Levels of motivation
When we asked them about their interest in studies, all students reported that they were motivated to study; nearly 45% said that science was their favorite subject and 533 out of 538 students expressed that they wished to go on to college.

Engineering, the police, nursing, law, teaching and medicine – these were the popular occupations that the majority of students (96%) wanted to get into after completing their studies. About 3% of the students expressed a desire to become a collector, minister, scientist and others and only 1% were not interested in studying further.

All students said that this choice was their own, based on their interest in that particular field. Fifty per cent of the students also reported that they were interested in a particular occupation as they wanted to serve their villages in some way, offer free medical service, teach others what they have learnt or see to it that their community was free of crime.

The most striking to note is the response of these students about their role models. About 19% of the students reported that their teachers were their role models while 78% said they did not have any. This strongly suggests that especially for rural students, teachers are often the only exposure to the outside world, and can strongly influence and motivate them.

Support available for rural students
Most students were confident that their parents would support them toward their educational goals (71%) while 21% were not sure; the remaining 8% students felt that their parents would not support them or felt that the support would depend on the family circumstances in the future. Still when it came to finances, about 57% students feared that their parents would not be able to bear the cost of their education, another 41% thought that their parents would bear part of the cost (25% to 50%) or that they would take a loan.

Finally, when we asked them what was the support or encouragement they required to pursue their goals, 85% said that they wanted encouragement from their parents and teachers and 14% said friends and the society should encourage them. Yet, in the present moment only 33% of students felt they had received any encouragement from their parents and far less from their teachers (11%).

Outcome in 10th standard
Given the above, let’s see what happens when these rural students complete the 10th standard. To find out we conducted another survey in the same 20 villages we had selected and went to all the homes that had students who had written their 10th standard exams in March 2009.

A total of 168 students from these villages had taken the 10th exams and of these 43% (72 – 39 girls and 33 boys) had failed. Of those who had passed 84 were going on to the 11th standard in a school nearby, a few were going to work and the remaining were undergoing some vocational training. Of those who failed only 26 (36% of those who had failed) planned to re-take the exam.

In the final analysis we found that 51% of those who passed the 10th standard were moving on to the 11th standard. Sixteen per cent of the students, regardless of whether they passed or failed were working, and 10% had no further plans or said they were not interested in studying further.

Outcome in the 12th standard
Moving forward we tracked the outcome among all the students who took the 12th standard exams from the same 20 villages in March 2009. Totally 78 students took the 12th exam and of these 63 had passed. Forty five per cent (35 students) were moving on to college, while 22% planned to work and 17% wanted to do some vocational training. The remaining had no immediate plans.

Conclusion
If this data can be considered a reflection of what’s happening across rural India, it says that no more than about 7% of the students who go to the 8th, 9th and 10th move on to college from rural areas. Cleary from the 8th-10th standard students we learned that it is not that these students lack motivation, on the other hand all of them expressed a desire to study and had high aspirations for their future. What happens to these students after this stage?

Apart from finances, students need support and encouragement in their environment, in the school, from their teachers, parents and all those around them. In school, teachers and all educators need to help maintains students’ motivation and interest in various subjects. The school environment needs to be conducive to education, and have the resources to guide learning and to challenge students. School is the place where students spend a majority of their time, and for these rural students it is largely the only place where they are engaged intellectually. Many of the students in our survey reported that their favorite subject was science, but very few rural schools have access to a well equipped laboratory to engage and build on the students’ interest in science. Teachers have a powerful role here and can be a role model for students, help to build and sustain their interests in subjects and education in general. Needless to say, the role of parents is most crucial in influencing and determining their children’s educational attainment. Though many of these students come from families where both parents have little education, it is imperative that these parents and families motivate and encourage these students to aim higher, so as to complete their education. Beyond this as a community we all need to listen to the voices of these students and as a society enable more of our rural students to complete 12th and go on to college.

For our part, Kalanjiyam is trying to work with communities, schools and students in finding ways to keep more students in school till 12th and getting them to college. Besides providing educational aid and advising parents and teachers on these issues, we have a program annually to motivate 10th standard students by offering a scholarship to those who secure more than 80% in the 10th exams. Every year since we instituted this program more students are securing more than 80% marks. The other change we see is that more than 80% of parents / guardians come with their children for the program. These we believe are steps in a positive direction. We need to recognise that every student starts going to school with a dream of achieving something big. If only we pay closer attention to the needs of these students and find ways of helping and supporting them, surely we can increase the chances for more of these rural students to go beyond 12th to college and realise their dreams.

The author is Founder & Director, Kalanjiyam. He can be reached at .

