Please welcome Mr. Suleiman in this episode of ‘Pratibimba’ – By Teachers, For Teachers!

Mr. Suleiman has been working as a teacher for the past 17 years at Kundagola of Dharawad district. 

When he joined the school, it had only about 15-20 students form classes 1 to 5. Students had no idea about a school. Though he was a little discouraged initially, he decided to take it as a challenge. He wanted to give a clear idea about what is a school, why should they come to the school and how it would help them in life. The school had little furniture,  no drinking water and no proper approach road!

He decided to take the help of the community in restoring it. He started by visiting each house in the village. Slowly contributions started pouring in and he could use the fund to buy some furniture for the school. There was an initial resistance to his environment protection plans. But he convinced the public and made a garden in the school ground. For 2 years he bought saplings from his own salary and planted them. Majority of the plants were uprooted by the villagers! After his continued efforts, the villagers relented. Now the school has over 350 plants and the school has bagged the ‘Green School’ award at the district level for 3 years now. In 2019, the school got a cash award of Rupees 2.5 lacs, with a recognition as the best school in the State! 

He stresses the importance of determination and courage to build something of value. Today the school has 120 students. Students are joining from the surrounding villages. He acknowledges the contribution by his wife, who is an assistant teacher in the same school, in achieving all this. 

Mr. Suleiman is an epitome of courage and confidence. He stresses the need to recognise the support beyond the resistance. He faced resistance in almost everything that he ventured into, but he overcame it with his determination and with the help of education department officials.

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Please welcome Mr. Raghavan in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – By Teachers, For teachers!

Mr. Raghavan is an M. Phil degree holder in Physical Education and also has done NIS programme in Kabaddi. He has represented the Mysore University Kabaddi team at the National level, five times! He has also represented Karnataka State twice. However, he had to scale down when he joined a school in 1994. But it has opened his eyes to the challenges of sports activities at the school level.

He thinks there is no sports culture in India. But he has been working towards creating one ever since, right from the grassroots level. Earlier he was in a co-ed school and the students or the general public had no idea about hand ball game. He introduced the game to them and built a team that went to the district level. 

Raghavan is currently working in a girls primary school and he sees it as a totally different challenge. He included some thoughts about sports in their prayer session itself! He inspired them with stories of PT Usha, and Sania Mirza. He started inviting local sports persons, got some activities done by them and shared their sports journey with the children. But it is impossible to build a school team with just school time. He had to put in extra time – before school and after school.

Slowly more girls started taking to sports. He had to overcome the challenge of training them on many areas of sports and games such as athletics, Volleyball, Football etc. Also he distinguishes between Physical Education and sports training. But he was bogged down by the demands on a PE teacher. He did not hesitate to take help from his old students. Some of his students have gone to the national level competitions for five successive years! One of his students is in the training camp of Commonwealth Games in weight lifting!

He acknowledges the recognition by the education department in making him a resource person in many seminars. He is fully aware that it is a collective effort and not an individual’s effort alone. What gives him satisfaction is the recognition from his students that Raghavan Sir made a difference!

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Please welcome Smt. Indira in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – By Teachers, For Teachers!

She started her career as a Head Teacher and, after taking many other offices, now works as the Block Educational Officer. 

Smt. Indira is convinced that if you take up teaching just as a profession, nothing much can be achieved. Being positive while contributing to the future of a child is an absolute necessity. Just teaching from 9 to 4 does not help at all. If a child is absent, just marking them absent is a routine job. Finding out the reason for her absence and solving that problem, if any, is responsibility. 

This is where counselling the child comes into play. A child may be late to school for many reasons. Teachers have to identify them and address them. It affects them all alike. A teacher might have scared a student about home work. Or they may not have their Aadhar card. If the school wants it for scholarship, some parents don’t send the child to school itself! Many teachers have helped such parents in getting their Aadhar card or voting card. When that happens, teachers get a lot of respect from the village.

