Teacher gives her best and jewels to govt school
Have you ever visited a government panchayat school? If films have given you images of schools with damaged chairs, cracked floors, etc., it is time to change your opinion.
Annapurna Mohan – teacher of class 3 at Panchayat Union Primary School, Kandhadu in Villupuram district – transformed her class into a well-equipped smart classroom by selling her jewels. The updated classroom features smart boards in a well-furnished room, holding stacks of English books
.
For this, she had got the Best Teacher 2017 award from Kanintha Idhayangal – an organisation from Bahrain. Also, she was honoured by Villupuram Rotary Club for her voluntary activities. News Today had an exclusive interview with her.Excerpts:
How have the parents reacted to the changes you have brought in?
The parents are happy and excited. But they don’t know how to express it. Many of them are from economically deprived sections of society and they felt more happy when their son and daughter spoke English fluently.
What about official co-operation?
I conveyed my idea to the higher officials and sought their permission to develop the classroom. As soon as I got the approval, I made my 10 years’ dream come true.
What are the challenges you faced?
There were no problems from the students or my family. I did worry about what others will think, but not after a point of time. I made up my mind to bring about changes in teaching and infrastructure and I did it.
But you sold your jewels for your students. How did your family react?
Actually, there were no objections from my family. My father, a doctor, has been treating patients for free and even now charges only Rs 2 as consultation charges. And that happened after he married my mother. So, probably the service mentality came from my father. Once I decided to sell my jewels to develop the school, I told my family about it. They agreed and encouraged me.
How was day 1 in school?
On the first day, they asked me to teach class 1 and I could not bear the environment and began to cry. I even thought of resigning and doing BCA and MBA. But, in the meantime, I analysed their problems and issues. I changed my mind and decided to stay. One of my colleagues, Brindha, said, “If you don’t like the environment, change it”. That was a trigger. I began to execute the changes. And now, after 13 years, I feel very happy to be a teacher.
How did you enter the profession?
Initially, I wished to become a doctor. But I lost the government quota seat by ‘point’ 5 per cent. As my father refused to entertain the idea of a management seat, and others suggested that I take up teaching, I took up this profession. I find satisfaction in the thought that though I could not become a doctor, I can help my students become doctors
.
Why did you insist on coaching students in English?
After studying in English medium from a government school, if a student struggles in English, then the problem is with the teaching method. So, teachers have to adopt new techniques. You may have seen my students’ video on Facebook – how fluently they speak English. It’s the result of my teaching method.
How did the change help?
It yielded better results. There was no hurdle in teaching phonetics to my students. My only request to teachers is to teach subjects in an interesting manner. Instead of ordering the students to just memorise, make them understand the subject. If this method is accepted by other teachers of Tamilnadu, then our government schools will be equal to international schools.
How different are your teaching methods?
I teach subjects through phonetics. Phonetics is used by the British to teach their children. Through phonetics, I make them understand the language. Three years back, the government gave this training to teachers to enhance the students’ understanding skills. Many teachers and schools don’t follow this method and merely make the students memorise the subject.
What about recognition?
When I posted my students’ video on Facebook, Pazhani Kumar, a teacher from Tirunelveli, congratulated the students by sending a money order for Rs 10 per student who acted in the English drama. This appreciation encouraged them a lot. Another person from Singapore gifted badminton rackets to the students and congratulated them for being well-versed in English. This also encouraged me to do something for my students. So, I improved the classroom’s infrastructure with smart boards and necessary equipment.
