seeing the child sitting quietly, I asked her why she was not colouring. She answered back that there was no red colour in the box. This incident shocked me. The child was taught that flower should be red only…her imagination, creativity was thwarted by us, the adults. Unknowingly we sometimes curb the spontaneity of the children for the sake of forced learning. We cease to become a facilitator.

Language does not always make much sense when we deal with these five-year-old kids. The everlasting bond with the teacher over a period of time helps the child to understand the gestures and facial expressions of their mentor. I smile when I am pleased, I make an angry face when they are naughty. Children can easily correlate with the expressions of the teacher.

The curriculum is a necessary raw material and warmth is the vital element for nurturing the growing saplings.  I had a child in Mont 1 who was hyperactive and was not toilet trained as well. He was quite unaware of his belongings and could not follow even simple instructions. He used to run out of the class often. During day camp last year I remember I kept holding his hand all the while for safety. But after a year …with better understanding …regular interaction with the parent I did find out ways to engage him in the class in various ways., he is now totally toilet trained, understands instructions very well and with a little reminder he follows the class routine. This year during the day camp I was happy as he himself held my hand and said that ‘Mummy has   asked me to be with you always’. He walks in a line now and takes additional responsibilities like distributing notebooks to fellow students, checking lines and discipline in the class.

So with the right attitude, abounding energy, patience and love, let’s help the children to sharpen their mental as well as physical abilities, guide them to discover their innate talents, arouse curiosity and broaden their horizon to flourish themselves as self-reliant members of the society.

I take this opportunity to thank our Principal Ms. Asha Prabhakar who entrusted me with this vital responsibility of nurturing the kids, making my journey as a Mont Teacher a joyful and fulfilling one with new avenues of learning.

THE FUNCTION OF EDUCATION IS TO TEACH ONE TO THINK INTENSIVELY AND TO THINK CRITICALLY… INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER–THAT IS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION. Being a Social Science teacher, and all that it entails, was good for me, and I think was also good for my students. The challenges, successes, failures and disappointments, were wonderful markers in my journey towards becoming a dedicated professional. Each part was important, for collectively they provided a basis for learning and improving, which are cornerstones for any professional teacher.

Being a Social Science teacher, and all that it entails, was good for me, and I think was also good for my students. The challenges, successes, failures and disappointments, were wonderful markers in my journey towards becoming a dedicated professional. Each part was important, for collectively they provided a basis for learning and improving, which are cornerstones for any professional teacher.

For many years, in addition to teaching social studies courses such as history, civics, economics and geography at the middle and secondary level, I have reached some conclusions about what it takes to teach this diverse subject area effectively. Social studies is about understandings, not skills. Ostensibly, these understandings will lead one to become just, compassionate, honest, and perhaps even curious about not just questions of "what," but also questions of "how" and "why." For the social studies, it can be pure magic in the hands of committed teachers, in order to make my lessons effective, I try to understand in more than one way the content of what I plan to teach. After many years of reflection, I strongly feel that the very best social studies teachers have an insatiable appetite for their subject area. It requires rearranging what we know.  For example, I may thoroughly understand the events, chronology, and causes of the revolt of 1857, and may also have independently read several books about the revolt but that does not mean that what I "know" is in a form that a typical 6th, 8^th, or 10^th grader can readily understand. I would need to look at the specific curriculum that is supposed to be implemented and integrated with what I know with the objective of what is intended to be learnt by my students.

As a member of this heroic profession, I would like to share some moments about the hilarious, sweet, droll and occasionally clueless things my student’s do or say………After a few uninspired moments, an exasperated student raised his hand and said, ’Iceland is made entirely out of ice, so if global warming makes it so hot, it’ll melt into the ocean and everyone will drown……Around half of the class collapsed in hysterical laughter at this point. An eleven year old, after looking at the globe with a puzzled expression, asked where the moon was…….A fifteen year old exclaimed, why don’t the people living on the side of the earth fall off…….

I was once doing an exercise in geography where I would pronounce the country/ ocean/water body and I came across Czeckoslovakia and I had no idea how to pronounce it. In my flustered confusion, I tried and said, ’C  ZEK  O SLO  VAKIA……..I THINK, and without hesitation everyone repeated C  ZEK  O SLO VAKIA……..I THINK. I lost it, and to this day I am pretty sure, they still don’t know why.

Teaching Social Studies presents teachers with a unique set of challenges not always found in other disciplines. In some ways, good social studies teaching rests on the ability to tell stories well. I feel, I am never at a loss to show or tell students something new, different, or interesting about what they are learning. Students tend to see Social Studies in general, and History in particular, as the subject matter that has the least relevance to their current lives and their future needs. And while a certain degree of cultural literacy and understanding of the past is a worthy goal, I have to concede that my students have a point. Students may enter our rooms asking, "when am I ever going to need this information?" It becomes my moral responsibility to help them understand that the lessons from the past can help the society take better decisions for a promising future.

It is far easier to focus on teaching students when there is less content to worry about. To do so, it becomes imperative that I as a social science teacher prioritize content. As I sit down to plan my next unit, I generally start by asking two questions: "What do I want my students to remember about this unit in ten years?" and "How can my students use the information and skills outside classroom?" The answers to these two questions then guide me through the assessments and lessons that my students will experience.

My job as a teacher is to inspire my students about the various aspect of the world, to help them see the role that they can play in making society more equal and more just, to express their ideas powerfully, to see that social studies is about real people's lives and about their relationship with each other and with nature. Creating a lively, playful, experiential curriculum about things that matter is more fun for students, and for me as a teacher, too. By "experiential," I mean that we need to show students the world, not just tell them about it. I strongly feel that we need a curriculum of role plays, simulations, and demonstrations that can bring social dynamics alive in the classroom. Let me not forget that our students' lives are also a part of social studies. Let us bring those lives into the curriculum. Issues of race, class, culture, gender, language, and nationality all play out in the broader society, and also in students' day-to-day experiences. Social studies is not just about famous people and Big Events, it's about my students and the choices they face every day. Let us find ways to blend their stories into the curriculum.