Ayurveda
Ayurveda (from Sanskrit, Ayus – life and Veda – science), the most popular of alternative medicine practices in the world, originated in India thousands of years ago. According to a legend Lord Brahma created Ayurveda after looking at the sufferings of human beings and animals. Charak Samhita by the sage Charaka, Sushruta Samhita by the sage Sushruta and Kashyap Samhita by the sage Kashyap written in the Vedic period around 1st millennium BC are the earliest available texts.
In this system, plants and herbs are predominantly used in making medicines. Vegetable and animal fats, animal products and minerals are also used. This system strives to strike a balance between the three ‘doshas’ (substances) Vata (Wind/spirit), Pitta (bile) and Kapha (phlegm) that are believed to make the human body. When in balance the body is healthy, when not, Ayurvedic practitioners try to identify the causes and suggest remedies by prescribing concoctions of herbs, minerals and other material. Ayurveda also stresses on diet, massage and yoga-based exercises to complement the medicine. Ayurvedic surgeons of yore have been performing surgeries like cataract and rhinoplasty (altering the nose) for millennia. While yoga is also called an alternative system it primarily deals with physical fitness, meditation and mind and body control and Ayurveda with healing.

Homeopathy
Homeopathy (from Greek Homeo – similar and Pathos – suffering or disease) a holistic system of healing was developed in the 18th century by Samuel Christian Hahnemann.
He believed that by causing effects that are similar to the symptoms in a patient, the person could be cured of the disease. This is achieved by administering remedies based on a documented index of symptoms. Homeopathic practitioners source their ingredients for medicines from plants and minerals, which are then serially diluted to create the pharmacological effect desired. Medicines are prepared by serial dilution while the mixture is shaken by forceful striking. Forceful striking is referred to as ‘succussion’. The effect of the treatment increases with each dilution. This process is called ‘potentisation’. This is continued until none of the original substance remains. Like most other systems of alternative medicine, special attention is paid to the patient’s physical and psychological state and remedies and lifestyle changes are suggested accordingly.

Unani
The Unani or Yunani system of medicine can be traced back 5000 years to Greece. However, it was later developed by Hakim Ibn Sina. His book the Canon of Medicine was written in 1025 AD in Persia. Hakim Ibn Sina was highly influenced by Greek and Islamic medicine as well as Ayurveda. Unani is based on the theory that states that the balance of the elements (fire, water, earth and air) present in various forms of fluids in human body leads to health and their imbalance leads to illness.

Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a range of traditional medical practices that originated in China 2000 years ago. TCM includes treatments such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, dietary therapy, and both Tui na and Shiatsu massage. TCM practitioners arrive at cures by documenting observations of nature, universe, and the human body emphasizing on the direct relationship a human being has with the environment.
The earliest available text on traditional Chinese medicine is the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) which was written around 305-204 B.C. by Huangdi also known as the Yellow Emperor. Over the years TCM has been highly influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism. TCM is based on the philosophical concept that the human body is a world in itself and has a set of complete and sophisticated interconnected systems. These systems work in conjunction and remain in balance to maintain the healthy function of the human body.

Acupuncture
In Acupuncture (from Latin acus – prick) thin needles are inserted at specific points to alleviate pain and cure illnesses. There are about 400 acupuncture points positioned on meridians through which vital energy flows through the body. Sharpened stones used in acupuncture before needles were found dating back to 3000 BC in Mongolia. The earliest book on acupuncture is Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (History of Acupuncture) by Huangdi Neijing, written around 305-204 B.C. Some say that acupuncture first began when soldiers who were wounded by arrows in war experienced relief when inserted with needles. The Portuguese were the first to take acupuncture to Europe from where it spread to the rest of the world. Acupuncture has several variations now: Classical Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Vietnamese and Korean acupuncture.

Compiled by: Sridivya Mukpalkar.

America and in fact much of the world, these days, loves to talk about recession. Every day of this depressing year, old stories of new victims enter our consciousness where recession is making its bed in our memory to be recalled decades later when it revisits us. As an economic phenomenon,
its dimensions are multiple and infinite defying a definite beginning and end. In purely technical terms, recession has been distinguished from depression, and various factors attributed to the economic decline. The eight-year long Bush (p)Residency in the White House is in public perception, the dire beginning of this saga where caught between consumption and thrift, Americans are waiting for Obama eggs to hatch.

But Americans are not the only ones affected in this story. If you happen to live in California like me, you’d hear tales of a shrinking Silicon Valley churning its ‘curry’ software engineers like heroes returned from a war to a place where there is no one to fight. A number of my friends were laid off in the last year retrenchment drive launched by almost all the big companies. A unique predicament emerged from this situation.

Shaken out of their suburban shells, they dreaded not being able to find employment anywhere in these unforgiving times. Without a green card, their tenuous visa status had them resigned to be homeward bound. Meanwhile, my being in school became an object of envy. I couldn’t be laid off – never mind that I am to continue in a state of steady poverty for the next 5 years at least. In numerous counselling conversations with a close, laid-off friend, he confessed that he longed to go back to India. That he missed friends, family, food, and the warmth that India has to offer. That he had had enough of America.

Suddenly living in India became more imaginable and desirable. The routine American conveniences of a dish-washer, orderly traffic, and blonde bureaucracy no longer baited their mobile selves. Even though there was resignation and despair in this sentiment, there seemed to be a real yearning to just return. To recede in this recession to the familiar comforts of a place bursting at its seams. To disappear into an anonymous crowd of a billion-plus. Recession is perhaps a step-offspring of terrorism. There is the unnerving uncertainty, the need to reunite with your own kind, and the realisation that home is often always just one. But then things turn around. Having found another job, my friend is relieved that he’ll be able to continue to support his family, a supreme consideration any day.

