NOBILITY OF TEACHING AS A PROFESSION...

  Every teacher has one's own way to facilitate their wards. With experience, one gains awareness on the nature of every student, their attributes, abilities and behaviour patterns.

 Teachers have an equal role in identifying in-borne and latent talent which helps parents to nurture the same and develop it into rewarding professional skills.

 At times, situations also assume the role of eminent teachers. So does some books or even biographies and legends.

Certain teachers empathize with their students and handle situations in a motherly fashion, with utmost care and concern. Some others are great mentors and guide their wards easily to success. It's those handful whom a student approaches openly, at times of need, who leave a lasting impact on their students.

Whatever be the nature of these teachers who stand out, all of them- teachers, trainers, mentors and facilitators- impart education to their kids not only on academic brilliance for a living but equip them simultaneously with the education for life as well.

Generally, such a teacher takes the specific subject thoroughly in less than half the time allotted to them. They use the remaining time for personal development aspects. Time is never a constraint for them. For them, handling students during leisure and extra hours are enjoyable engagements too. Teaching, we realise is not a job, but true passion for them.

 The modus operandi varies depending on personal interest and abilities of the teacher. Here are some of the approaches and attitudes of such positive light houses. They easily lit the lamp within their wards...

• ·        Displays movies for children in Smart Class Virtual Boards.
• ·        Narrates stories from epics and provide scripts for theatre arts.
• ·        Provides platform to hone and perform individual talent.(light music, recitation, dance, instrumental music, speech, etc) The periodic opportunity extended is a natural facilitator for the kids to learn new items and perform with confidence.
• ·        Entrusts wards with responsibilities to conduct/ organize events like GK quiz, anchoring assembly, drafting and presenting daily news, etc.
• ·        Enable students to help their weak peers in taking food, in studies, in doing projects and even in ECA as a personal or group responsibility. We have had teachers who even clean hair off lice and cut nails for our mates. They also help them to wear socks and even their tie properly.
• ·        Some teachers conduct literary contests in class like essay, features, collages, quotations, newsletters, etc.
• ·        Some others conduct monthly celebrations in the class which includes birthdays of students , appreciation of winners in external programs, etc.
• ·        Organizing picnics and frequent educational tours are other remarkable qualities.
• ·        Some teachers facilitate charity to orphans, aged and downtrodden. There were occassions when we donated our old toys, dress and bought sweets for these children and played with them. The resources that was pooled from our class on a single announcement was amazing. Another teacher taught us to share food with less privileged, by bringing a pack of home-made food, whenever we could. It made us conscious of the value of food and inculcated the habit of not wasting food at all. Some students gradually dropped expensive celebrations to cater to more precious basic needs of fellow beings.
• ·        Organizing celebrations like grandparents day, sibling day, friends day, etc
• ·        Festive occasions of togetherness ( Xmas cakes, floral carpets for onam, lighting crackers during diwali, etc) has put into us the spirit of cooperation and many more.
• ·        Empower students through projects and group activities.
• ·        Share stories of legends, inspiring occassions, suspense thrillers, adventures, life experiences, jokes, puzzles and what not?
• ·       Organise activity days like colour day, hat day, hairdo day, umbrella day, cookery day, fruit day, flower day, dress day, tuck shop and so on.
• ·        Mostly they are part of expert teams that equip kids for sports meet, literary competitions, youth festivals and annual days. Teachers accompany us for all external events and remain with us, cheering on our success and consoling us when we lose, inspiring to participate again and again.  Is this the greatest Confidence Building Mechanism?
• ·        They facilitate students to attempt daily homework and promotes self study and independant work culture through myriad ways.

Most of the eminent teachers uphold human values, love their wards and remain in their hearts for a life time... Young ones, as they grow, realise that they truly adore them...

(This is a personal observation on some of our dear teachers who have created a lasting impression on us. Our gratitude to those who succeeded in making us better, one way or other.)

OUR HOME LIBRARY (PART II)

ENGLISH BOOKS FOR READ-BY-YOURSELF GROUP

The category Read by yourself is an elaborated version of many of the earlier fairy tales; classics etc which kids enjoy reading by themselves. Because children are familiar with most of the initial crisp summarized versions, they enjoy reading this type in simple lucid style and it automatically enhances their language ability.

LET'S LEARN (6): OUR VISIT TO A POLICE STATION IN KOZHIKODE CITY

Students of Vidya Kendra, class IIA and IIB, visited the Kasaba Police Station, Kozhikode on 29^th July, 2009.About 50 of us along with our dear teachers, Ms. Tanuja, Ms.Anitha, Ms.Laxmi, etc started from V.K. by 1 noon and returned in an hour. We went by bus. We were in our uniforms, the special V.K.T-shirts.