Arguably, the most pressing issue facing mankind is climate change. Me, as a Social studies teacher may not feel comfortable talking about atmospheric parts per millions of carbon dioxide, but this is my issue as much as it "belongs" to science teachers. The causes of the climate crisis, its social impact, proposals for its mitigation, and ultimately how we can create a world of ecological sanity--these are all social issues which need to be addressed in the right perspective and bring out the activist sensibility in my students.

While I am no expert on this subject, but I firmly believe in entering the profession as a scholar, an historian, an activist, a curricular artist -- not as a subordinate to some "official" curriculum established far away from our classrooms by self-interested parties.

In the end I would like to thank our principal, Mrs. Asha Prabhakar for reposing trust in my capabilities and providing me with the opportunity to evolve professionally and as a person.

I am a new member of BBPS family. I joined BBPS in April 2015 as TGT Maths.  I have over four years of experience teaching classes 6^th to 10^th. Everyone learns from one’s own experiences but very few get the privilege of learning from other people’s experience. Bal Bharati gives us that chance to learn by other people’s experiences in the form of TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOPS. Here we come across latest practices and innovations in the field of education under the guidance of experts.  Here we share experiences with other teachers. In this beautiful journey of being a teacher in progressive school, Bal Bharati, I am learning new things each day.

In my college days, I used to read a lot of poems, short stories and many times lengthy novels too. But as I got busy with my life, this hobby took a side corner. From last few months I have started reading again. Credit goes to Our Principal Ma’am, Ms. Asha Prabhakar. Ma’am encourages us to be a good reader, same as we all expect from our students. It is really a good example of practice what you preach.

“One plus one equals two.”  This is everyone’s first impression of Maths, at least what I believed Maths was all about during my school days.  All through elementary and middle school, Maths to me was numbers and symbols, theories and equations, and formulas.  Maths meant maintaining 90%, spending time every night solving equations or algebraic expressions, and studying for long hours.  Maths stood as only a class in school, a subject that was required to be taken.

But this was only true in old days schooling. Now, we teach and learn Maths in altogether new way, in a progressive way. Take example of Pythagoras theorem which we all studied in class X.  One can see a sea change in how we learnt and how students learn it today. We at BBPS try to integrate traditional as well as modern ways of teaching. To be in sync with the advancement in the field of education, we constantly upgrade ourselves through regular teacher training programs conducted at our training center.

My approach towards teaching or learning Maths has been “think out-of-the box.” Always try a different approach. In our school times, the concept of “Maths lab” was unheard of.  But now, it’s an integral part of every school’s infrastructure. All thanks to some out of the box thinking coupled with technological advancement in learning aids.

There is nothing better than working on a tricky puzzle and then solving it. Maths is a journey and there are always new things to discover and learn, and it will never stop to amaze you how beautifully it all fits together. Much of fun is in learning newer things, mastering newer methodologies, and solving newer puzzles.

Maths acts as a way of looking at the world, a way of confronting problems that are significant, and a way of thinking that most of people enjoy. And anyway, it is just fun: what other subjects are about solving puzzles?

Maths is not about reading pages ... it is about building concepts in your mind. It is important to learn about a topic at a time, make sure that you understand it, and then do plenty of exercises so you become an expert. If you skip past a single section, then rest of the section may not make sense. You might get confused, frustrated, and you will start to hate the subject. The remedy?

• Get back to wherever it made sense
• then move forward again,
• do plenty of practical training like solving questions

…and you will soon be……back on track.

Mathematics is your friend. If you meet it every day, it becomes your best friend. If you leave it for a time, it forgets you and you forget it. Using it is so very important! Answering any questions helps you organize the ideas in your mind.

Working neatly helps you think clearly and also gives good mental habits. Always have pride in your work, even if it may go into the trash later. Mathematics challenges one’s mind, and that is what makes it fun. You don’t need special type of tools, lakhs of rupees, or lots of people. You just need your mind.

So enjoy Maths and have fun!!!

‘Mathematics possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty ---- a beauty cold and austere, like that of Sculpture’ --- Bertrand Russel

It has been 15 years of Mathematics teaching, not only enjoying the beauty of the subject but also exploring innovative teaching methodologies. By teaching Mathematics from class VI- X, I had an opportunity to interact with different levels of minds. Students with genuine difficulties struggle with basic facts answer impulsively, struggle with mental calculations and have poor number sense.

From my experience of teaching Mathematics, I believe that creating interest about the topic  should be the first task before introducing the same in the class. Once this goal is set, the process of teaching and learning would go smoothly. Introduction of a practical application of genuine interest should be done in the class at the beginning of a topic. In a country where nearly fifty percent children drop out of school during the elementary stage of education, Mathematics curricula cannot be grounded only on preparation for higher secondary and university education. One of the main goals of Mathematics education in schools is to develop logical thinking.

Homework plays an important part in learning. Homework, which leads students to practice past lessons or prepare future lessons, are more effective than those going over today's lesson. Students benefit from feedback.

With the implementation of Maths Lab concept, students can experience hands on activity for a better understanding of the concept. Through trying out new activities and working in different ways, then reflecting on the lesson and analysing how well students have learnt, we can develop the best methods for our students. In our Maths lab, we do display the best projects/models to motivate the other students to come up with innovative ideas for the same.

I believe that teaching and learning would be completed only if  the students can apply their ideas and skills to different   contexts  and  correlate the topic with daily life situation. We can work on problems within mathematics and use it as a tool to solve problems in various branches of Science and Technology. Mathematics can describe and it can also predict what might happen. I do my level best to create such inter-disciplinary curiosity in the minds of the students during my classroom teaching.