While most of my opinions are food for spoof, I feel rather disconcerted by the pressing need to secure a permanent spot in this country. As citizens of the ‘third world’ I wonder what we have been reduced to in our fetishism of the green card. I’ve been asked the question over and over, “Will I stay, or go back?” (and sometimes just plainly told that I will). My response has varied from a non-committal raising of the brows to an ironic “of course” followed by, “as soon as I can marry a willing American lady”. Regardless of the practical considerations, it’s the recession that will write the script and decide our parts in a long immigration saga, among other things. In the meantime, I better go and check the matrimonial section of the classifieds. But wait, there is none… after all, this is America!

The author is a PhD student at the University of California at San Diego, USA. He can be reached at pawansinghh@gmail.com.

If victory is certain, even a coward can fight. But the really brave are the ones who dare to fight if they know that their defeat is certain.

I’d like to narrate an incident which for me emphasised the truth of the above statement.

I once had to travel from Bangalore to Baroda. Since I did not get a direct ticket, I bought a ticket from Bangalore to Mumbai and then from Mumbai to Baroda. On a Sunday, at 8:00 p.m, I boarded the Udyan Express to Mumbai from Bangalore. After a comfortable 24-hour journey I got off at Dadar on Monday. I didn’t continue up to Mumbai because I knew that my next train from Mumbai to Baroda stopped at Dadar and that I could board the train from Dadar. I waited from 8:00 p.m to 11:00 p.m. Around 11:10 p.m. some time before my train was due to arrive I checked with the railway authorities on which platform the train would arrive. The clerk’s reply struck me like thunderbolt. The train I intended to board at Dadar did not stop at Dadar at all! This train I was supposed to be on would leave Mumbai at 11:20 pm. It would have been next to impossible for me to reach Mumbai Central in 10 minutes even if I took a taxi, because despite the hour the flow of traffic was heavy.

For a moment I did not know what to do? But I decided not to give up because 10 minutes can make a lot of difference in one’s life. I knew that most trains that passed through Maharashtra had a halt in Borivili.
Therefore, I decided to travel forward to Borivili instead of trying to get back to Mumbai. I got into a local train without any knowledge of its destination. From a fellow passenger I came to know that the train would not pass from Borivili. I had to get off at Bandra Terminus. The time by now was 11:20 p.m. My train would have departed from Mumbai. I rushed to the station master to fi nd out whether the Baroda Express had a halt at Bandra. To my dismay he said no and he asked me to wait for a local train to Borivili which was to arrive in fi ve minutes. But I couldn’t waste time waiting as the local train and the Baroda Express were heading in the same direction and I knew the Express would surely overtake the local train. Immediately, I hired a taxi to Borivili. I asked the driver to drive really fast. In Mumbai’s heavy traffic, the driver drove as fast as he could and I reached Borivili by 12:00 midnight. Just as I was entering the station I heard the announcement that the Baroda Express was to arrive in a few minutes. I heaved a sigh of relief. I reached Baroda safely early in the morning at 6:00am on Tuesday.

This experience in my life taught me many valuable things.
1. Never take things for granted. Check twice before you arrive at a decision.

2. You are never a loser until you quit trying.

3. Mistakes are painful when they happen. But years later a collection of mistakes called experience leads us to success. Life’s lessons do not have a curriculum; there are no textbooks available to prepare and the examination schedule is not declared in advance. One has to learn a lot in one’s life through one’s own experiences and from the experiences of others.

The author is a resource person in the subject of Mathematics. He can be reached at ramesh_psychology@yahoo.com.

How do we instill good manners in children?

Grace is to the body what good manners are to the mind,” says Francois de la Rochefoucauld. Unfortunately, however, lack of manners in children is a growing problem in our society. The time has come for us, as educators and parents, to instil in children, the value of basic civility. Nobody in particular can be blamed for this apathy, but at the same time the fact, that the media, the parents and the school environment are responsible, cannot be ignored.

Parents are partly to blame if they ignore their children’s rude behaviour. Some parents demonstrate poor sportsmanship, display inconsiderate attitudes and blame educators for their child`s problems. Disrespectful conduct portrayed in the media is also at fault. In school, sometimes peer pressure makes good children succumb to bad behaviour, and at other times nonchalant teachers ignore behavioural problems. However, children need to know that “good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.”

Educators can play an important role in children’s development through a respectful attitude that requires students to be considerate of the rights and feelings of others to help create a cooperative learning environment. When people treat others with respect, they feel better about themselves and develop self-confidence. When educators model courtesy, children can learn to be considerate of others.

What else can educators do to instil manners in children?

1. The first thing a teacher needs to show is that she cares for each child in her class. Whenever possible, greet each child as they enter the classroom. This establishes an emotional bond which can help nurture a strong relationship which in turn leads to obedience and acceptable behaviour.