We had already studied about the Police Station during our Social Studies classes. We already knew about the Traffic Police whom we see daily while coming to school and in different junctions of the city. We were also taught that police officers catch thieves and criminals and keep public life and belongings safe. Thus, they serve us in many ways.

However, our teachers and parents had also warned us that police officers would beat naughty children and punish us if we were mischievous. So, we were a little bit frightened. As we arrived at the station and fell in queue, our hearts raced at huge speed with loud thud thud sound!!! Still, I tried to put up a brave face…

The courtyard was full of jeeps and vans, all looking alike, with pilot lamps on their heads. At the entrance was a counter and a woman police attended the reception.

Upon our arrival, a police officer came and took us inside. A police officer with a pistol or revolver stood in attention at the entrance. He was on guard duty. He is called the Station Security Officer.  

The Sub Inspector of Police (SI), Mr.Manoj explained about the duties of police and took us around the station. He said that police attend to road accidents, crime against women, explore unidentified dead bodies, search for missing persons and lost vehicles, theft items, notify public about criminals, search for them, and gather intelligence on crime and terror groups and so on. The police station caters to all security needs of that locality and protects civil rights. They also aid enquiry for passports and support foreigners.

The Kerala Police force, in its present form dates back from 1956. Today our police investigate about two lakh cases a year. All senior officers belong to the IPS (Indian Police Service). There are different divisions in the police force. Crime, Special investigation, dog squad, police band, coastal police, highway police, railway police, cyber crime, mounted police etc. We can see most of these divisions during March past in Independence and Republic Day parades.

 In this police station, there were many rooms. The SI had a room for himself. Nearby was a computer room for administrative works. Public filed petitions in another room. Head Constables attended duty in yet another room. There was a strong room with a locker (jail like). There were two thieves in there!

The most attractive room was one filled with arms and ammunitions. There were many weapons like rifles, pistols, guns, lathis, shields, barricades, bulletproof coats and so on. The use of tear gas was demonstrated. They also showed us bullets used to shoot. We had seen it on television, wherein police used it to scatter mob during protests and when they went out of control.

The SI took us to the office of the senior police officer- the Circle Inspector of Police. He also told us about other Police Stations in Kerala, the difference in caps worn at different levels of service, the badges and medals, etc. They all wore khaki uniforms and had a socket for safe custody of their pistols. He said the CI issues permission to use loud speakers for various functions.

We had so many doubts to be cleared, as well.

1.        How police catch thieves?

2.      Why do they have to wear khaki uniforms?

3.       How to make a complaint?

4.      Should we pay the police for their service?

5.       How police differs from security in hospitals and banks?

And so on.

Finally, we thanked the SI of police for their hospitality. He asked us to dial 100 over phone in case of a complaint and said that the control room would do the needful to save us from trouble. He gave us toffees and we were excited. We thanked our teachers from our hearts for having cleared our apprehension and fear about the police force. In short, we enjoyed our visit to the police station very much.

QUEST CARDS

The Quest for knowledge cards is a set of 100 double sided Q cards, teaching an aspect. Each set focusses on different aspect. Capital letters of the English alphabet, small letters, numbers 1-100, animals and so on...This design enables children to read the content and then to trace it and write on top of it, with a Q-pen or white board marker and erased using a cloth piece!!!Erase and rewrite over and over again.These cards are of good quality and are tear resistant and long lasting material.It helps pre school kids to initially recognize, read and write the content and gradually to improve their handwriting...Produced by KB Park, Kochi, now its priced at Rs.150 per set.

BE POSITIVE

As we all know, basic education is highly significant in the moulding of every child; especially because kids learn best and fast during their early growing years and are truly flexible. This is not restricted to formal learning environments alone.

The canvas for a kid starts from their own home and expands to the immediate nature around them and continues into the cosmos as such as they grow...

Its our responsibility to facilitate and guide proper evolution of our kids...

Enrolling them in good nearby schools that suits their calibre is our primary responsibility, which majority achieve successfully...

In current scenario of globalisation, educational opportunities are also expanding at a rapid pace.

Identifying talents in our kids, being a companion to help them tap their resources, sustaining an inquisitive and everlasting curious mind are all vital requisites.

So, I personally feel that extending a helping hand, all along, to let them bloom out beautifully into independent personalities is our secondary responsibility.

However, employed parents, especially from nuclear families, who are highly aware of this and aspire for the same, truly struggle to meet these demands of their young ones satisfactorily.

This blog is dedicated to those of you ...to help you release your stress and help you use time more effectively...

While the comments herein are purely random thoughts, not reviews, on the CD's we see, movies that we watch, books we catch hold of, and so on...Its purely personal...

I hope it forms a stepping stone in positive direction...

Your comments and criticisms are most welcome...

THANK YOU