 Apart from teaching it is necessary to establish a set of ground rules with students in the class room. Students need to know what behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable in the classroom. It is our moral responsibility to educate the students about the basic discipline to be followed for a smooth functioning of any institution. We should aim for holistic development of the student.

Being the CCE Coordinator of the school for the last few years, working closely with many CBSE related activities, registration of students, mark uploading, evidence sending, etc gave me an opportunity to know the technicalities and working of CBSE system.

During this long association with my school, I was fortunate enough to explore many other areas other than teaching and got opportunities to attend many workshops conducted by intellectual people from disciplines which help me to equip myself with latest innovations in the field of education.

 ‘‘निज भाषा उन्नति करे  ,  सब उन्नति को मूल।

बिन निज भाषा ज्ञान के ,  मिटै न हिय को शूल।।’’

बाल भारती पब्लिक स्कूल , नौएडा के साथ मेरा संबंध आज लगभग तेरह वर्ष पुराना हो गया है। 01 अप्रैल , 2003 मैंने टी. जी. टी. ( हिंदी ) शिक्षिका के रूप में कार्यभार संभाला। इस लंबे समय में मैंने बहुत-से खट्टे-मीठे अनुभव प्राप्त किए जो मैं आप सभी के साथ साझा करना चाहती हॅूं। हिंदी-भाषा-शिक्षिका के रूप में मेरा सदैव यही सद्प्रयास रहता है कि शिक्षण के दौरान मैं प्रत्येक छात्र के अनछुए भावनात्मक पहलुओं को झंकृत कर सकॅूं। चॅूंकि विद्यालय के अधिकतर छात्र हिंदी भाषा-भाषी क्षेत्रों से ही आते हैं , वे साहित्य के माध्यम से जीवन की अनमोल सीख सहज रूप से ग्रहण कर पाने में सक्षम होते हैं। अत: मेरी सदा से ही यह कोशिश रहती है कि साहित्य-शिक्षण के दौरान कक्षा में चित्रात्मक-दृश्य रच दिया जाए , जिससे छात्र गद्य एवं पद्य पाठों के विभिन्न पात्रों के साथ भावनात्मक रूप से जुड़ जाएं। ‘ पर्वत प्रदेश में पावस ‘ कविता उन्हें किसी पर्वतीय स्थान पर स्थानांतरित करके उन्हें वर्ष की नन्हीं-नन्हीं बूंदों से भिगो जाए और ‘ धूल ‘ तथा ‘कीचड़ का काव्य ‘ सरीखे नीरस गद्य पाठों में वे ‘धूल’ और ‘कीचड़’ जैसी हीन वस्तुओं का महात्म्य भी आत्मसात कर सकें और जीवन की वास्तविकता से सहज ही परिचित हो जाएं। कक्षागत चर्चा-परिचर्चा के दौरान छात्रों के साथ-साथ कितनी ही बातें मैं आज भी सीख रही हॅूं जिसे शब्दों में शायद ही पिरोया जा सके। हर दिन एक नया दिन होता है जो अपने साथ एक नया अनुभव लेकर आता है।

विद्यालय की रचनात्मक गतिविधियों और हिंदी-विभाग का एक विशेष संबंध है। विभिन्न प्रकार अंतर्सदनीय एवं अंतर्विद्यालयी गतिविधियॉं अपने साथ नित नए अनुभव लेकर आती हैं। इसके अतिरिक्त वार्षिकोत्सव पर एवं वार्षिक हिंदी-नाटक के रूप में दर्शाए जाने वाले विभिन्न नाटकों जैसे ‘आम्रपाली’ , ‘ताना-रीरी’ , ‘मीराबार्इ’ , ‘अभिज्ञान-शाकुंतलम्’ आदि के लिए विभिन्न प्रकार के कार्य करना सर्वथा ही एक रोमांचकारी अनुभव रहता है। मंच-सज्जा हेतु झोंपड़ी , दरवाजे , मदरसे आदि की दीवारें तैयार करना , दीये , फूल-माला , रस्सी , खिलौने आदि की खरीदारी करना तथा छात्रों के परिधान के लिए तलवार , बरछी , भाले आदि का इंतजाम करना - ये वे सभी कार्य हैं जिन्हें बड़ी बारीकियों से पूरा करके जब छात्रों को दर्शकों के सामने मंच पर उतारा जाता है तो ये नाटक उत्कृस्ट कलाकृति का नमूना सिद्ध होते हैं। अब तो ऐसा लगने लगा है कि प्रत्येक वर्ष होने वाले ये नाटक मेरे व्यक्तित्व का एक अटूट हिस्सा बन चुके हैं। इनकी चर्चा करते समय मैं अपना एक अनुभव आपके साथ साझा करना चाहती हॅूं - नाटक  ‘अॅंधेर नगरी चौपट राजा’ में फॉंसी के दृश्य के लिए मोटी-सी रस्सी की आवश्कता थी। दुकान में खड़ी अपनी सहयोगी अध्यापिका के साथ मैं चर्चा कर रही थी कि फॉंसी के लिए पतली नहीं मोटी रस्सी चाहिए तो दुकानदार ने कहा ,’’ मैडम जी! मैं रस्सी नहीं बेचॅूंगा , आप तो अजीब-सी बातें कर रहीं हैं। बस , हमारी तो हॅंसी छूट गर्इ और असलियत जानने पर वह भी मुसकुराए बिना न रह सका। बस! मेरी यही ख्वाहिश है कि यह सिलसिला साल-दर-साल यॅूं ही चलता रहे।