2. Take pleasure in being their teacher, so that the children feel valued.

3. Have children name examples of good manners and list them on the board. Then have them identify examples of rude behaviour. Divide the children into groups to make posters illustrating desirable and undesirable behaviours. These can be hung on the wall to remind children of appropriate conduct.

4. Discuss socially acceptable behaviours through stories, skits or interesting anecdotes.

5. Teach, model, and post a respectful vocabulary including terms such as “Please,” “Thank You,” “You’re welcome,” “I`m sorry,” “Excuse me,” “I like the way you …” “May I?” Have students add to the list.

6. Speak to them politely and call attention to the harm that thoughtless, unkind words and actions can cause.

7. Make them aware that all forms of bullying including gossip, exclusion, name-calling and aggression are unacceptable.

8. Stress the importance of treating others the way you would like to be treated. Suggest books for them to read which will influence them to adopt socially acceptable conduct.

9. Have the children practice a manner each week; for example, tell them to make posters and talk about values like empathy, kindness, politeness, etc.

10. Acknowledge students when you see them acting in a kind or helpful manner by describing in positive terms the specific behaviour you observed. Reward good behaviour.

11. Have a bulletin board that promotes manners. When you observe a child being especially courteous, write down the action on a colourful card with the student`s name at the top and post it. Have students observe good manners in others, write down what they saw on a card, and add it to the board.

12. Take pictures of children using good manners, have students add text, and make a PowerPoint presentation for children in lower classes or for parents to view.

13. Have the children write, illustrate, and publish a book on manners. Students can work in groups to brainstorm situations. They could create questions for each page with several answer choices.

14. Have the children create a song, poem or play about manners.

15. Help establish a school-wide “Good Manners Programme” to include all subject areas. A music teacher could teach songs about manners. An art teacher could have the children make posters depicting manners. A physical education teacher could devise games where children introduce themselves to each other, and a classroom teacher could have the students write short stories.

16. A code of conduct chart could be placed next to the blackboard to remind children to practice manners. Depending on the age of the children, decide on the rules together with your students. Discuss what needs to happen in the classroom for everyone to be able to learn. Write the students’ suggestions on a large chart and hang it in the room. The students could also help you define consequences for inappropriate behaviours.

17. During work time, establish a classroom nonverbal signal to warn an individual student of inappropriate behaviour. Stare at the child, and if necessary call out his or her name and then use your signal. For example, hold your hand up in the stop position, lower your hand, or put your thumb down. Or, touch a student gently on the shoulder as a reminder of appropriate behaviour. If the child does not stop, administer a consequence.

18. Students interrupting a teacher are a problem in many classrooms. Tell the children that you want them to get the most out of school so you will not allow them to be rude and to interrupt you when you are speaking. Say, “I am here to help you learn; therefore, you need to listen and follow instructions. I am worried that you will be missing important information if you talk while I am giving instructions. When I am speaking, it is teacher time.”

19. Let them know that they will have “student time” to talk to each other when they are working in pairs or groups or at other designated times.

20. Tell them exactly what you expect of them and follow it up with consequences. If children are talking when they are supposed to be silent, stop talking, stare, and do not start again until the room is quiet. If you start to talk, and someone interrupts, then stop again. You may want to say something like, “I am waiting,” or move the disruptive child to another seat. An additional idea is to make a mark on the board to indicate that the class will lose one minute of recess. When it is quiet, begin again. Be consistent in whatever classroom management plan you use.

21. Have counselling sessions with parents and ask them to help you to correct the child’s bad manners.

Helping children learn basic manners early will be an asset for them as they mature. The effort works best if appropriate behaviour is emphasised throughout the school in conjunction with character education lessons and follow up at home. Of course the most important thing to bear in mind is that the teacher and parent need to practice what they preach!

The author is Principal, Pallavi Model School, Hyderabad. She can be reached at manjugupta09@hotmail.com.

Repetition: 1 on each side

Seated knee squeeze
Limbers and relaxes lower back, improves digestion; improves respiration
Breathe out completely. Breathe in and lift your right leg with both hands and pull it to your chest while holding your breath in. Tuck your head toward your knee and let your raised foot relax. Hold for a few seconds, then release and switch sides.

Repetitions: 3 on each side

Sun pose in chair
Improves circulation to head; massages internal organs; limbers spine and hip joints
Separate your legs and sit with your hips against the back of the chair. Breathe out completely. Breathe in and raise your arms in a circle to the sides and overhead. Look up and stretch. Breathe out, tuck your head, and bend forward between your legs. If you can reach the floor, place your palms fl at. Breathe in and raise your arms up over your head again, then breathe out and lower your arms to the sides.

Repetitions: 3

Seated side stretch

Limbers spinal column, improves respiration, reduces waistline

Sitting with feet slightly apart, breathe in and raise your arms out to the sides. Breathe out and bend toward the left, keeping your arms straight and trying to reach the floor with your left hand. Breathe in, come back to the starting position, then breathe out and bend toward the right.