Some teachers judge the child because she is not good at maths or can’t write properly. But such students have a different skill set. It may be music or dance or sports or knowledge about plants. Teachers have to recognise that skill and encourage it. 

Smt. Indira believes in teachers being an example or a model. Instead of repeating many instructions, teachers have to do it in practice because children observe them. When that happens, children reach the school before the teachers do. So walking the talk is very important for a teacher. Children tend to be around those teachers who give love and behave well. All this is not seen on an appointment order. But when a teacher takes all these responsibilities, parents tend to treat them as members of their family. Dropping out of school reduces drastically. Teachers need not run around for admissions. Nor will the parents complain about education. 

Smt. Indira talks about the confidence that the parents should have in teachers. It may be for an event somewhere or a competition. They should send their ward along with the teacher, based on trust. She has observed some parents saying, “Teach my child how to read and write. We have no money for other skills” But this would kill the interest in the child. She knows some parents look only for an employment opportunity for their  ward. Smt. Indira says it is impossible to keep such thinking. School is for knowledge and skill. 

She also talks about the gap between teachers and parents. She feels such a gap might occur because both parties might have lost track of their responsibility. Even if there is 5% rot, the rest can get affected. If both parents and teachers understand this, the child becomes a winner. She has many such success stories. 

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Please welcome Ms. Leelavathi in this episode of ‘Pratibimba’ – by teachers, for teachers.

Ms. Leelavathi has been a teacher for 27 years. She is interested in showcasing the talents of students not just in studies but also in co-curricular activities. With the help of some NGO’s she was sent to Gujarat where she came across the ‘thod, phod, jod’ programme for students. She has implemented the same in her school and that has brought out all the hidden talents among her students.

Ms. Leelavathi has been honoured with the ‘Best Teacher’ award by the Department of Public Education in 2017. She is a trained ‘Manipuri’ dancer and secured the third prize at a National level dance competition. She says her inspiration is the cultural programmes conducted by the State government. A private TV channel recognised her school and herself as a ‘Bharavaseya Belaku’ in 2016.

Her interest in folk literature was kindled when she was in PUC. Coupled with an interest in Kannada folk literature, she had a desire to take the ‘Karaga’ celebration of Bengaluru to the National level. She has performed a ‘One Woman Show’ on many occasions and the role of ‘Kaali’ enchants her the most. 

She has her own YouTube channel to showcase all her works, which are focused on co-curricular activities. She has a video on ‘Bag-less day’ and also one showing a boy making a model of a JCB using the Lego material given by Akshara Foundation.

Ms. Leelavathi has used innovative methods of teaching. She made a mound of earth and lit it with a wick to show how a volcano erupts! She recognises the fact that there are some students from who the teachers will have to learn. She totally believes in learning through joy.

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Please welcome Mr. B. L. Poojari in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – by the teachers, for the teachers!

Mr. Poojari has been working as a teacher for 27 years and is now the Head Master of the school. He likes teaching Science and Maths. He has played a major role in increasing the students' strength significantly in every school he has worked. He goes to their houses in the village and convinces the parents to send their wards to school. In one school, he has grown 500 plants by carrying water from a well himself! 

Since the schools were closed during the pandemic, he has spent his personal money and gotten the walls of 6 class rooms ready, with different relevant graffiti!  The graffiti covers general knowledge information as well. 

According to Mr. Poojari, it is not enough if they just go to the students' houses in an effort to get them admitted. He remembers an incident of being challenged by the villagers to get first class results for all 7th grade students in the public exam. He worked very hard and achieved it, and also got the gold reward! He is convinced that this result is crucial in increasing the school's strength. Another important factor is treating the children with love, rather than with fear. 

During the visit to the houses, he impresses on the parents the hidden talents of their wards and tells them about how to encourage the children. This has also played a major role in increasing the enrolment at schools. 

At the entrance of the school he has written about 20 points on how ‘Health is Wealth’. He has painted/written the number tables on water tanks, so that a child can look at them and allow it all to sink in, while drinking water. Various parts of the class walls don different aspects of language such as vocabulary, grammar etc. Specific places are reserved for teaching maths concepts such as squares and square roots. 

