Inspiring Teachers Human Excellence

Oct-Dec 2013 Page 1 of 4VOL. # 7 ISSUE #10-12

From the editor…..

Some of you may have wondered why the newsletter hasn’t

come. Actually I had started sending it out in Oct 2007. So it

just finished five years. There were many colleagues that

helped in this journey, contributing links, articles, faculty

profiles and appreciation of the efforts. I request you to

continue your support and suggest more ‘inspiring teachers’

to be profiled. More articles from readers are also needed.

Now from this year, I will send this newsletter once in three

months – yes, it will be a quarterly now. Since we are talking of

change, let’s look deeper into this issue of change!

While we like the adage “Every day is a new day – a new

beginning”, deep inside, most people, I expect, would not want

to be thrown into uncertainty, where we have to figure out our

responses to continual change. Small changes like moving to a

new house or a new job, are quite challenging in the first few

months.

Some changes are voluntary and planned – with lot of mental

and physical preparation. But some changes come as bolt from

the blue like getting laid off from a job or facing the death of a

loved one. These changes are also more drastic – sometimes

redefining a new direction in life.

Some people thrive on change and adventure, but most others

resist it. Imagine if you knew the story and screenplay of a

movie, would you go and watch it? But that’s exactly how we

want to live our life. So why does human nature want

adventure in the movies and books or on Discovery or NatGeo

but not in their life.

Last twenty years saw rapid changes in society, relationships,

technology, living style and every aspect of life - more because

of the connectedness with the world through technology and

economic reforms.

The only way we can remain happy in such times is by

accepting change rather than resisting it. Those who have

succeeded in life or business are those who have adapted to

change.

It’s like getting into a flowing river. You keep hesitating -

afraid to step into the cold water, that it might take you

away from the secure shore. And then few minutes into

water and you start liking it.

And fear of change is not just a malady of old age as we

would like to believe. People of any age could be quite rigid

in their ways. Even infants react negatively when they are

taken to a new place or meet new people. Some babies

seem to enjoy the change, though. So is adaptability

something you are born with? Though some are ‘naturals’,

anyone could acquire this quality any time in life.

Another perspective to take is to be ‘leaders of change’ –

when you see new waves on the horizon before others, don’t

just sit and say I need to accept this; but take the lead,

show others what you see and leverage the change to

benefit yourself and others around you. We have a short

article that can help you persuade others to change!!

On the professional front, the role of teachers as

experts or warehouses of knowledge has

disappeared. People believe everything can be found

on the internet. So, to keep us relevant and needed,

we need to reinvent ourselves. Classes should be

used more to discuss, to motivate, to connect and to

listen, than to disseminate information. Technology

and pedagogy must be our focus.

Contact us: info@theprofessor.in,

In this issue:

Editorial accept, adapt and lead – ways to look at change

Featured Mrs Annapurna, Sevalaya …….……… 2

Everyone resists change – some issues ………… 4

Faculty of the month – Mrs N Annapurna

Head Mistress – Sevalaya’s Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School, Kasuva, TN

What has influenced your decision to take up teaching?

Used to teach my sister and her friends and found that I could

do it well. Later could feel the joy when student's eyes lit up as

they understood something or when an anecdote/story shared with students brought about a very positive visible change in a

person. All in all found it very rewarding on an emotional level . Time flew by while teaching, the periods appeared so small

when there were so many things to be told. More than

anything else learnt as much as I taught. I discovered the real joy of learning as I prepared for my classes and getting this

through to my students just increased it. Tell us something about your joining Sevalaya

My husband was always interested is working for less

privileged, always had the habit of giving respect to them , helping them in small ways. So it was a part of our lives and

slowly I had got into this too. We were not very crazy about acquiring a lot of wealth just wanted to have enough to lead a

decent life . Somewhere we started talking about spending an active part of our life working for worthy causes and then my

husband decided to take a VRS from his bank job we started

searching and this brought us to Sevalaya. I had day dreamt of such a life many a times and it became a reality.

What kind of teaching methods did you use to keep students interested in your classes?

Looking back I don't think I have used so many methods.

Mostly it has been lecture method using simple tools like charts, pictures, music, sometimes games, encyclopedia or

other similar books with lots of pictures, models & experiments in science classes and of course story telling in between . But

videos and net connectivity were not so accessible those days and my resources were the books in libraries. I think it was the

sincerity and true desire to help which really helped the

students. I would sit up for hours gathering facts , information related to the lesson and pass it on. As written earlier I taught

myself basic facts (concepts which had not been clearly taught/learnt in my school days) and whenever I could

understand things clearly I would really get excited and this

would naturally come across in my class. How do your colleagues react to your ideas and

initiatives? How do you respond? It varies from person to person. In some places I have orked

with people who would be really excited and we would work

further developing the idea. Mostly the friends group, with whom I have been, belonged to this category and we would be

discussing our classes and students and ways to improve. Here too at Sevalaya we have this group which is always thinking of

improving ,trying out new methods etc. Each time a new idea comes up we all get into it with enthusiasm but it is difficult to

get everyone to feel the same way . Some bring up all the

difficulties in the path and are reluctant to try. I just try to help/support them to the greatest extent possible.