Repetitions: 3 on each side

Ankle rotations and point flexes

Improves circulation to feet

Hold on to the seat of your chair, stretch your legs out in front of you, and rotate your ankles several times in each direction. Then point and flex the feet several times.

Repetitions: 5-6 circles in each direction, 5-6 point-flexes

Seated leg lifts

Strengthens legs, hips, and lower back; improves circulation to legs and feet

Hold on to the seat of your chair for leverage. Breathe out, then breathe in as you lift your right leg straight, foot flexed. Breathe out and lower your leg.

Repetitions: 3 for each leg

Next do three lifts with both legs.

Text: Excerpted from the American Book of Yoga.

Manaswini Sridhar
A picture is worth a thousand words. We have heard this saying frequently and we tend to agree with it. As teachers and parents, we strongly believe that reading stories aloud to children and discussing the illustrations in the book facilitate their language skills. However, when it comes to the more ‘informal’ pictures in comic books or comic strips, we are almost in total denial of their role in the natural and spontaneous acquisition of language. In fact, most of us are far too quick to assume that comics will harm the child in numerous ways.

Whatever our mindset towards comics, it is undeniable that the comic is the most widely read type of publication all over the world. Children are immersed in comics without even realising that they are doing any kind of reading. It therefore becomes a very attractive educational tool for the teacher/parent. It can be used to motivate the reluctant student to imbibe the necessary language proficiency. Comics have been maligned by educators long enough!

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

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Stinger was thinking furiously. “I am sure Beady will find the treasure first, because she is good at reading maps. But I want to win and I must find a way to do that”.Mr. Happy gave a map to each of them. “Drink some water and refresh yourselves before you start”, said Mr. Happy. They all trooped out of their class. Stinger was waiting for a moment like this. He quickly took out his eraser and changed the directions on Beady’s map carefully. Wherever it said, “left,” he changed it to “right”. He did it very carefully and quickly and by the time everybody came back to class, Stinger was in his place, looking quite innocent.

The authors are partners in Edcraft, Hyderabad, a firm engaged in making teaching-learning materials, conducting workshops and providing consultancy services. They can be reached at edcraft94@gmail.com.

This is an article for subscribers only. You may request the complete article by writing to us at editorial@teacherplus.org.

Life Beyond School

It was at one of our editorial meetings. The small group was at its best throwing up random ideas and brainstorming for our subsequent issues. It was then we felt that for our September Teachers’ Day issue, we needed to think beyond the classroom.

All too often, teachers are bogged down by their everyday class routines. There is an erroneous impression that educators do not have the ability or perhaps the time to do anything very different from what they do all day — that is, teach. But we also recognise that to be a passionate teacher, one has to be good at planning, organising, performing in front of people and children, be imaginative and sensitive, and above all else be professional. So clearly, there is more to being a teacher than meets the student’s eye!

So we thought, why not help teachers to rediscover themselves, find out the person they are apart from the face they present in the classroom. We asked teachers to tell us what they do outside working hours, what makes them happy, what fills their hours. So here it is: five interesting responses from our committed teachers. Get a glimpse into their real selves. After the school shutters are down, what are these teachers like, what do they think and what do they feel?

• Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher
• After School Evenings
• A Time for Renewal
• Tea & Reflection
• The Learning Continues…

Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher

Shakuntala Jaisinghani
Hallelujah! The end of the play for today
‘Let’s on to the Staffroom’ All the teachers say.
The tea is strong and tastes good;
The parched throats bask in its warmth
And bodies sink with sighs of relief
Into the welcoming seats …….
A few moments of peace
Away from the noise and the pace,
The never ending questions
And the marking that haunts
The waking and sleeping hours.

Ah! The relief when the bell rings and your teaching day is over! Do most of us feel that way, or does the teacher’s persona extend itself into her personal life? I, for one, have never been able to resolve this. The husband’s remarks, “stop shouting, you are not in your classroom” and your child’s protests, “you don’t know how to teach, my teacher told me to do the sums this way and she is always right”, tend to send conflicting signals.

I had once taken my class on a field trip and my two children accompanied me as there was no one to look after them at home. My son, who was only four years old, wanted something and he kept shouting ‘Mom, Mom’ but I did not hear him. My daughter who was older and wiser suggested that he call out ‘Ma’m, Ma’m’, which he did and sure enough I responded ‘yes, who wants me?’ The mother in me took a back seat when I was the teacher. In retrospect, I feel that being a mother taught me to be a good teacher and being a teacher taught me to be a good mother. I was able to relate to my children and my students because of my understanding of the needs of one relating to the needs of the other.

In any other profession, one tries to keep ‘work’ and ‘social’ life poles apart. But with teachers it seems that ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is the norm. Most teachers I know bond, even socially, with others of the same ilk. This may be due to the misconstrued view held by others that a teacher’s job is the cushiest-what with the holidays and vacations, resulting in envy on most counts. It’s only a teacher who will understand the stress and struggle involved in being a teacher. The holidays and vacations are truly a much needed respite in a teacher’s life so that she can face the next term/session with the same patience and endurance that is her modus operandi!