पिछले वर्ष मुझे अवसर मिला रामकृष्ण-मिशन’ द्वारा चलाए गए ‘Awakened Citizen Programme’ हेतु प्रशिक्षण प्राप्त करने का , जो गत वर्ष सातवीं कक्षा में और इस वर्ष आठवीं कक्षा में करवाया जा रहा है। छात्रों के साथ निर्दिष्ट विषयों पर चर्चा-परिचर्चा करते हुए मैंने स्वयं भी यह महसूस किया है कि यदि एक बार ठान लिया जाए तो जीवन में कुछ भी असंभव नहीं है।

इस वर्ष मैंने एक नर्इ चुनौती को स्वीकारने का सद्प्रयास किया है - वह है  BBAC , सोलन संयोजिका का। अभी तक पूर्व संयोजिका के साथ इस विषय पर चर्चा-परिचर्चा होती रहती थी और जब इस वर्ष मैंने अपना नाम सोलन-संयोजिका के रूप में देखा तो मन के किसी कोने में कहीं-न-कहीं एक अनजाना-सा डर था , परंतु जैसे-जैसे मैं इस कार्य को करती गर्इ तो महसूस हुआ कि यह सर्वथा ही एक रोमांचकारी चुनौती है। इसके लिए मैं धन्यवाद देती हूं - पूर्व सोलन-संयोजिका का , जो कदम-कदम पर मेरा मार्गदर्शन कर रही हैं।

अंत में मैं आभार प्रकट करना चाहॅूंगी प्रधानाचार्या महोदया श्रीमती आशा प्रभाकर जी का जिन्होंने सदैव ही मुझ पर अपना विश्वास बनाए रखा और नर्इ-नर्इ मंजिलों को पाने के अवसर प्रदान किए।

‘‘कभी महक की तरह गुलों से उड़ते हैं हम ,

कभी धुएं की तरह पर्वतों से उड़ते हैं हम ,

परों से नहीं हौसलों से उड़ते हैं हम ।

बाल भारती परिवार से जुड़े आज मुझे पंद्रह वर्ष बीत चुके हैं ऐसा लगता है मानो कल की ही बात हो । तब विद्यालय सातवीं कक्षा तक था , इस प्रकार बच्चों के अनुभवों के साथ-साथ मैंने भी बहुत कुछ सीखा । हिंदी विषय पढ़ाना सदा से ही मेरे लिए रुचिकर रहा है क्योंकि यह हमारी मातृभाषा है जिसे हम बोल तो सकते ही हैं साथ ही साथ महसूस भी कर सकते हैं जैसे माँ को यह बताने की आवश्यकता नहीं कि वह अपने बच्चों से कितना प्यार करती है उसी तरह यह बताने की आवश्यकता नहीं कि हम भी अपनी माँ यानि मातृभाषा से कितना प्रेम करते हैं अतः बच्चे भी इसे पढ़ना पसंद करते हैं और अल्प समय में ही आत्मसात करके अपना लेते हैं । जिस प्रकार अंधकार को दूर करने का साधन प्रकाश है उसी प्रकार व्यक्ति के सभी संशयों  और भ्रमों को दूर करने का साधन शिक्षा है । इसी सिद्धांत को अपनाते हुए मैंने भी बच्चों की सोच को सकारात्मक बनाने का भरपूर प्रयास किया व हिंदी में उनकी रुचि को गंभीरता प्रदान की तथा बच्चों की इस सोच को बदला कि हिंदी आगे चलकर किसी काम नहीं आएगी बच्चों के मन में बसी इस सोच को जिसने उन्हें जकड़ रखा था तथा हिंदी पढ़ने , समझने व रुचि बढ़ाने में बाधा का कार्य कर रहा था मैंने बदलने का प्रयास किया व विषय से उनका भावात्मक रिश्ता जोड़ा क्योंकि हिंदी विषय शिक्षा की वह मूल शाखा है जिसके बिना वृक्ष फलों व फूलों से नहीं पल्लवित नहीं हो सकता ।

हमें अपनी महान संस्कृति व परंपराओं को नहीं भूलना चाहिए क्योंकि ये परंपराएँ ही हमें नैतिक बल प्रदान करती हैं और हमें जीवन के ऊँचे मूल्य अपनाने के लिए प्रेरित करती हैं , सादगी और उच्च विचार ही इसके मूल आधार हैं । कविताओं के माध्यम से वाचन-कौशल के महत्त्व का आभास विद्यार्थी को होता है , स्वरों का उतार-चढ़ाव , भावों की गहराई को समझने की परख पद्य के माध्यम से ही होती है । कविताओं , दोहों आदि को हिंदी भाषा के माध्यम से गाकर पढ़ाना बच्चों को आकर्षित तो करता ही है तथा साथ ही साथ विषय से गहरा रिश्ता भी जोड़ता है । हिंदी साहित्य को प्रकृति व समाज के साथ जोड़कर समझाना ही श्रेयस्कर रहता है तथा उन्हें पाठ के संदर्भ में समय-समय पर आवश्यकतानुसार मुहावरों व लोकोक्तियों के माध्यम से सिखाने से छात्र उत्साह व जोश से परिपूर्ण ही नहीं हो उठते बल्कि उनका अर्थ जानने के लिए भी बेचैन हो उठते हैं तथा उनका परिस्थिति के अनुसार प्रयोग भी करना चाहते हैं ।