Oct-Dec 2013 Page 2 of 4 VOL. #7 ISSUE #10-12

Mrs N Annapurna was born in Trichur, Kerala and grew up at Calcutta. She did her schooling at

Carmel Convent there and graduated with honours in Chemistry from Lady Brabourne college. She then

got married and went with her husband to different places. As a result she was able to pick up

languages and knows English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil,

Malayalam, Telugu and little bit of Kannada/Marathi. She started working when she was in Hyderabad

and did a BEd later through correspondence. She also did her masters in English and finished MPhil

theory but did not complete the dissertation as she

did not feel it was important at that point. She went for an ELP (Education for leadership) course

conducted by the Kuruvilla Jacob Foundation which was really good. She enjoys teaching, motivating

students, working on creative projects,and helping people as much as possible. She likes reading and

music and many of of her joyous moments have

been spent with books in libraries. She has a love for the metaphysical and has done Reiki, pranic

healing and courses offered by Art of Living & Isha Yoga. Through British Council's Global School

Partnership programme she got a chance to visit a

school in UK where she met some lovely people and made many great friends. Working with

Sevalaya has brought in many new opportunities to work in diverse fields and she is enjoying this

learning experience .

She is so humble, that she says she doesn't know

much. That she has not really gone about this profession in a systematic way acquiring the

required degrees but exposure to various experiences in life have been exciting and

educative.

Read full interview at www.theprofessor.in

Any memorable moments as a teacher? Many small incidents - the day I went out of class literally

floating in the air when I could get the desired

breakthrough in the math class. I have forgotten the topic I

taught but the feeling still lingers, a tiny tot in the primary

runs up asking me when I will go to their class again, when

I get a call from an old student(a slow learner) who says he

is today what he is all because of me the day sevalaya got

its first 100% , the tears in my eyes when an old student

recollected the day I had scolded him in class for not

studying but which later turned out to be a turning point in

his life , when I wish each and every student of mine on the

eve of their board exams -we have trodden a rough path

sometimes frustrating ,sometimes good but at the end of it

heart overflows with love wishing that each of them will

get through with good marks which will lay a strong

foundation for them to come up in life.....

Moments of frustration? When students are not able to understand all efforts we

make to improve their academic level and continue to fare

badly in their tests, when some staff do not take steps to

improve their teaching ability in spite of the efforts taken

by their seniors to help them , when time just flies by and

the academic session is drawing to a close without our

having been able to complete all the changes we wanted to

How can we get competent people to choose teaching as

a career? I am not really sure because this is a profession where

passion is required. We should increase the respect for this

profession. It may seem harsh but anyone with poor

academic scores should not be allowed to join BEd courses.

Have good quality professional colleges that admit students

based on tests where the students can be assessed for their

teaching skills

What could be a sustainable model to improve the

teaching skills of existing teachers? Frequent refresher courses to improve their knowledge

levels, good training programmes where new

methodologies can be learnt , selfd evelopment

programmes and retreats ,giving a lot of inputs from real

life of teachers who have made a difference in lives of

their students .

What are your future plans? Not thought about it much. Would like to continue helping

as much as possible especially in this field of education,

coaching teachers/helping them prepare for their classes

etc. Would like to be a part of a community with similar

ideas /beliefs where we could meditate together ,explore

new paths /ways towards a more meaningful life.

Oct-Dec 2013 Page 3 of 4 VOL. # 7 ISSUE #10-12

What are the special challenges you face from

students and teachers in Sevalaya? and how do you overcome them or turn them around?

On the students side it is their lack of awareness about

education and its possiblities. They are just not able to understand why they have to study when almost most of the

basic necessities of life are offered free. Home environment is not conducive to study. In case of girls things are even

worse. They grow up hearing about their marriage to so and

so person and media compounds matters by portraying a rosy picture of love and marriage. Decades of single minded

approach to life have to be broken down to make a headway. As far as the boys are concerned ,one's with fair

amount of intelligence can be easily motivated but others down the line are too lazy to work and prefer to take life

easy. Presenting role models from the people they get to see

often , talking from one's experience , giving them a glimpse of life beyond this village through talks/pictures slowly

makes dents. We ask the alumni to share their experiences and this helps in changing mindsets. Teachers come from

similar background and with many of them, their lack of

deep knowledge in their subjects and not having a real passion for their jobs is the challenge. Further most want to

get into Govt. jobs where they feel they need not work so much . But all are not like this. The ones who are

interested in going further can be easily motivated through constant mentoring. Looking for opportunities to praise goes

a long way in bringing teachers around. Many of them have

talents in one field or another and a public praise at the weekly meetings in Mr Murali's presence boosts their self

confidence and makes them more amenable to work harder. The greatest plus point ,there are some who are self

motivated and are an inspiration to others.

Everyone resists change!

Do you also believe that everyone resists change? If so, please read on.

+ - CHANGE Reward

Risks

NO CHANGE

Comforts

People should have some motivation or benefit to change. If you think of change as climbing a

hill, then there must be a pot of gold on the top, for someone to take the effort! But that’s not

enough! There are many risks like falling and injuring oneself. Why should someone take those

risks? What if they end up with a crutch in their climb for the gold? So when you want to

persuade, you need to enlarge the pot and reduce the crutches!!

Now look at the scenario for no change. Most people are happy with where they are (comfort

zone) or they don’t want to give up some goodies – for example, their beach house and their

mermaid. So how do you motivate such a person to climb the mountain? You may have to point

at the dangers that he is constantly fighting - if he doesn’t move out of his current comfort zone

with his mermaid, he may be fighting hard with some crocodiles lurching in the waters. To

persuade, then you need to minimize the mermaids and enrage the crocodiles. So when we need

to talk about change, all these four aspects of change need to be discussed or considered.

And the most challenging part of the motivation is that fact that everyone’s pot of gold, crutches,

mermaids and crocodiles are different. You need to see them from the other person’s perspective.

Or basically, take off your glasses and see the situation wearing their glasses!!

June 2013 Page 4 of 4 VOL. #7 ISSUE #6