Earlier it was difficult for students to think of their teachers as persons with lives of their own. There was always an aura of respect surrounding a teacher which made her different from other mortal beings. I remember once as a child I saw my teacher in the market and I was so thrilled and astonished to see her performing mundane chores of a house wife such as buying vegetables in the market!

But today the whole scene of the teacher-student relationship has changed. Students see them as ordinary folk doing the job of a teacher. The younger students still think of them with great respect and awe, but as they grow older, that view changes. I have even seen students and parents regarding teachers as people for whom they have paid and hence should be subservient to them!

Being a teacher has been a reward in itself. What does a person look for, at the end of the day? A feeling of having achieved something worthwhile? That’s what a teacher feels – the other day after two decades I got an email from an ex-student who is now at the pinnacle of her career saying that she remembers me because I had faith in her and taught her to believe in herself! It sure made MY day. Fellow teachers, rejoice in the fact that we do ‘leave footprints on the sands of time’.

HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY

The author is an educational consultant in Pune. She can be reached at shakun.jaisinghani@gmail.com.

After School Evenings

Maya Menon
Triiingg! Ah the long bell! Walking out of my classroom after an enthusiastic but as yet incomplete discussion on the Origin of Life with 45 fourteen year olds, I thought, “Let me put away IX F’s books in my locker, can’t lug it around Chandni Chowk. Wonder if Sujata is still in the Science Block, hope she’s not forgotten…”.

Stepping out of the staff room I bumped into Sujata, my colleague, an art teacher, in the corridor and together we strode out into a cool, crisp, sunny December afternoon in Delhi towards the school bus parking lot. We boarded the school bus going to North Delhi. This was the early and mid 80s – an innocent, more easy-paced era, before the internet and personal computers and mobile phones or even faxes!

We were a pair of young footloose and fancy free teachers, wholeheartedly immersed in our teaching responsibilities at school – that included editing the school magazine, directing school plays, taking students out on nature trails in the scorching summer in the Delhi Ridge behind the school. But after 2pm we managed to pack in an equally interesting life.

So this December day we were headed out to Old Delhi – to Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid and lunch at the famed Karim’s. We wanted to scour the alleys of the Old City to look for amazing bargains amongst the so-called antiques that are commonly sold on the streets. Karim’s wasn’t anything posh – it was tucked in an overcrowded alley on the first floor of a dilapidated looking building. I was then far less finicky about hygiene and ambience and the food was its redeeming feature – authentic Mughlai khana.

We walked tirelessly, bargained unabashedly and returned home, before it got too dark and cold, proudly carrying treasures to give away as gifts or display at home. I still have an engraved copper tumbler and bowl and a brass owl from that day over 20 years ago, prominently placed in my living room. Our respective parents were very tolerant of our newfound independence and light-hearted indulgences.

Our afternoons after work were our time to chill out, let our hair down, visit art galleries, go to the latest matinee shows or have extended lunch and coffee sessions at Nirula’s, when we discussed school, hobbies and the world at large. Often we’d drop in at the Janpath office of Neelu, a close school mate of mine to chat up with her and brighten what we considered, her grey government office life, with our anecdotes from the classroom. We would often joke with her that the only bright element in her office was the red fire extinguisher!

Looking back on those years – evokes warm pleasant memories. Our traipsing about the city wasn’t all frivolous – we chased dreams and made plans – big meticulous plans of saving up and travelling the world. We wanted to see the world before we turned 30! In 1983-84 I went back to being a student in evening school and enrolled for a Diploma in Journalism. I embraced this new phase of studenthood with a clarity of purpose that had been missing during my undergraduate years. It was almost as if that as a teacher I had discovered the joy of learning. In the late summer of 1985 Neelu and I decided to go on a memorable uplifting Himalayan Trek to the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. This spurred us to be bolder next year and plan a 3-month travelling stint all over Europe and the US inspired by Arthur Frommer’s Guide of Europe on 10$ a day. And we did ourselves proud – we travelled in less than 10 $ a day. We stayed in youth hostel dorms and used a Eurail pass to travel across six countries in Europe. Single Indian women travelling by night train were a rarity those days and generated friendly curiosity and interesting discussions. Our parents were resigned to letting us go on our ‘risky’ world travels – but they cheered us on too with pride (their trepidation notwithstanding!)

I always returned from these sojourns enriched by memories, photographs and tales to tell my students. I even earned the sobriquet of having wheels on my heels!

My parallel life after a busy teaching day at school contributed to my own growth and education as a person. I sometimes wonder how my life after school would have been if I had been married, before I became a teacher, like so many of my colleagues. Would my domestic pressures have stifled all the joy, wonder and quest that kept me fi red and interested as a school teacher? Perhaps that’s what happens to so many of us!

The author is Founder Director, The Teacher Foundation, Bangalore. She can be reached at mayamenon@teacherfoundation.org.