Mr. Poojari acknowledges and remembers the cooperation and support by the education department officers in achieving this much success. He is also grateful to his colleagues who have contributed positively in developing the school.

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Please welcome Mr. Viroopakshayya in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – by the teachers, for the teachers!

Mr. Viroopakshayya has been awarded ‘Nation Builder’ by Rotary Literacy. He has worked as a teacher for 29 years. He likes teaching Mathematics the most! 

Viroopakshayya and his colleagues took a major step towards replacing the old and damaged furniture of their school in 2018-19. They contacted some of their friends who had small businesses in nearby towns. First they got a few tables and chairs worth about Rs. 40,000/-. In the second stage, they mobilized 5 circular tables and 40 chairs for the ‘Nali Kali’ students, which covers children in Grades 1 to 3. 

Another donor gave them a computer worth Rs. 36,000/- and seeded the idea of recording and uploading a video of classes in session, on YouTube. When the students were to be given worksheets, they contacted some old students who donated a printer. 

Finally, for the children to play, they got a slide, a swing, and a merry-go-round, all worth about Rs.50,000/-. All this was done during the Pandemic. The total worth of such goods is about Rs.2,70,000/-. What's more, Rotary Literacy recognised his services and even awarded him. 

Viroopakshayya feels that for such activities, the belief that a sincere effort would not be wasted is vital. Their meeting with some of the alumni was accidental! Once they agreed to donate, the teachers organised a small function and installed the printer on the same day. 

Viroopakshayya has been trained in the use of TLMs provided by Akshara Foundation. He has taught Place Value by drawing the place value mats on the floor, thereby helping more kids get access to group learning, simultaneously. He has been successfully teaching maths from the concrete stage to the abstract, through the representational stage. Two of his students were successful in getting admission at Morarji and Navodaya schools. 

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Please welcome Ms. Kavitha N. in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – by the teachers, for the teachers!

Ms. Kavitha has been working as a teacher in various places for 15 years. 

She feels, Covid-19 has created a situation where students who used to come to the school regularly, seem to now think they have never been to a school before. The Department of Education conducts a survey to identify students who are not admitted to school. This survey used to be done by the teachers. However, this year it was done by the Gram Panchayat. Many students were identified as drop outs. When it becomes difficult to identify students and their houses, Anganavadi teachers’ help is also sought. All these activities are done with the supervision of Regional Educational Officers and co-ordinators. 

With the combined effort of all these people they identified 191 students including a seven-year-old specially abled child. Most of these students were already admitted to schools, but their parents thought the schools are not open because of the pandemic. Kavitha feels there is a great effort by the community as well. That parents have started thinking it is time to send the children to the school itself is a good development. Some parents have helped in getting the correct information about a child’s whereabouts when such information was missing. 

It was a challenge to clearly identify children who came visiting their relatives. But most of the head teachers of schools know the details of families of students. So she used their help and the community's, jointly. At such a time, the help extended by the community in completing this exercise was a boon, and one that was highly appreciated. 

Kavitha thinks the proverb ‘home is the first school for a child’ has been more relevant in the past two years. Some children who could not be taught at home are found to have forgotten most of their learning so far. Kavitha has also made an effort to keep the children in her neighbourhood  engaged in learning necessary skills at their age. She is one of those who is fully conscious of the importance of school in a child’s life.

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Please welcome Sri Kumarappa in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – by the teachers, for the teachers! He will tell us how teaching Maths can be made more effective.

Kumarappa has been teaching at the Government Primary School, Birur. He comes from a rural background and has successfully realised his dream of becoming a teacher in his life. 

Kumarappa firmly believes that to be successful in life, a student has to achieve proficiency in Mathematics. In his school, contrary to most other schools, students find Maths an easy subject! He thinks the only way to achieve it is by making it interesting. He firmly believes that each child has an area of interest, and curiosity in Maths has to be inculcated using the child’s area of interest. He believes in creating situations that get the child’s attention. 

He also points out that Maths should not be taught as just another subject. It has to be related to their life. When asked to give examples, Kumarappa says he uses things available around him as teaching material. To teach ‘place value’ as a concept, he uses a chart first, and then a few small stones or sticks followed by tamarind seeds! He believes in using multiple Teaching Learning Materials and in giving copious number of examples. He involves the students in many activities, that add to his students learning effectively.

Kumamrappa stresses on the need to teach maths as a part of life. He is proud of the fact that most of the students want him to go to their class whenever possible! 

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Please welcome Mr. Giriyappa in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – by the teachers, for the teachers!

Mr. Giriyappa has been serving as a teacher at the Government Primary School, Kakkera zone of Yadgir district for the past 13 years. He started a ‘Children’s Development Fund’ run by students themselves. Let us learn more about it from him.

Mr. Giriyappa observed that most parents give their children one, two or five rupees for buying a pencil or other such stationery. His aim was to prepare the children for competitive exams that get them into schools such as ‘Navodaya’ or ‘Adarsha’. They need to buy expensive books to prepare for the exam, which many parents can ill afford. There is a weekly market on Wednesday, and students normally plead with their elders for some money to buy stuff they like! He taught them to save some money and entrust it with their student friend, to handle their saved money.

This is how he started a fund, so that the children could have a lump sum ready, when they eventually need to buy an expensive book. Not everyone can contribute to the fund, but whatever little is collected, is precious. 

Giriyappa feels the school is the centre of energy for the community. He used some money from government funds and some from the ‘Children’s Development Fund’ to make extra furniture needed for certain activities under the ‘Nali Kali’ scheme. When the child leaves the school for higher classes, he/she gets the money he has put in so far or a book of his/her choice.

He is proud of the local community, which has supported the school in many ways. They contributed money and levelled the school premises. One big support for him is the head master of the school, who involves himself in these activities. 

With his efforts, as many as 14 students have secured admissions in schools such as Navodaya in one year itself! Now the fund has risen to about Rs. 4,000/- ! Some schools in the surrounding areas have emulated his efforts and have started a similar fund for their students as well. 

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Please welcome Smt. Meenakshi, in this episode of ‘Prathibimba’ – a podcast by the teachers, for the teachers! She will tell us about how, through the Kannada lab in her school, she could kindle the interest of students towards learning Kannada.

Meenakshi works at Government Higher Primary School, Halagur, Nanjangud. She has very high regard for Kannada as a language. She believes that when a language is used properly, that in itself qualifies as a realisation of God. To make the children develop an interest towards learning Kannada, she thinks a language laboratory is needed.  

Most of the time when the word ‘laboratory’ is mentioned, we picture a Science lab. But a language lab evokes a different interest. She remembers the cooperation of Sri. C. N. Raju, the Regional Educational Officer. Because of his efforts, there is a Kannada lab in almost every school of the taluk. It includes the skills of teachers in imparting their knowledge. She feels, if the leadership is good, all activities can be pursued pro-actively. 

Meenakshi opines that if we delve into the details of the language laboratory, it gets deeper and deeper. Right from the alphabet and vowels to consonants, complex structures can take a student to a different world of learning. Language laboratory develops all skills of language learning viz. listening, speaking, reading and writing. It also complements learning of other subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Social Science etc. Students get involved in activity and fun based learning. Teachers also express happiness in contributing to the overall development of the students. 

Since the content is based on luminaries in Kannada, it helps children in learning about the arts, culture, religion and values that are encouraged. Folk songs and other lyrical songs help children to learn through dance steps. 

Meenakshi thinks, with the help of the Kannada Laboratory, teachers also can get a sense of achievement. She is thankful to all her colleagues and officers from the education department for making the laboratory possible. 

Hope you enjoyed listening to this recording by Akshara Foundation. If you have an interesting story, please share it with us on 98450 79590.