 साहित्य व रंगमंच का नाता तो बहुत पुराना है अतः नाटक को अभिनय के माध्यम से पढ़ाने से छात्र स्वयं को नाटक का पात्र व उससे जुड़ा हुआ महसूस करते हैं , उनकी अभिनय क्षमता का विकास होता है तथा उन्हें रंगमंच की संपूर्ण जानकारी भी मिलती है । इसी बात पर मुझे याद आते हैं नवीं कक्षा के मानस व मेहुल जो हिंदी में फॉरमेटिव गतिविधि देने में हिचकिचाहट महसूस कर रहे थे और पूरी कक्षा की गतिविधि संपन्न हो जाने पर भी गतिविधि देने को तैयार न थे । “ मैम सब बच्चे हमारा मज़ाक उड़ाएँगे , नहीं मैम ये हँसेगे , पहले आप इन सब से कह दो कि ये हँसे नहीं । ” बहुत समझाने पर वे गतिविधि देने को तैयार हो गए । मानस ने रामदेव का अभिनय किया व मेहुल ने लालू प्रसाद का । गतिविधि पूरी हो जाने पर मैंने उन्हें सभागार भेजा और कहा कि उमेश मैम से कहना कि हमें रजनी मैम ने भेजा है । थोड़ी ही देर के पश्चात् वे दोनों वापिस आ गए और प्रसन्नचित्त मुद्रा में कहने लगे मैम हमारा चुनाव वार्षिकोत्सव के नाटक के लिए हो गया है , उमेश मैम को हमारा अभिनय बहुत अच्छा लगा । जब तक वे विद्यार्थी स्कूल में रहे तब तक किसी न किसी नाटक में अभिनय करते  हुए दिखते , वे मुझे देख कर हँस देते , उनकी वह हँसी शायद धन्यवाद कह रही थी ।

आज से दो वर्ष पूर्व मुझे रात के नौ बजे एक महिला का फोन आया , मेरे हैलो कहने पर वह बोली “ मैम मैं आयूषी खन्ना की मम्मी बोल रही हूँ , मुझे आप से कुछ मदद चाहिए । ” मैंने कहा  “ ठीक है , बताइए कि क्या काम है  ? ” वे कहने लगी कि  “ कल आयूषी का मैत्री कॉलेज में नाटक के आधार पर दाखिला होना है और उसे बूढ़ी काकी का अभिनय करना है , आपने उसे एक बार स्कूल में सिखाया था और वह द्वितीय स्थान पर भी आई थी । आप मुझे उसका कथानक लिखवा दीजिए । ” जो मैंने लिखवा तथा समझा दिया । एक सप्ताह के पश्चात् उनका दोबारा फोन आया और वे कहने लगी “ मैम आपकी स्टूडेन्ट का मैत्री कॉलेज में दाखिला हो गया है आपको बहुत बहुत मुबारक व धन्यवाद ! ”  मैंने कहा कि  “ उसका अच्छे कॉलेज में दाखिला हो जाना ही मेरे लिए धन्यवाद के समान है ।”  

जीवन में बहुत सी ऐसी बातें होती हैं जो बच्चों के साथ-साथ हमें भी बहुत कुछ सिखा देती हैं । हिंदी की टाइपिंग सीखने में मुझे कॉफी समय लग गया तथा उसकी गति बनाने में भी कक्षा में पढ़ाते समय जब मैंने नेत्रहीन छात्रा द्वारा कंप्यूटर में लिखी अशुद्धियों को ठीक करके उन्हें पुनः टाइप किया तो उस छात्रा ने पूछा , “ मैम ! आपको भी हिंदी टाइपिंग आती है और वह भी यही वाला फॉन्ट ! ” उसके चेहरे पर आई चमक मुझे बहुत कुछ कह गई ,  उस समय मुझे विद्यालय द्वारा सिखाई गई टाइपिंग पर गर्व की अनुभूति हुई कि विद्यालय ने मुझे इतने वर्षों में बहुत कुछ दिया है जिनमें से एक यह भी है । सभी को एक समान समझना ही शिक्षिका का कर्तव्य है । दक्षिण भारत से आए बच्चों के हिंदी में कम अंक आने पर उनका  उत्साह बढ़ाना उनमें आत्मविश्वास की भावना का विकास करने से प्रगति की राह उनके लिए और भी आसान हो जाती है ।  बच्चों को कठिन शब्दों का उच्चारण उनके अर्थ के माध्यम से सिखाना तथा उन्हें श्यामपट्ट पर लिखना , हिंदी के पत्र-पत्रिकाओं को पढ़ने की प्रेरणा देना तथा यह समझाना कि हिंदी उनके करियर के रूप में किस प्रकार सहायक व उपयोगी सिद्ध हो सकती है । ग्यारहवीं कक्षा में वे हिंदी विषय क्यों लें ? इस विषय पर विस्तृत जानकारी देने से उसका चमत्कारी प्रभाव आज हम सभी देख ही सकते हैं ।

हिंदी एक भाषा है अतः भाषा को रटने के स्थान पर समझना तथा अपने शब्दों में लिखना ही उचित व सर्वश्रेष्ठ रहता है । कक्षा में चर्चित बिंदुओं के अतिरिक्त बिंदु भी जो पाठ से संबंधित है , ठीक हैं उन्हें रटने की नहीं , बल्कि सोचने , समझने व महसूस करने की आवश्यकता है  । ये सभी बातें उन्हें हिंदी से जोड़ती हैं , उन्हें भाषा को महसूस करना सिखाती हैं ,  बोझ समझना नहीं ।

अंत में मैं यही कहना चाहूँगी कि मेरी प्रेरणा विद्यालय की प्रधानाचार्या श्रीमती आशा प्रभाकर के महान व्यक्तित्व को शब्दों में नहीं बाँधा जा सकता जिनके प्रयासों से ही आज विद्यालय सर्वश्रेष्ठ विद्यालयों की श्रेणी में गिना जाता है । उनके जीवन का एक –एक क्षण प्रेरणादायक है जिससे मैंने भी प्रेरणा ली तथा बहुमूल्य सिद्धांत ग्रहण किए उनके जीवन के आदर्श व सिद्धांत युवा पीढ़ी के लिए प्रेरणास्रोत रहेंगे ।  