A Time for Renewal

Meeta Mohanty
Life after 3’ is hardly conceived by a teacher as her personal time. It is not unusual to see teachers carrying loads of notebooks or paper bundles for correction almost every other day. Although teaching is considered a half-day job, it is actually challenging and exhausting as most teachers will confess. Every year – a new group of 30-40 children and the ownership of their education lies completely in the hands of the teacher who is supposed to have a magic wand and understand each child’s potential, hone their skills, groom them on good values and turn them into sensitised citizens. Phew! the list is unending when it comes to expectations from the teacher.

However, it is noteworthy to have a close look at the teacher and what kind of support mechanisms s/he gets to nurture the individuality of children. How much of his/ her individuality forms a part and parcel of the school system? I would certainly like to add that though schools have begun to pay attention to the teacher’s professional development in the form of organising seminars and workshops for his/ her enrichment, personal development still remains a road unexplored in many schools.

I used to be a part of an alternative school system where a lot of personal attention was paid to the ‘making of the teacher’ in the real sense. A year and a half ago, I was a facilitator at The Heritage School, Gurgaon which happens to be a school with practices in favour of teachers and students. It is important to upgrade the quality of living of teachers to actually impact the quality of learning in classrooms. Below I have highlighted only a few examples of some teacher-support mechanisms –

Induction support: As a teacher ushers into a school, s/he is usually clueless about the school system and takes time to settle down and understand the classroom processes. At The Heritage School, Gurgaon, this need is understood and every teacher who enters afresh is given a settlement time to know her/his duties, observe the class – s/he shall be responsible for. A peer-teacher acts as a mentor in guiding the new teacher about the class and introduces her to the parent community through emails, meetings, etc.

• Peer-observations: Teachers at The Heritage School, are free to observe each others’ classes and gain from such observations. Peerobservations are an ongoing voluntary mechanism and do not involve any stress or performance pressure. There is room for all to learn from his/ her errors.
• Retreat: Besides ongoing professional development, there are retreats organised for teachers. These retreats span over two to three days and are planned generally in natural spaces where some adventure sports can be organized for teachers. During the retreat, teachers from different class segments commune together as a group, unwind and share their experiences. A lot of resources are invested in personal development and in building teacher community as a coherent whole.
• Collective lesson planning and problem solving: This forms the backbone of the teaching community at The Heritage School. Collective lesson planning and reflective sessions, interspersed with hot debates on education, on righteousness of content, pedagogy, etc. form the core component of the teaching-learning process. Day-to-day lesson planning, theme planning, and problem solving is key. If one teacher is facing a difficult situation in her classroom, the entire group/ cohort of teachers support him/ her in troubleshooting. There is support from the management in troubleshooting problems. Every individual is given space to grow, learn from his/ her errors and not operate under any kind of pressure.
• Teacher Leadership: The concept of teacher leadership is completely visible in the school –where s/he has a free choice to plan lessons, be him/herself, plan the day, think and discuss what is best for children. Undoubtedly, curriculum in this school is developed by the teachers and assessments are also formative in nature-with portfolio assessment forming one of the key ways of assessing in primary school.

Only an empowered teacher can bring about empowered classrooms. Learning can only take place when teachers and the whole system undergoes transformation. To expect a teacher who is shattered or disintegrated in an obtrusive, compulsive system to bring about change and develop personalities is too demanding a situation. Thus, systemic changes are important and mandatory in the wake of a call for learning-centred classrooms.

The author works with the Oxford University Press, New Delhi. She can be reached at meetaprabir@gmail.com.

Tea and Reflection

Monica Kochar
What do I do after 3 p.m … That is a good question!

First of all it is 3:40 for me, for I work in one of the ‘IB (International Baccalaureate) schools’. What the rest of my day will be like depends a lot on what my day was like before 3:40 pm. How the classes were. Was I satisfied with all the work I did during the day?

Did I hurt any child unnecessarily?

Was I cool most of the day?

Was the teaching of good quality?

My evenings are generally spent reflecting on how my day was spent in the school.

I can’t seem to disconnect from teaching even after I come back home as teaching is my passion and I always like to give my best, or bestest as the students say! A job done well – a class where the children had a good time, an emotional trauma handled sensitively, a lesson planned well or good team work with colleagues – is the high point of the day.

The morning starts at 7:45 am and till 3:40 pm there is generally no time to remember who I am and why I am on this planet! I exist for the children and the principal. Either of them can need me anytime and usually it is ‘very urgent’. Meetings during breaks with either of them, watching over the kids during lunch…. I am often requested by mothers to see that their children finish their food since some of them are poor eaters. The children are so clever that they try and fool me into believing that they finished their lunch even before I could join them at the dining table. (Did they really say in the ‘body awareness workshop’ – “become aware of every morsel you eat and chew it with full awareness?” I am sometimes not even aware of what I am eating!)

So, evening is the time to put up my feet with that welcome cup of tea and two biscuits, pick up the newspaper and … breathe deeply. The day is always emotionally surcharged, for I work with the middle school children. Their emotional issues, so simple for us, so important to them! One wrong word, a smile at the wrong time, no smile when I was supposed to (!) and someone is devastated! As I breathe and unwind, I reflect on the day. (Do I need to apologise to anyone tomorrow I wonder?)

