Teaching is neither glamorous nor lucrative, but for the army of teachers dedicated to shaping the minds of their pupils, it is a rewarding profession. To celebrate Teachers’ Day, on Thursday, hundreds of people from the profession gathered at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan.
As many as 42 teachers were felicitated by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa for going beyond the call of duty and giving a facelift to their schools through crowd-sourcing and tapping into their network of contacts for resources. Many teachers were also awarded for their innovative teaching methods and integrating technology in their classrooms.
Maths from trash
Kavita Diggavi, a mathematics teacher from Government High School, Gangavati taluk, Koppal district, believes that learning goes beyond the blackboard. She gathers piles of waste materials, including wedding invitations and broken window panes, and asks her students to do the same thing. From this trash, she builds models that help her students learn mathematics without any ‘fear’. “Our main job as teachers is to create interest in the minds of children. The rest, they will learn by themselves,” she said.
Social science lab
Danamma Chanabasappa Zalaki, a social science teacher at Government High School, Vantamuri Colony in Belagavi, convinced donors to help her set up a social science lab in the school where she built replicas of several monuments. She has also developed models for various processes, such as soil erosion, drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting. The star attraction is the model on the Dead Sea.
Ms. Zalaki serves as a resource person for several training programmes conducted by the department. Another issue close to her heart is the need to improve education for girls. She has undertaken research and written papers on the challenges of bringing girls into the classroom.
On par with private schools
Many teachers were honoured for transforming the infrastructure of their schools.
Padma D., head of the Government Higher Primary, Aletty, Sulia taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, decided to improve the infrastructure when she took charge three years ago. Since then, every quarter she makes a plan to add new facilities and bring the school on par with ‘big private schools’.
Under her leadership, the school has developed a children’s play area, a smart classroom, and an audio-visual laboratory.
She takes keen interest in the nutrition of the children and has introduced a kitchen garden. “Whatever vegetables are grown by children are used in the midday meals, which are always wholesome and tasty,” she said.
CM’s message to teachers
In his message on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa spoke about the importance of punctuality. “If you do not come on time for classes, you have no moral right to ask students to be on time,” he said. “Teaching is a noble profession. Teachers working in rural areas are not only a role model for students, but also mentors for villagers.”
The Teachers’ Association handed over two cheques for a total amount of ₹50 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for flood-affected people. Mr. Yediyurappa said the money would be used to rebuild schools that were damaged during floods.