बाल भारती , नौएडा परिवार की सदस्या तथा विद्यालय में संस्कृत शिक्षिका के रूप में कार्य करते हुए चौदह वर्ष कब पंख लगाकर बीत गए , पता ही न चला । अध्यापन के क्षेत्र में नित्य नए-नए अनुभवों का सामना करना होता है । अतीत की ओर दृष्टि घुमाकर देखती हूँ तो पाती हूँ कि मैं भी इसका अपवाद नहीं हूँ । प्रतिदिन ही कुछ खट्टे तो कुछ मीठे अनुभवों से मेरा भी सामना होता है।

संस्कृत में कहा गया है -

"आचार्यः कस्मात् ? आचार्यः आचारं ग्राहयति ।"

अर्थात् किस कारण से 'आचार्य ' कहलाता है ? क्योंकि आचार्य आचार-विचार तथा सद्व्यवहार सिखाता है । मेरा मानना है कि किसी भी मनुष्य के लिए सवप्रथम अपेक्षित गुण है - नैतिक मूल्य । यदि नींव दृढ़ है तो उस पर बना भवन भी चिरस्थाई बन सकेगा अन्यथा आँधी-तूफ़ान-वर्षा के थपेड़े उसे थोड़े ही दिनों में धराशायी कर देंगे । इसी प्रकार , यदि बच्चे का छात्र-जीवन नैतिक संस्कार , परिश्रम , अनुशासन तथा संयम में व्यतीत हुआ है , यदि वह अपने माता-पिता, गुरुजनों तथा बुजुर्गों साथ विनम्र रहा है तो निश्चय ही उसका भावी जीवन सुखद व सुन्दर होगा । इसी तथ्य को ध्यान में रखते हुए मेरा सदैव यह प्रयत्न रहा है कि विनम्रता, श्रद्धा, संयम, अनुशासन, परिश्रम तथा जिज्ञासा आदि से सम्बद्ध विविध उदाहरण व कथा-प्रसंग सुनाकर छात्रों में इन सद्गुणों का बीज बोया जाए , ताकि कालान्तर में इन बीजों का जब प्रस्फुटन हो तो उसकी दीप्ति से छात्र का भावी जीवन आलोकित हो सके ।

एक संस्कृत शिक्षिका के रूप में मैं आए-दिन अनुभव करती हूँ कि छात्रों तथा उनके अभिभावकों के मन में एक डर समाया रहता है कि संस्कृत अत्यन्त कठिन तथा दुरुह भाषा है । अपना बचपन याद करती हूँ तो पाती हूँ कि मेरा अनुभव भी इससे भिन्न नहीं था । अतः प्रारम्भ से ही मेरा यह प्रयत्न रहा है कि शब्द-रूपों व धातु-रूपों को याद करने , उपपद-विभक्तियों को समझने के लिए क्यों न अपने छात्रों के लिए कुछ उपाय तथा विविध आकृतियों से जुड़ी पहचान बना दूँ , क्यों न व्यावहारिक जीवन में घटित तथ्यों को संस्कृत से जोड़कर उनके समक्ष प्रस्तुत करुँ ताकि वे खेल-खेल में आसानी से उन्हें याद कर सकें । आज भी जब आठ-दस वर्ष पूर्व पढ़कर गए छात्रों के साथ बातचीत का अवसर प्राप्त होता है और वे इन पहचानों के बारे में बताते हैं तो गौरवान्वित अनुभव करती हूँ ।

अपने शिष्यों के साथ भावनात्मक सम्बन्ध स्थापित करना एक शिक्षक का परम कर्तव्य है । इसके परिणाम भी निश्चित रूप से आश्चर्यजनक व सुखद होते हैं । यह बात बताते हुए मुझे अपार हर्ष होता है कि न केवल श्रेष्ठतम अंक लाने वाले छात्रों के साथ अपितु कक्षा में स्तरानुकूल अंक न ला पाने वाले , निराश , हतोत्साहित अथवा संकोची स्वभाव वाले छात्रों के साथ भी इसके सुखद परिणाम मैंने अनुभव किए हैं । उचित समय पर सही प्रोत्साहन , प्यार की एक थपकी तथा निरन्तर मार्गदर्शन पाकर छात्र अपने अथक परिश्रम व बुद्धि-बल के द्वारा न केवल विद्यालय की परीक्षाओं में बल्कि जीवन की बड़ी से बड़ी कसौटियों पर खरे उतरते हैं ।

विद्यालय में हिंदी नाट्य-विभाग की निर्देशिका के रूप में कार्य करते हुए मैंने एक और महत्त्वपूर्ण बात का अनुभव किया है कि कुछ शर्मीले व संकोची स्वभाव वाले छात्र कक्षा में रचनात्मक गतिविधियों के प्रस्तुतीकरण के समय ऐसा शानदार अभिनय करते हैं कि मुख से अनायास ही वाह-वाह निकल पड़ता है और फिर उनकी प्रतिभा को पहचानकर विद्यालय के वार्षिकोत्सव पर होने वाले हिंदी नाटक अथवा वार्षिक हिंदी नाटक में भाग लेने के लिए उन्हें प्रोत्साहित किया जाता है तब उनकी प्रतिभा और निखर जाती है ।

   डॉ0 निशि निगम

( प्रशिक्षित स्नातक शिक्षिका - संस्कृत / हिंदी )

During the enriching journey of more than seventeen years as a teacher at Bal Bharati Public School, Noida, when I look back, I feel it is not the journey of a teacher but of a learner. Yes, each new day has taught me something new here and it is a marvelous feeling of discovering something new each day, innovating and trying to incorporate the learning into practice. For a lay person it might appear that in a teaching job boredom sets in very soon and one tends to stagnate as you are teaching the same syllabus over and over again, year after year. Nothing could be far from the truth for I lead not a mundane life but a vivacious life filled with experiences.