Cuppa tea over, and I get up and stretchhhhh those muscles. The sudden silence around is so welcoming. I can hear the birds, the leaves rustling, sweet sounds that I don’t pay any attention to until this time of the day. Depending on the season, next it is a nap, check email and then walk (Delhi summer) or walk, check email and then nap (Delhi winter)! I switch off the mobile, pull out the wire of the intercom – a short, very necessary nap and I wake up refreshed, ready for the second half of the day.

Walking here is a delight. There are finished/unfinished/never started farm houses all around the school campus and one can walk on and on and get lost in the wilderness. I breathe in the fresh air after spending the day indoors in AC rooms. Look at the flowers, marvel at the greenery, dodge the stray dogs and pet cows and try to think the staring village men don’t exist!

Back home – time for an early dinner. I live on the campus, so I have a choice when it comes to cooking…I can eat in the school mess! And I can choose from a huge platter.

And then is the biggest luxury I have in my life – my ‘personal time’. A long stretch of quiet time for reading, soft music, reflection … one or all of them. The quietest time, when the door bell won’t ring and the boss won’t call! The phase when time stops and something else steps into the picture. The nerves tingle and relaxation seeps over me. Peace, silence, quietude with only the lizards making noise in the background.

Semi comatose…I move to the bed. End of another day. Begin tomorrow anew!

(Oh! If you are wondering where my dog, husband and children are…sorry! I am a happy single.)

The author is a math teacher in Pathways World School, Gurgaon. She can be reached at reachmonica@gmail.com.

The Learning Continues…

Hetal K Pandya
My days at school do not end with “Thank God!” or “Ah! Finally it’s over…”. My school is so much like a home where children come to spend time with friends and us for fun and learning that it never gives me a feeling of working away from home. I leave my first home (the school) at one pm and reach the second by two pm! Coming home after school is refreshing because I encounter so many unique experiences at school that my mind is always thinking of new ideas and things to do.

A day spent with children relaxes the soul, it is like food for the soul. My mind ponders over various issues related to my children and the class most of who encourages me to think of better alternatives for making each day beautiful and meaningful at the school.

After my usual nap, I generally work on my computer, check mails and look for interesting sites pertaining to education. The internet helps a teacher like me in many ways. I no longer have to spend hours in huge libraries looking for books that can be easily found a click away on my laptop at home. On weekends I frequent the local book stores to find something unique towards furthering the same thirst of knowledge as a teacher and a learner. I am particularly fond of books on J Krishnamurthi’s conversations with children of Rishi Valley School in the late 70s. Such books stir the soul and provide answers to so many questions that modern researches or case studies are not able to. Otherwise books on parenting and children’s education are the target searches for me!

I have a few friends scattered all over the globe who contribute to education in their own way. I interact with them through email sharing photos, information, experiences, etc., which makes us all aware of the different types of education systems in various cultural and societal contexts. This is a good way of keeping both our friendship and profession alive at the same time! In the past one year I have been able to rekindle connections with my previous professors who are themselves treasures of so much experience and knowledge.

I love to write about my children and other subjects too. Any incident or observation at school or a child’s behaviour motivates me to write in my diary on a regular basis. I have worked in three schools so far and I believe that more than the school, I remember and cherish my experiences with children. My experiences have helped me become a better teacher and love my profession much more then anything else. I write poems and short stories about children with illustrations or small observations made during hours spent at the school.

Once I am done with writing, I move to doing other things at home… yes, the household chores! I live in a nuclear family and hence the onus of making my home a heaven rests mainly on my shoulders. I cook dinner and watch my favourite English comedies and news on TV. If there is nothing worth watching on television I read books on management, novels or magazines. The day winds up mostly at 10 pm for me and I go to bed with a heart and body at peace with itself.

I was working in corporates before opting to teach again, mainly because the vacuum I felt in other professions is not there in the education line. I began my career as a teacher but left it midway for a plum designation and salary in a company. A few months of introspection made me realise the value of soul happiness over materialistic well being. Hence as a teacher I “do not teach”… I “learn” and come back home as a better human being. I owe this happiness to my children who give unconditional love and respect which is a blessing rarely experienced by any other professional. They have in fact taught me virtues of patience, love, helping, sharing, respecting, etc., by their behaviour. They are my true teachers indeed!

The author is a teacher at the Toddlers Jain International School, Hyderabad. She can be reached at hetal272@gmail.com.

Meaning of classroom assessment techniques
Classroom assessment differs from tests and other forms of student assessment in that it is aimed at course improvement, rather than at assigning grades. The primary goal is to better understand students’ learning so as to improve teaching. Some very practical classroom assessment techniques are described below.

1. One minute papers: During the last few minutes of the lecture, the students are invited to write in about four to five lines, what aspect of the lecture was most clear to them and what aspect was ambiguous. This helps the teacher to get a glimpse of what needs remediation in the next lecture.

The author is teacher-educator at Pushpanjali College of Education, Maharashtra. She can be reached at c.dcosta@rediffmail.com.

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References: Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross, 1993, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, Second Edition, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

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