Yes, maybe the syllabus is the same but the technological advancement, changing scenario and fresh goals compel the teachers to challenge themselves beyond the confines of classroom teaching. The wonderful, vibrant lot of children change every passing year and each child is unique. Be it a naughty troublemaker in the class or a quiet docile back-bencher; an attention seeker constantly disturbing the classroom procedure or a Mr Know-it-all who loves interrupting the teacher every few minutes. Just as each child is unique so is the way of dealing with each one of them. I remember a cute little girl in my class about fifteen years back who was very good at academics and almost all co-curricular activities.- a bubbly, charming personality and very chirpy. Perhaps the only thing she couldn’t do well was to wear her necktie properly. One day I called her to my table and taught her how to knot her tie. She watched me very intently and simply asked one question, “Madam, is this how you tie your husband’s tie?” I was taken aback and slightly offended too at this question. Later on, I came to know that she came from a broken home and missed a father- figure in her life terribly. With this I learnt a lesson – each teacher must know the family background of her students to be able to interact with them properly – only then can she be a friend, philosopher and guide in the true sense of the word. 

The changing scenario in the field of education requires the student to move out of the confines of the classroom and discover himself as well as his surroundings. Keeping this in mind, the Child Education Society has set up a unique in house sports activity centre at Solan Himachal Pradesh with infrastructure for adventure sports activities. Students from all Bal Bharati units are sent throughout the year (excepting winter months) by rotation to attend adventure activities. Being the Solan Activity Centre Coordinator of the school for the past four years, sending batches of students to the Centre, taking their feedback and interacting with them, I realized how important experiential learning is for the holistic development of Gone are the days when an academic topper was considered the best student of the class. With the advent of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation, the entire emphasis is on holistic development which involves excellence in sports, visual and performing arts and other co-curricular activities. Realizing the importance of such activities has given a spurt to intra and inter-school activities at various levels, which work wonders so far as the blossoming of the personality of a child are concerned. They provide a platform for each and every student to showcase his/ her latent talent in some or the other field. Teachers discover this talent, hone it, whet it and present it to the world, thus facilitating the student to boost his confidence and performance level.

It is rightly said that children are like clay – they can easily be moulded the way we desire. During the formative and vulnerable years of school life a teacher has immense influence on the behavior pattern of a child. A teacher can help the child blossom into a marvelous personality or absolutely kill the spirit. We can shape their destinies with our love, support, concern and guidance. One wrong stroke and the entire personality can be marred. So the role of a teacher is one of tremendous responsibility and it needs to be taken conscientiously and be performed with total dedication. Only then can we be called the nation builders in the true sense of the word.

Today at this point of time, I feel blessed to be a teacher. I feel fortunate to have worked with such a good set of people in all the institutions that I have been attached with and learnt a lot during this journey. My stint in Bal Bharati Public School NOIDA has indeed been a great learning experience. In this institution, under the able guidance and support of our Principal, I have   learnt a lot, be it a class room situation or an extra-curricular activity.

I started my career as PGT Chemistry in 1998.Things was not easy for me. Teaching adolescents was never an easy option.But because of my commitment towards my job, as each  day passed , I grew into an experienced and a mature teacher. I love my profession from the core of my heart. To put it simply I taught and I learnt. As time went by, I also learnt to handle many tasks at one time. It developed a lot of confidence in me .Now I can easily handle events smoothly in my personal life too.

While dealing with young minds, I try to understand their psychology. Although in such a long duration of experience many things have changed. Attitude and aptitude of students have undergone a complete change. Obviously I too stood the test of time and recognized my skills accordingly to the needs and challenges of my profession. I also learnt how to make boring chapters interesting for student by relating them to day to day life .Sometimes by giving examples of small incidences of life or sometimes by giving interesting examples.

It’s a universal truth that we all need some sort of motivation. I always try to motivate my students. Sometimes by using simple methods, like treating each student differently since they  are different individuals with varied personalities or sometimes by using stern words if needed. They may not realize these things when they are with us but definitely they mention these efforts when they come back to meet us as yester years’ students .It will truly be an achievement if even a single child changes due to my words or motivation given.Though monetarily we are already getting paid but Ifeel this is my real earning for life.

I want to confess that I never wanted to be a teacher; I wanted to become a doctor. But as the years went by I realized that nothing could have been better than this for me.

Memories and experiences of my teaching career are plenty. Some of them are deeply imprinted in my mind some are not. But when old students come and show their gratitude with their words and body language, it gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction. An old student came to meet me and informed about her admission in D.U. I felt a great surge of pride when she mentioned that my efforts made a great impact on her and she has emerged wiser.

This profession has given me multifaceted exposure to each and every aspect involved with teaching. Whatever my shortcomings are, my endeavors are always to overcome them. Life   is a continuous learning process. Each day presents an opportunity for learning. I fervently pray for the unstinted support of my friends, family and students alike. Now I conclude with the following lines;

‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever.’

“Technology is just a tool in terms of getting the kids working together. However for motivating them, the teacher is most important.”

I am proud to be a part of this esteemed organization BBPS, Noida with the motto “HANSO NAYATU NA PRAGYAAM” which means “Oh great doyen of knowledge, take us towards illumination”.  I too, always imparted education to my students keeping in view the motto of the school and  have grown with the institution under the able guidance and support of our Principal, Mrs. A Prabhakar.

In 1997, when I joined BBPS, Noida as the first IT teacher of the school, Information Technology was taught as a subject wherein students were made familiar to the basic softwares and their usage, but now over the years teaching of Computer Science  has evolved into an application based learning.   Whenever we have a group discussion where students are made aware of new concepts like e-learning, e-books, on-line banking etc. –the indispensible tools and students show keen interest and participate enthusiastically. These days IT is in fact the oxygen which keeps all the subjects alive and thriving.

Technology is the mode through which a child is interacting with the world. The tech-savvy newborns also prefer to grow up with the mouse in their hand. While teaching my students,  application based softwares like alice, corel draw, photoshop and visual basic. I have watched with delight how many  students   effectively use 3D animation, image manipulation, photo editing, graphic designing, text designing, form designing etc through latest softwares and their application.

An ongoing effort to make the students aware of the latest technology and gizmos and at the same time preparing them to be conscientious citizens of tomorrow and care for the environment and our mother earth by teaching them the ways of e-waste disposal like disposing them at appropriate places from  where it can be recycled.

Apart from teaching middle school, our Principal Mrs. A Prabhakar, has also bestowed responsibility of teaching Entrepreneurship to Class XI this year. Being a Post Graduate in Commerce, I have been given a pedestal by our Principal wherein I can help my students beyond  the horizon of teaching IT. Teaching is done through general interaction with students. Each student has opted for his/her own area of interest which he/she  aspires to take up as a career. Students understand and analyse the subject keeping in view their own enterprise.

I teach the students in the age group of 11 to 14 years, the age wherein energy needs to be channelised in the right direction. This is the age where they are jack of all trades but do not know which one to master. A teacher becomes a navigator here. Children are at crucial crossroads wherein they need to be shown the right directions so that they get to know their potential and interest.

Every child is a bank of knowledge gifted but recognizing  his true potential is essential as their areas of interest are different. Children get the appropriate platform as per their interest to enhance their areas of skill and technical know- how.

Besides being a good teacher, it is also necessary to analyze students’ capabilities. I would like to share an incident of Karan Raina, who was a quiet and shy child. He was an average student but I knew that the child was good at Hands On, I was hesitant to take him for competitions believing that there might be objection from his home front. But after observing his excellent performance in computer practical work, I persuaded his parents to provide their consent for sending their child for various IT interschool competitions. And ‘Lo and Behold’ thereafter the child bloomed in his practical work and was a winner in all IT competitions.  To see my students at the zenith is my biggest achievement. Today, Karan is pursuing B.Tech and also developing apps for android and windows.

Thus, I would conclude that learning is not restricted to classroom teaching, It is how one performs in the world around that matters. At the end of the day who has gained the maximum knowledge and is ready to face the challenges in life is the winner. Thus a progressive, ever evolving environment is a perfect blend to gift the next generation in this savvy era.

TEACHERS : NOT ONLY TO INSTRUCT BUT ALSO TO INSPIRE THE STUDENTS

Mrs. Neerja Bhatnagar, TGT (Chemistry)

I would like to start by sharing my belief that, education is a reflection of this society and society determines what we need to be educated with. In a society like ours anything and everything that follows a norm or which is so called “normal” is easily acceptable.  But a deviation from the norm makes us uncomfortable and unacceptable.

Special Education and Counselling are also seen as one such deviation with which our society is still coming to terms with a mere mention of a special educator or a counselor unnerves us and builds up  resistance. I was not left untouched by these two factors in the school. Thanks to Aamir Khan for popular using the term ‘Dyslexia’. I would like to share that I too got labeled as “Dyslexic Ma’am” which sometimes amused me.

The challenges of being a Special Educator were probably not foreseen, but I decided to work through it. The resistance had to be broken and here is one such inter casting case for all of your to read.

Dev was diagnosed with Autism. He was non verbal, made no eye contact, did not respond to his name when called and had high sensory need. Communication was difficult as he was not expressive, due to this it was difficult to understand what he wanted to say to gauge and whether he was understanding what I was asking him to do. Initially he would resist coming to my room as he knew his movements would be restricted and he would be made to do some activity. He would roll over the floor, throw tantrums, struggle to open the door and run out of the room at the first opportunity he would get.  Nothing seemed to impress him or cater to his interest there was nothing that could sustain his attention.  I would initially observe him and just let him be himself slowly and slowly he stopped feeling intimidated by an alien intruder i.e. me.

Gradually as the sessions progressed I observed that he had fascination for objects whose texture was soft and loved to squeeze anything soft to calm down his sensory excitability. Books and arbitrary objects were not helping me to teach him simple concepts.   Keeping his sensory need in mind I made use of materials that were soft and could be squeezed.   I used clay of different colours to teach him colours. Stress ball was used as a reinforcer/reward that he would anticipate after completing a task. This was a major breakthrough and beginning of our teacher-student relationship. The resistance and apprehensions turned into smiles, hugs and willingness to spend time in the resource centre.

The acceptability which came between me and Dev permeated into the classroom too. I did not have any interaction with the students of his class about his problem but I noticed that students who initially used to remain aloof and didn’t interact with Dev due to his erratic behavior were now taking initiative to look after him, help him do his work and guide his behavior. Thus my presence and the bond with Dev seeped in acceptance and empathy within his classmates, which I think is an important life skill imparted, that shall remain with them throughout their lives.

The walls of resistance towards Dev further lowered when his teacher started sharing some strategies apart from the ones suggested by me that had helped her to accommodate Dev in the classroom and vice versa.

Though I was working only with Dev and modifying strategies to teach him but in a way my approach and my attitude towards children with special needs catered to other functionaries too. Today my interaction with students is not limited only as “Dyslexic Ma’am” but as one with whom they can share and express their thoughts freely.

I conclude with a quote by Plutarch, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” Hence, don’t rush up the process of teaching the child but give the mind its own pace to enlighten.  Each child is unique, they are not born with learning disability but are specially abled and it is upto the teacher to identify and hone a child’s potential and capacity.  As we create ripples when we throw a pebble in a pond we can conjure up the thought process, bring out the genius present within each of the children by being sensitive and understanding.

‘NEVER BE TOO BIG TO ASK QUESTIONS AND NEVER KNOW TOO MUCH TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW’