Teacher Talk Festival Issue 2021

Editorial Committee

Wendy Leyland Head- Programmes & Logistics, Teachers' Centre Sonali Lahiri Secretary, Teachers' Centre Kaveri Dutt Teacher Talk

From the Editors’ Desk Dear All, Warm greetings of the season! Teachers’ Centre recently celebrated the culmination of its 50th Anniversary and in keeping with recent teachinglearning methods enforced by the Covid 19 pandemic, it was a ‘blended’ celebration that took place onsite, in South City International School, and could also be viewed virtually. In the past 50 years Teachers’ Centre has grown, evolved and adapted to cater to the pedagogical needs of the changing times. There are many illustrious educators who have contributed to the progress of Teachers’ Centre and paved the way for future teachers and learners. It was therefore felt that the time was right to felicitate some senior members of the community who have been closely associated with Teachers’ Centre, and acknowledge their outstanding service and dedication in various fields of school education. Their pioneering work has inspired generations of teachers and we are greatly indebted to them for empowering us with progressive ideas that continue to make learning fun, inclusive and pleasurable. As teacher educators par excellence, they have touched and transformed many young lives and we provide you with a glimpse of their meritorious work as we celebrate the Festival of Learning. This is a celebration of life- long learning and joyfully acknowledges the many innovative teaching learning strategies that were popularized through the workshops, panel discussions, seminars and activities organized by Teachers’ Centre since its inception. These reinforced the importance of learning as a dynamic tool which enabled pupils to grow, change, integrate and adapt; in keeping with the complexities of the present times, it also helps them to distinguish between truth and post- truth, authentic and fake and discern what is enough for a sustainable future. That learning occurs as an organic whole and does not exist in discrete compartments was an idea first introduced in the EVS curriculum drawn up by Teachers’ Centre. The Centre emphasized that the pupil learnt best by engaging actively with the topic as exemplified in the Project Method. Empowered by these revolutionary concepts in school education that encouraged innovation, experimentation, learning by doing, problem solving, creativity, communication, team building etc., schools took part in exhibitions that demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in an era when rote learning was the norm as was an exclusivist classroom culture instead of an inclusive one. Consequently, a child- centred, transformative education became the primary focus of all pedagogical practices in many schools in Kolkata and other parts of the country too. This progressive approach enabled institutions to unshackle the minds and spirits of its learners (which included all stake- holders of the school), and made learning a journey dotted with many ‘Aha’ moments! Thus, classrooms were converted into informal, friendly spaces where learning became a community activity that was celebrated by both teacher and student in a spirit of mutual freedom and joy. It brought enlightenment to many dark spaces in the minds, and lives, of the students as the articles by and for the teachers in the following pages, will illustrate. We are grateful to the teachers for their overwhelming response to our invitation to contribute to this edition of Teacher Talk and sincerely apologise for our inability to include all the articles that we have received. As you help to light the lamp of learning in many homes during this festive season, we pray, that in the words of the Buddha, you will also be a light unto yourselves-“Appo Deepo Bhava”. Wishing you good health and new learning in the days ahead! With warm regards, Kaveri- on behalf of Team Teacher Talk

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TEACHERS’ CENTRE PRESENTED BY PROF. RUDRANGSHU MUKHERJEE

I am very deeply honoured to be given the opportunity to speak at the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Teachers’ Centre. I suppose the only reason why I have earned this privilege and honour is that I have been a teacher for a considerable part of my life. This provides me with an opportunity to present before you some reflections about the profession we are all engaged in, which in my opinion is one of the most critical professions that exists anywhere in the world. But in India it is one of the most underestimated and underprivileged professions. I don’t know what we can do about this, but that is the sad state of affairs we teachers find ourselves in. As a student of history, I have come to this very firm opinion that the most outstanding teacher that the city of Kolkata has ever had was a very young man called Henry Vivian Derozio,who was a kind of a child prodigy. He taught for a few years in what was then called Hindu College. He died in 1832 at the age of 22. But he left a profound impact on his students and his methods of teaching that we have got to know from the recollections of his students,are an example for all of us who are engaged in the teaching of students at any level from primary school to postgraduation. Derozio, apart from being a teacher, was a budding poet. I am not even suggesting that he was a very good or great poet but he wrote poetry. He saw himself as a poet as well as a teacher. In a poem that was addressed to his students, he wrote the following lines. I would like to begin with those 4 lines. Derozio spoke to his students as a very young teacher and most of his students were just a few years younger than him “Expanding like the petals of young flowers I watch the opening of your infant minds. And the sweet loosening of the spell that binds, Your intellectual energies and powers”. Derozio was emphasizing the idea of opening the mind, as the petals open in a flower;he was also talking about unshackling the mind and its energy. Energy is that intellectual energy that is inherent in the young mind and also in the young body. I think these lines are what we have to teach. This is the primary task that we bring upon ourselves when we decide to be a teacher that we will devote our energy to open up the minds of young students. I want to emphasize this aspect of opening up because all too often under the pressures of present society, the pressure of career building that has received such great emphasis and priority in society, we as teachers often

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forget this idea of opening up the mind of young students. Instead, our energies are diverted to how well a student can perform in an examination, be it from class to class or more importantly, in the board examination and university examinations. So, most of our time as teachers is spent training students to do well in examinations. Doing well in an examination as all teachers know pretty well, is not the same as learning a subject, more importantly loving a subject and opening up the mind to all sorts of knowledge, all sorts of ways of thinking and perceiving the world, reading etc. etc. I think that the time has come and the Teachers’ Centre is ideally placed to resurrect, retrieve and reemphasize this idea that teachers should be dedicated to opening up the minds of students. If we open up the minds of the students, and students take that seriously, I actually believe that success in examinations, success in careers will inevitably and invariably happen. We will not have to devote some special attention through private tuition, this that and the other, to enable students to do well in examinations. We just have to redirect them and reorient our ideas. When I think of the profession of teachers, I am reminded of a venerable form master in a famous English public school, who when he met his Sixth form class in school for the first time, would ask them, “So chaps, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to cramyou for a First or do you want me to open up your minds?” Thus, these are two different approaches to teaching – opening up the minds and cramming somebody’s mind. The pendulum has swung too much to the direction of cramming the minds of students - all around us we see that this is the priority. Somebody does well in an examination, his picture comes out, how many marks has he obtained, which school has done it and so on. That is the attention. There is no investigation about how well educated he or sheis. What did he learn in school, what did he learn in college? I use the word education. The word education is derived from the Latin word educare, which means actually “To go forth”- to go forward outside your cosy, comfort zone. Education is an intellectual function. We stop our students by cramming them. We stop our students from adventures. So, I am in no position to prescribe anything, but I hope all of you teachers, those who are associated with the Teachers’ Centre, will devote some attention to how this unveiling of or opening up the petals of the young minds can be made possible. How this can be retrieved and may be then we can take forward the legacy of Henry Derozio who has become such a forgotten figure or a figure to whom we just pay lip service on his birthday or death anniversary. So that is what I would urge you to do. More than urge I would appeal to you to devote your energy and attention to this act of retrieval. I would like to end by saying, not just saying but citing from professor Amartya Sen’s memoirs which has recently been published-“Home in the World”; professor Sen writes here is that he became a good student only when people around him stopped being concerned about his performance. When that burden was removed, he blossomed into a good student and as you know, he was and is an outstanding student. I say is an outstanding student very deliberately because the hallmark of Amartya Sen’s life is that he has never stopped learning.This is the other aspect that the Teachers’ Centre must imbibe in students - that learning is a work in progress. Learning never stops. The goal of learning cannot be, the goal of a student cannot be, merely doing well in an examination, having a very lucrative and successful job. Learning is for life. We must look at the world as a university where we continue to learn. I will stop here. I have already said too much, but I am sure that the members of the Teachers’ Centre will appreciate what I am trying to saybecause you are far more immersed than I am in the lives and in the learning of students. Thank you.

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TEACHERS’ CENTRE - THE WAY FORWARD PRESENTED BY MR. JOHN BAGUL

I am deeply humbled by this act that I have to speak about the Way Forward for an organization that has completed 50 years under the leadership of Mrs. Uma Ahmad and Mrs. Katie Dalal. It is a surreal experience to sit in the presence of our founder members. Mrs. Dalal of course, is observing us online, and that itself tells you the vision of The Teachers’ Centre… As educators, our President Mr. Ian Myers has rightly pointed out that we are the frontline Covid warriors. Teachers across the world have gone out of their way to facilitate the process of learning and we all know that hybrid learning is here to stay and to commemorate this event of the closure of the 50th year of the Teachers’ Centre, we are having a hybrid event. It shows you that the members of the Teachers’ Centre, the founders of the Teachers’ Centre, have a vision and at this point I must mention that the vision that The Teachers’ Centre has, which was formulated 50 years ago is nothing new, but the National Education Policy 2020 which we are all going to implement across the nation and to visualize two actual visionaries who put forth over a course of time, the aims and objectives and I may read out some of them for you, is to utilize the skills and experience of available teachers and experts in the educational field. This is to bring about qualitative improvement in education, in general and in the English medium in particular. This is being done and would be continuing. Teachers’ Centre was initially set up for English medium schools in Kolkata and other places in West Bengal, where, as Mrs. Uma Ahmad rightly said in her acceptance speech, teachers could meet, consult, confer, discuss and compare educational problems. They could meet socially or informally for instruction, discussion or relaxation and recreation. This is so important and relevant even today especially when we are facing a number of issues and would need to stay united as a team. We all share a common platform. Why are we here? We are here for the students, of the students, by the students. We have had our awardees speak about challenges with special kids. We have had so many hurdles that our awardees have faced and we were just reminded of our personal hurdles when we have entered into this field of education. We have also had a concern shared by a fellow governing body member as to why excellent teachers are not attracted to this profession. Why are we not getting excellent people interested in teaching as a vocation rather than those who want to make it a profession? The Teachers’ Centre had envisaged with great foresight, the creating of a Resource Centre for teachers and improving the quality of school education, through workshops and refresher courses in the medium of English or any other language, and that is what we find in the National Education Policy 2020 as well. The National Education Policy, which is in force now, has all the points which are there in the aims and objectives of The Progressive Educational Techniques Society. The name itself – The Progressive Educational Techniques –now encompasses a pedagogy that is hinging on Technology. We are all using so many variants-so many techniques that are dependent on technology. Thus, I am of the firm opinion that the way forward for us is to remember the values that The Teachers’ Centre upholds. We are a platform where we have no demarcation between a West Bengal board school, an International school board or a CBSE or a CISCE school. The only common mantle that we at The Teachers’ Centre have is that we are

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there for children. We at The Teachers’ Centre want to keep the spirit alive as its torch bearers. We are the torch bearers for Mrs. Uma Ahmad, for Mrs. Katie Dalal. We are there to see that this vision, this goal is maintained for the next fifty years. I am sure we would not be as blessed as you, Mrs. Ahmad to be present here physically then. The Teachers’ Centre is looking to enhance the leadership programme for teachers, empowering teachers. When Mrs. Uma Ahmed shared with me her vision, she had said that we are determined to provide teachers with help and relief in trying to overcome the millions of problems that beset our educational system. With God’s blessing, and with the support and cooperation of all members of the teaching fraternity, we feel that we should continue to be there for teachers. Fortunately, the pandemic has brought in a plus point where children have adapted and learnt a lot of new skills. Filling in forms and cheques or rather also learning how to do it online, writing simple formats, electrical and plumbing know how. In a single sentence I must say all the members of the Teachers’ Centre are here to support the teachers, to empower the teachers. To see that we get more teachers in our fold, to encourage the youth of today to understand that teaching is certainly a vocation and not a profession. That is something we at The Teachers’ Centre would like to strive for in empowering the youth to understand how they can spread the message, the good word of educating people. We just heard in our Chief Guest’s keynote address, Professor Rudrangshu Mukherjee say, “Education is to move forward”. That’s what we are here for. Not to go forward as an individual, to go forward as a team, and take others along with us. Whether you are in a rural area, a remote area, what we have understood from the pandemic is online is the way to go for teachers in the rural areas. In suburban areas teachers who cannot come physically, that is the best part. We have had a good presence here for this hybrid ceremony just because we want the eye contact. We may not hold hands, we may not touch, we may not do those fancy jerks, but we have the feeling in our hearts – I can see you. I can sense you and this is the best example that we can give every educator and facilitator that the Teachers’ Centre is not lagging behind. The Teachers’ Centre is adapting and evolving and let me tell you that there is no fixed vision – it is merely to share love. Train the educators and facilitators to share the love in their hearts and adapt to the changing situation. We have no fixed formula for that. There cannot be a blue print that this is what we are going to do in the next 5 years and 10 years. That is not how real education works in a true sense. It’s all about moving forward, adapting and being flexible. Moving forward with one another and remembering at every stage – I am here for the child in front of me. The child creates the teacher. I am not born just as an individual. We are teachers because we have children in front of us, not just eager to learn, but also eager to teach us. If we remember in our hearts that we are also learning constantly, we have learnt a lot in this past one and a half year from our children, plenty of things and not just about technology. That is the thought we have to bear in mind. I am here because of the child in front of me-as Henry Adams has put it so well- A teacher does not know where his or her influence ends, a teacher effects eternity. So with that I must thank you all once again for being present here with us and when I spoke, I spoke on behalf of the Teachers’ Centre, these are not just my personal views, but whatever I could imbibe in my short association with wonderful facilitators, educators who have humbled me with all they have done in the past. Thank you, Ma’am Uma and Katie, for showing us the way and I am sure we will have you as a guiding star leading us on the path of a holistic education that builds mind, heart, spirit, body and character in the most pleasurable way! That, in effect, forms the sum and substance of the oft- touted 21st Century skills that will make the pupils future- ready even if its contours are blurred and constantly shifting.

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TEACHERS’ CENTRE GOLDEN JUBILEE FELICITATIONS TO SENIOR EDUCATORS FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE & DEDICATION

Katie Dalal’s Contribution Felicitated By Neela Ghose

To capture more than fifty years of contribution, creativity and dedication in a couple of slides is extremely difficult. Everything you see in front of you – the logo, the backdrop, the brochures, the invites, the Teachers’ Centre publications and more, have all been designed, illustrated and hand written by Mrs. Katie Dalal. There have been many events and workshops organised by the Teachers’ Centre and in each of them, Katie has been personally involved. Focus The Child, Lively Learning, Christmas Bazaars and Coffee Mornings would never be complete without hundreds of children waving rag dolls or mobiles, bearing the trademark ‘angelic Katie’ faces. We have YouTube today, where we lean back and watch. But with Katie, you lent forward, while she taught you to turn a tube into a skittle, a sweet basket, a pencil holder or a handsome snowman. Learning with Katie is didactic pedagogy at the its best. No festival would be more joyous, nor a season dare change, without them being represented on the Teachers’ Centre bulletin board. Many selfies and groupfies were taken by the students, of all her displays, while they learnt how to design a bulletin board as an effective teaching learning aid. She has these large, smart, black bulging magic bags, where she carried her samples of teaching aids, which she would spread out for her students to learn from. While putting them away, she would find

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the bulge gone, but you know what? She would make them again, this time, bigger and better. We believe, ‘once a teacher, always a teacher’, but Katie has raised the bar to another level – ‘once a teacher, always a teacher and a learner too.’ A couple of years ago, Katie chose to learn the art of decoupage and other techniques from a very senior doctor friend of hers. Her enthusiasm was so infectious that she managed to rope in Sonali and myself. Now, this is where ‘Peer-Peer Learning’ is so important. In class, I had Katie to the right of me and Sonali to the left of me, while I – sat – distracted – and – then – mesmerised, as I watched beautiful designs emerge so easily from Katie. I got into a heck of a lot of trouble with my teacher, as I wasn’t minding my own business! My work of art stands in the far corner of my cupboard titled ‘Distraction’. But, what did Katie do? She turned her learning into beautiful handmade gifts for everyone and then, into a mind-boggling, fund-raising activity for which the Centre will be ever grateful. Teachers’ Centre and Coffee go hand in hand. Katie always produced tins of Danish butter cookies, boxes of shortbread from the highlands, chocolates and more. When we asked her to join us for a cup of coffee, she’d say with a blush on her cheeks, a twinkle in her eye and a smile quietly spreading across her face, ‘No thank you, my dear, he’s waiting for me at Barista’s, I’d better not be late’! Katie is not just one of the pillars of the Teachers’ Centre, she is also a gifted, gracious, generous benefactor, who has taught us that life is not about what you have, but how you use what you have to make a difference in someone else’s. Ladies and gentlemen, I present, Founder Member, Mrs. Katie Dalal.

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SISTER CYRIL MOONEY IBVM There once was a sister named Cyril, Who could climb up a tree like a squirrel, When she fell with a yelp, All the nuns came to help, And carried her off with a twirl.

Teachers’ Centre is honoured to felicitate Sister Cyril Mooney IBVM. Sister Cyril’s work needs no introduction; she is renowned, both nationally and internationally, as an educationist, scientist, author, fearless innovator, spiritual guide, social worker and activist. She has severally been described by her friends and peers as ‘a phenomenon’, ‘a force’ and ‘a laughing Buddha’ whose infectious laughter brought enlightenment and emancipation to those around! She however, chooses to call herself a ‘practical radical’. Until a few years ago Sr. Cyril was a familiar figure on the streets of Kolkata, riding fast and furious, sans helmet, on her 2- wheeler, as she resolutely went about on her mission of mercy. There is another lesser-known facet of her personality that also needs to be highlighted. Along with being a social reformer, she is also a prolific writer of ditties and ‘lyrical limericks’, a few of which feature in the slides. These were largely composed after she fell ill from the confines of her bed. Her accommodating nature embraces both the grave and the light- hearted in equal measure and it is this which makes Sister Cyril a rare human being of indomitable spirit, one who is fully alive. Sr. Cyril arrived in India in 1956 and in her 65 years in this country, she never for a moment considered returning permanently to her native Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day festivities though bring a sparkle to her eye and a spring in her step! She has worked in many Loreto schools both as faculty and administrator, and was awarded a Doctorate in Zoology from Lucknow University. Past pupils of Loreto Convent, Lucknow remember her burning the midnight oil month after month, deeply absorbed in her research of the common, house gecko. This sense of passionate involvement informs her pioneering work that centred on the holistic development of the girl- child, especially those from underprivileged sections of society, without compromising on standards of excellence.

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It was during her long tenure of thirty- three years as Principal of Loreto Day School, Sealdah that Sister Cyril found her true vocation as a radical thinker and a fearless agent of change, who transformed traditional pedagogical practices and brought empowerment to thousands of children living on the fringes of society. This Loreto nun firmly believed that her mission lay in bringing the last and least of God’s children into the mainstream of life by revamping the existing education system. Her love for God’s Kingdom, her courage and scientific temper, enabled her to develop a dynamic framework of learning which subsequently was adopted as part of the education policy by government organisations too. The Rainbow Project which was first introduced in most Loreto Schools in Kolkata, and later in other private schools, Government institutions and NGOs, is foremost among her many noteworthy social initiatives. Street children needed to be given a home where they could receive care- not just food, shelter and clothing- but the protection and sense of security that a girl child so sorely needs in order to benefit from education. Today the Rainbow schools are a nationwide movement. Sr. Cyril also helped facilitate effective measures to alleviate poverty, promote equity and enable the most marginalized to live with dignity. She introduced the Micro Credit Scheme for the poor and homeless and popularized the Barefoot Teachers’ Training which she, with her dedicated team of past pupils and Loreto Sisters, took to rural areas in the hills where development was slow to reach, and even to Mauritius. She started informal schools for the children of Brickfield workers. The efforts of Sr. Cyril and her team to eradicate Hidden Domestic Child Labour, enhanced the scope of Shikshalaya Prakalpa. She brought schooling to the children of sex workers in Sonagachi, who would be brought by bus to Loreto Sealdah for informal learning. Her outstanding work in transforming lives through a unique vision of education won her universal acclaim. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 and the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2011. She received Honorary Doctorates in Education from Trinity College, Dublin and Manitoba University, Canada; she also received the Global Visionary Award from Monmouth University, USA. Sr. Cyril emphatically stated that the school should be “a centre for community development by opening its heart and its resources to those who are in need, sharing its facilities, expertise and contacts in an active awareness of educational deprivation in the local community and through a creative response to it.” This radical reformer and visionary who is at heart a joyful, loving, compassionate nun with an irrepressible sense of fun, firmly believes that, “Life is energy. Life is joy. Life is happiness. Life is living. Life is movement.” As alluded to in the reference to the laughing Buddha earlier, it has been her life’s mission to bring upliftment to the poor and the downtrodden and include all sections of society in the cosmic dance of liberation!

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Jonathan Anthony Mason Felicitated By Mrs. Devi Kar

John Mason is a legendary schoolmaster who is loved and admired as teacher and Head by generations of students in India and different parts of the world. He served in la Martiniere for Boys, Calcutta, as House Master and as Headmaster in St. James’ School, Calcutta, Modern High School, Dubai and The Doon School, Dehradun. He began his teaching career in la Martiniere for Boys, Calcutta, of which he is an alumnus. In fact, he was the Founder’s Good Conduct medal awardee of his year. It is interesting to note that he completed both the TTC and the B.Ed. courses in preparation for his teaching career. He was reputed to be a gifted all-rounder who coached debaters and elocutionists, wrote and directed plays, anchored various events and was generally at the hub of all school activities. Everyone – young and old – seemed to look up to him and though he was strict about ethical principles and proper conduct, he was vastly popular among both boys and teachers. He always had an affinity with, and for, the teaching community. He never missed an opportunity to conduct workshops for the Teachers’ Centre of which he is a patron. Mr. John Mason has many publications to his credit. His Grammar textbooks and English Language workbooks have been much in demand and it would be no exaggeration to say that he had earned a place in the classroom alongside J. C. Nesfield and Wren and Martin. Mr. John Mason’s twinkling blue eyes, mellifluous voice and delightful sense of humour made him widely loved as a person while his formidable reputation as a schoolmaster and Head has made him a living legend.

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Mrs Uma Ahmad Felicitated By Mr. Ian Myers

It is indeed a great pleasure and quite a task actually to do justice to someone like Ma’am Uma Ahmad. I was given a time frame and I am afraid if I stick to the time frame, I am only going to touch the tip of the ice berg. Let’s see what I can do. Mrs. Ahmad has been a teacher, first and last. At the primary school, middle school at Loreto house and then in charge of the primary section for about four years, and then in the TTC where she trained teachers to be teachers. She is a founder member of the PETS- our very own Teachers Centre, Loreto House established in 1974.Through the centre she published 3 innovative methods of teaching, has had numerous workshops on environmental studies, the project method- which was actually first introduced at the Teachers’ Centre years ago. Two books from her on Mathematics and four on Art and Craft. have been published by Orient Longman. She has served as the Chairperson of the IICP. She was the first honourable lady member of the founding committee of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. In addition to this, she has served as a member of the Governing Body of the Basti Welfare centre, West Bengal All Women’s Union, West Bengal Crafts Council, Calcutta Rescue, Calcutta Foundation, the Aural school for Deaf children, Socially Delayed Research and Training Centre etc. The list goes on... Her work and contribution have been recognised many, many times. She has received the Rotary International Districts’ Award, the Ficci Ladies Organisation Kolkata Chapter award, was felicitated by Udayer Pathey, an NGO run by Dr. Devi Shetty, received the Lakshmi Chatterjee Memorial Award from Loreto College etc. Mrs. Ahmad has dedicated herself to bringing innovative, activity-based teaching to primary schools through her workshops and courses. She is committed to helping and improving educational standards and methods in schools for disadvantaged children and inclusive education for all, including children with disabilities. She gives unstintingly of her time, experience and expertise despite her advanced age. Ladies and gentlemen, I now felicitate Mrs. Uma Ahmad.

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Dr. Sudha Kaul Felicitated By Mrs. Suvina Shunglu

It is my privilege to honour Dr. Sudha Kaul the founder, trustee and Vice Chairperson of the IICP. Kolkata, for her service to God’s most beautiful children and humanity. A life filled with love and care. In 1974 when there were no schools for children with cerebral palsy, and especially in Eastern India, Dr. Kaul set up the first school then known as the West Bengal Spastic Society. She had the staunch support of her husband, Om, since both had an intrinsic belief that all children have the ability to learn, including their own son, Arjun, who was diagnosed with CP with multiple disabilities. The Spastic Society was founded in April 1974 to provide services for children with cerebral palsy and has grown from a small school to a major catalyst - having initiated services for cerebral palsy in twenty centres across India. And in each of the districts in West Bengal. In 2004 the IICP won the National Award from the Government of India for the best disability NGO. Dr. Kaul has a Ph.D. in augmentative and alternative communication from Manchester Metropolitan University U.K. She has authored several books on AAC and presented papers on it in national and international conferences. A recipient of several national and international awards herself, in April 2010 Dr. Kaul received the Padmashri Award from the president of India. She retired as the Executive Director of IICP in 2010. However she continues to mentor the work at IICP and of Roshni, IICP’s assistive technology unit. She was appointed in 2010 as Chairperson by the Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to formulate a new Disability Rights Bill. The draft bill was submitted in 2011 to the Government of India and passed as the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. I am privileged to felicitate Dr. Kaul on behalf of the Teachers’ Centre and the education community for her dedication and service to the cause.

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I have a short personal recollection that I shared with her this afternoon and I would like to share with you. I always worry that we have had such legends and such great teachers in the past. However, we do not draw the best minds into teaching any more. The same thing happened with me. I taught for a few years, I never found it exciting enough and I left to work with the corporate field for about six years. It was only a chance meeting with somebody who knows both of us and she said that Sudha Dida, as I call her, is doing research and needed a field assistant. I started going to school again in my free time and I started doing vocabulary research on children’s’ vocabulary development. That brought back the desire to teach in me. So, way back in 1998, I restarted my teaching career, thanks to Dr. Kaul. This was the turning point, which rekindled my interest in teaching. Of course, after that I landed at the doorstep of another stalwart who is being felicitated today - Neena Singh,from whom I learnt my craft and developed a new found interest in teaching. I know I am blessed to have learnt with the best. Thank you Dr. Kaul for inspiring so many young teachers as they embark on their journey.

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Ms Neena Singh Felicitated By Mrs. Amita Prasad

Ms Neena Singh began her teaching career at Modern High School for Girls, where she was a much loved and highly respected teacher for about 25 years. She taught Home Science and her students learnt much more than just the subject. Even students like me, who didn’t study Home Science, practically worshipped her, and adored her for her cheerful and pleasant demeanour – her willingness to give us a patient hearing and practical advice whenever anyone needed it and for being fair and impartial in her dealings. It would not be a cliché to say that she was a pillar of the institution. After Ms Singh left MHS, she started Ed Plus based on the belief that children who were struggling with their academic work should find some joy in learning. At a time in the early 1990s when these things were not as well – known as they are today, children were introduced to peer learning and offered a host of enjoyable co-curricular activities, so that they could discover their strengths and latent talent in a happy, learning environment. Divyayan was her first endeavour when she focussed on the needs of the youngest learners. Here too Ms. Singh focussed on trying to help the little ones find the joy of learning and introduced her unique and caring ways into the classroom environment and organizing field trips even for the youngest children. Ms Singh has had an abiding commitment to community service. Disha was founded with the idea that children from underprivileged backgrounds need not only literacy but also education. Hence, at Disha they have group study as well as opportunities to pursue co curricular activities. It is extremely heartening to note that Disha has grown from a humble beginning with 6 children to about 400 beneficiaries at present. It also has a successful career guidance unit and a women’s empowerment section where the women from the neighbourhood are guided to become self-reliant by making and selling useful things through up cycling waste and scrap material.

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As a committee member of what used to be called the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (now the IAYP), Ms Singh was instrumental in a lot of pioneering work in the city. She became the Chairperson of the East Zone and in that capacity, she introduced the concept of holistic education through healthy recreation, encouraging children to learn a new skill in a non-competitive environment and fostering a spirit of service among young people. Inclusive camps where children from elite schools and underprivileged backgrounds could learn from each other became a hallmark of the DEAS activities under her leadership. In 1998, Ms Singh, along with other like minded, enlightened individuals, started Akshar – a pioneering institution - offering inclusion in the true sense of the term - where children with special needs can learn alongside mainstream children. The school has carved a niche for itself in this short time and has an extremely creditable track record in terms of Board results, co- curricular achievements and awards and accolades. Today, the Teachers’ Centre is proud to felicitate Ms Neena Singh for her immense contribution to school education in Kolkata – a contribution which cannot be summed up in a few words and which in many ways is beyond measure. For, Neenadi has helped to nurture generations who are now contributing to society in their own ways, who are carrying forward the meaningful lessons they have learnt from her and are still continuing to draw inspiration from her.

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Dr. Reena Sen Felicitated By Vinu Gogia

Former Executive Director, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) Currently Hon. Secretary, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) & Consultant, Modern High School for Girls A teacher and teacher trainer by profession, Reena Sen has worked since 1974 with children, particularly children and adults with cerebral palsy and neuro-motor disabilities. Dr. Sen is a founder member of IICP and a member of the Governing Body. After her retirement from the post of Executive Director, IICP in 2018, Dr. Sen undertook to teach Psychology in Class XI and XII, Modern High School (MHS) for Girls, Kolkata. In 2020, she facilitated the MHS Peer Support Group, a first in the school. She is also the Training and Research Advisor, the Course Director and the Hony. Secretary of IICP. After completing her school education in Loreto House, Calcutta, she studied in Miranda House, Delhi University. She has an Honours Degree in History. Professional qualifications comprise a B.Ed Degree from Loreto College, Calcutta University, and a Ph.D and Master’s Degree from the Dept. of Psychology and Special Needs, University of London, Institute of Education (ULIE) – now a part of University College, London (UCL). Dr Sen founded Raksha, Society for Children with Multiple Impairments in Kochi, Kerala. In 2006, Dr Sen was awarded the ABLENET-ISAAC Literacy Award for her work with individuals who have severe speech and physical impairments and use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). In 2012 she received the Frank Brothers Honour for an Educationist in The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence. She has published papers and was a member of a number of State and Central academic and training agencies. Dr Sen was a faculty member of Modern Academy of Continuing Education (MACE) from its inception till 2020. Her work has taught her about the many challenges faced by persons with lifelong disability and the dual challenges faced by girls and women with disability. She has developed a strong empathy with mothers of children with disability and their struggle – along with their children - against exclusion, discrimination, prejudice and segregation. Thus her work comprises an earnest effort to promote inclusive policies and practices in schools, colleges and other educational institutions. She is particularly interested in literacy learning and reading difficulties, drama, music and movement, and has scripted and directed several plays and pageants for children with physical and speech disabilities.

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FESTIVAL OF LEARNING A Few Lessons Learnt A couple of years back, a certain activity class with Class KG was incorporated into my timetable. The little ones were a delightful bunch. They had a lot to talk about and were very clear about what they considered to be right or wrong. Something not quite in keeping with their sensibilities was certainly frowned upon by them. Often I had to play referee to warring teams who had their own points of view regarding any given situation. The Class Teacher, a lovely person, was always more than willing to give me tips on how to deal with them, especially when a burst of adrenalin caused them to plunge into an excited frenzy. Often, I would take them out to play in the school compound. This would invariably turn out to be one of the best times in a day that was packed with classes, corrections, meetings and activities. The little darlings would run around, squealing to their hearts' content. There would be squabbles of course, which would be resolved in no time. And of course, there would those little tumbles that some child or the other would have, resulting in tears. What would follow was sheer magic. The poor injured victim’s friends would immediately surround her and comfort her. In the meantime, one Good Samaritan would have summoned the teacher and ensured that the child was attended to. Minutes later, the victim and her friends would be up and about, on yet another chasing spree. It was sometime in October. After having spent some time playing outside, I brought the children back to class. All were soon seated and ready to have their tiffin. One particular child was looking very sad. When I asked her what was wrong, she replied that no one liked her. This came as quite a surprise to me as I had seen often seen her in a group, playing, chatting and laughing with the others. So I asked the others whether this was true. “No Miss,” came the chorus response. That was really heartening. I then asked the others to tell the class what they liked about her. A whole lot of enthusiastic responses came. The little one gave a slight smile and that was just about it. Perplexed, I asked her why she was still looking sad. Then a voice piped up. “Miss, her friend is not talking to her and so she is sad.” I turned to the friend and asked her what had happened. The friend gave an awkward smile and shrugged. “Nothing, Miss. I just wanted to play with the others.”

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She then did something that was very touching. She went up to her sad friend and put her arms around her. They were friends again. I learnt something that day. Children know how to take care of each other, and support and help one another. If a child is hurt or injured, they will ensure that she is taken care of. If a child is being targeted by a bully, they will make it a point to have it reported to the teacher. They have a strong sense of justice and are never afraid to voice their disapproval. Things change with time. Children, as they move into the senior classes, are hesitant to speak out against a wrong they see, happening in class.However, what does not change is the way they take care of each other. This is something I have observed in my twenty odd years of teaching. Children are not dolls who are fed with information, knowledge and values. They are individuals with minds, hearts and a strong value system. What we as teachers need to do is facilitate the blossoming of those qualities. We teachers are not meant to merely teach – rather, we are meant to be facilitators in the classroom. The one thing I have learnt is that every child has a spark that needs to find a spot where it can burn and shine. Having had an opportunity to reconnect with a lot of my ex-students through Facebook, I have discovered, to my delight, that the quietest children or the ones who barely managed to scrape through their exams are the ones who run businesses or are holding important positions in companies or are pursuing higher studies, some in foreign universities. Today, I have learnt that my job is not just to teach. I have learnt that my role is to help my students to grow into what they are meant to be – and that is something that my students have taught me!

- Jayashree Pillai Loreto Day School, Dharamtala

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A Tribute to My Teacher Thank you Miss! It was 9 a.m. Time for our English Class. As far as I remember, I was in Grade 8. At this time, I was never inside the classroom. Always out in the corridor, waiting for Mrs. Choudhury to walk down in her high-heels. From a distance I could hear the clip-clop, clip-clop. It was so thrilling an experience, so exciting to my earnest ears. Mrs. Shibani Choudhury was my English teacher in school. The lady who taught me to read voraciously, to be never satisfied till my questions were answered and always to have the fire of imagination burning in me. I made it a point to leave the classroom just before the English Class. Yes, it was my way of welcoming the lady. Miss (we called our teachers Miss) was short, very elegant, in her chiffon sarees, who motivated me in my growing up years. In-between, my nervous eyes also looked out to catch a glimpse of Sister’s habit. Unfortunately, she came on her regular rounds at this time. If ever I could see it from a distance, I ran back into the classroom. By now you can make out it put that I was in a convent and discipline always been the key concept to our learning. Everything about Mrs. Choudhury was alluring to me. She drove to school in a Fiat. It was white and looked absolutely immaculate. She had a flair for the language, spoke with an accent that I admired, rolling her eyes along with her o's and her perfume.....she smelled so good....was it Christian Dior? Today I wonder! Never asked her. She had a class of her own. Oh Yes! I remember, she always used her left hand ONLY at the steering wheel, never her right. Stepped out of the car, left feet first, then the right. So dignified, with an outstanding poise. All ‘these’ mattered a lot in those days. I think she was a single mother. Her son studied in Darjeeling, if I remember correctly. I observed every movement of her, so lady-like. She reminded us too that gentle and sophisticated mannerisms were of utmost importance. That added a finesse to one’s personality. Mrs. Choudhury did not confine her teaching to the textbooks. She told us ‘stories’. I ‘heard’ some of my favourite books even before I could ‘read’ those. Rebecca, Gone with the wind, Anna Karenina and believe me- Madame Bovary & Lady Chatterley’s Lover, too. She was my English teacher for 3 years and by the time we were in Class X, I was well acquainted with not only these novels but poems like La Belle Dame Sans Merci, My Last Duchess and Coleridge’s Christabel.

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She believed that one must read, think, analyse, have the courage to form an opinion and ultimately GROW UP. Well, we grew up and the time came for us to bid goodbye to school. I went up to my teacher holding on to my slam book. I wanted her to write a message for me. She wrote- ‘Give everyone thine ear but few thy voice’ (Hamlet) Act 1 Sc iii. Polonius' words to Laertes. Well....that was like an icing on the cake for me. I was labelled a shy girl, an introvert, in school. It was true- I was. With no sibling at home, maybe, I was a little quiet. However, every time my mom attended PTM, she heard the same concern from every teacher- Your daughter is very good but hardly speaks. My mother was always very calm and never reacted but I felt it did make her sad. Life and situations will teach you the rest. Speak but you need not waste your precious words. Thank you, Miss! Your voice still echoes in my ears. Today life has taught me the rest, indeed. I was never ashamed after that. She taught me to value myself. Just as I was, then. Just as I am today.... when I speak with courage and conviction. Thank you, Miss, for helping me explore myself! For enriching me and adding to my meaningful existence! So here am I today, an English school teacher. If I can illuminate one dark alley, one confused mind........if I can light one lamp of hope and positivity.... if I can bring a smile on a face! The journey continues.......

- Ms. Parama Mitra Sri Sri Academy

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Value of A Teacher A young man sat at a dining table surrounded by many high-ranking professions. After dinner each of these eminent men extolled their own virtues and claimed that they and their professions were the greatest benefactors of humanity. When it came to the young man's turn to introduce himself, he quietly stated: " I am a teacher of young teenagers. I teach them to have an open mind through stories of Current Affairs and events, to find solutions through discussions in Language classes, to value Justice and Fair Play, to express their view point even if it is different to those of others. Through Mathematics, I help them to realise the importance of veracity and accuracy. Science and Geography help them to discover and respect Nature and be grateful for God's creations. Through Literature and Poetry to see the beauty of Life - God's greatest gift. I find a sense of fulfilment in my life in these interactions with the next generation." The young man paused, looked around and humbly uttered: "I leave you to ponder the question Which profession benefits Mankind the most? I feel a combination of most would be the best option each has a part to play." The great men stood up and bowed their assent, for once, speechless in the face of so much humility and wisdom. - Katie Dalal

The Festival of Life With a spring in her feet and vibrant ideas brimming in her head a new teacher steps forth in the most respectable "profession”. Over the years many summers pass. The teacher does not wither but blossoms. She is baked over with perfection. She rejoices in the harvest she reaps, as the soft, carefree laughter of young ones turn into responsible, adult smiles. The myriad hues take the shape of rainbows, each finding a place in the sky. The string she holds gently till they fly high seeking their own piece of sky, makes her realise that this is no longer a " profession"...it has become a festival of life! Rejoicing in the chants of success, the beats of footsteps reaching a crescendo, the sweet memories of smiles and tears that fill the pages of every passing year, she bids adieu to one group and welcomes the other, marking how the festival of life goes on... … and the teacher's heart sings out aloud, “Ashche bochhor aabar hobe"! - Jolly Talwar Coordinator Birla High School -Mukundapur

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Alpona How did the Folk Art of Alpona come to Bengal? This Lakshmi Puja, most Bengali homes will find artistic motifs of Alpona drawn across floors. Motifs of sun, lotus, fish, swastika, owl, snake, footprints of goddess Lakshmi, or even abstract designs will welcome the Goddess of Wealth to their homes. An ancient tradition, this laborious ritual of fingerpainting in Bengal is called ‘Alpona’ and has roots in the Sanskrit word ‘alimpan’, which means ‘to coat’ or ‘plaster’. Some believe introduction of Alpona in Bengal can be non-Aryan in origin, derived from ‘ailpona’- the art of making ‘ails’ or embankment, believed to keep homes, neighbourhoods or villages safe and prosperous. The designs of alpona have a magical power and are used as welcome signs of wealth and prosperity at the entrance of the house every Lakshmi Puja. Alpona is a liquid paste made of the slurry of atop chaal (refined rice) and was originally drawn on a base of clay mixed with cow dung. Although, predominantly it is white in colour, artists can add hues to the design using turmeric paste for yellow and red clay with vermillion paste for crimson. Alpona painting also has an ecological importance. The rice flour used served as 'bhutayajna', an offering to tiny creatures like ants and other insects. Further, rice powder is a cleansing element which is traditionally attributed to preventing chicken pox during the summer and is hence applied on the faces of children in several parts of India as a preventive measure. Alpona is also a folk art of Bengal that was endorsed by none other than Abanindranath Tagore. Not just Lakshmi Puja, alponas are also associated with 'vrat' (fasting) and a symbol of expression of women. For generations, Alpona has continued to tie together the social fabric of Bengal and still continues to do so in an age of plastic rangolis.

From the Internet

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An Experience of a Lifetime The profession of a teacher is one which has gained significant attention today. It being one of the few that bounced back soon after the pandemic struck via a new, online avatar. Since then, brave and inspiring stories of teachers have been recognized around the world, showcasing the way in which teachers innovated and invented new modes of teaching and learning and how they literally became a part of each household. The online teaching experience has most certainly been an experience of a lifetime. This however is not the main theme I want to discuss in this article. I want to take a few steps back and talk about the experiences which preceded the pandemic, an experience gained over the past 30 years as a teacher, an experience of a lifetime attained by a lifetime of experience. I had a happy and simple childhood. My siblings and I were innocent and also very timid, and our home was our world. This world expanded the day I stepped into Loreto Day School, Dharamtala as a teacher. Generally speaking, I am very comfortable at home and am not an outdoor person. I prefer peace and solitude over an adventurous and ambitious career. It therefore is very ironic that I have been given the opportunity as well as the responsibility to take on various roles during my career which required me to devote extra time beyond the regular time of teaching. This experience however, added a new dimension to me as a person and looking back I am often surprised at how I developed as a teacher and how my outlook and personality has been influenced by my school. My family often tells me that they see an imprint of Loreto Day School, Dharamtala, in my life. The journey I believe is one of serendipity. However, the best part of being a teacher is the students we meet. We teachers often refer to them as children and it is not only because of their age but because they really do become “our children”. I have met and taught so many children and it is a humbling thought to realise that as teachers we have the ability to inspire and mould so many young people. I cannot think of another profession which carries the great responsibility of influencing so many lives. Therefore my daily prayer before starting each day is that I do not hurt any child by my words or actions. I have come to realise that it is very important to make a connection with the child before being able to teach them and help them to improve. One of the greatest lessons I learnt as a teacher is that love and kindness can work miracles in the lives of children. These virtues not only supplement teaching but are the very backbone of education itself, especially primary education. This is because it dispels fear and fear is the greatest obstacle to any form of learning. I have seen students beginning to excel in their studies after they were given a little encouragement. We often underestimate the importance of kindness, encouragement and love in the life of a child, however, when these are given to them, they can astonish you with their improvement. I have very often seen that the subjects students excel in are the ones taught by their favourite teacher, not only because it was taught well, but also because of the kindness and encouragement they received from them. While the pandemic may have added many challenges in our lives, it has also made me cling on to the core principles and values I have learnt, both as a student at Loreto Elliot Road and as a teacher of

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Loreto Dharamtala. They are as invaluable today as they were yesterday. The principles of love, honesty, sincerity and kindness need to be re-emphasized today. It is important to remember that children will learn more from these virtues and principles than they ever will from any sophisticated gadget or application. While these developments are essential and have added new life to the way we teach today, we must not forget the basics of education which create the foundation upon which any skyscraper may be built. - Lilian Veronica Gomes, Loreto Day School, Dharamtala

The Dynamic Role of An Educator Very often my friends and relatives ask me a question. “Isn’t it monotonous for you teaching the same things year after year?” My answer to this question is “No, it isn’t.” This is because even if I teach the same topics, I get different reactions from my students and that adds novelty to the lesson. Moreover, over the years different teaching methods have evolved which makes teaching-learning very interesting. At present we use electronic media such as the ‘smart board’ which is indeed a satisfying experience. As educators we should learn to accept and appreciate individual differences among students. I have often encountered students who were slow in the beginning but with patience and encouragement, were able to catch up with their peers reasonably well. I often get new ideas while discussing various topics in class as each child may give his/her own perspective of the topic and this enriches me intellectually as an educator. When I was a student it was not considered appropriate to question the teacher. This concept has changed in modern times and children are encouraged to ask questions and teachers are expected to provide them with a satisfying answer. This is what stimulates our thought process and we, as educators, keep evolving for the better. Another aspect of being an educator is to learn to empathise with students and motivate them when they might be facing adverse situations at home. Here I would like to mention my own teacher in school, the late Ms. Dorothy Tullett, who had been my English teacher at St. George’s High School, Agra. At that time my mother had just passed away and as I was used to her teaching me in the evening, often my home/school work would not be done. My teacher understood the problem and she dealt with me with patience as well as firmness, till I learnt to work on my own. This is an invaluable lesson I learnt when I joined the teaching profession. All in all I would say that being an educator has been a very satisfying and enriching experience for me. I have evolved over the years and learnt to adapt to changing conditions. This pandemic has also taught us to adjust to challenging situations to continue the teaching-learning process. I have learnt as much from my students as they have learnt from me. - Bharati Mukherjee The Frank Anthony Public School, Kolkata. 24

My Greatest Teachers When one thinks of the teachers who have held the greatest influence in one’s life, they think of some teacher in school. Well, I have a slightly different take on this. I will say without hesitation my greatest teachers are my children. Surprised? What have I learnt from my children? I was blessed with a unique gift when twin boys were born to me and over the last seventeen years I have learnt something every single day. Right from their birth they have taught me the essence of the term ‘patience.’ I learnt to be patient when I felt like screaming in frustration between the daily chores to be attended to and endless nappies to be changed. I had to be patient when feeding them tiny spoonfuls of the carefully steamed and mashed apples I had prepared with so much love – only to see them sputter it out of their mouths while looking at me with an angelic expression. I learnt to hold my temper in check when I saw the two gleefully squishing and slathering a 500 gm butter tub on themselves and drawing patterns on the floor with it. Of course I learnt how to multi-task! Vaccinations, parent teacher meetings, homework, tests, nursing through illnesses, household chores and holding on to a job might put an acrobat on a tightrope to shame. You see, raising twins is slightly different – they express their demands at the exact same time without giving one so much as a breathing space. We have heard so much about ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ in workshops. I say – even in the same environment, with the same ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’, two individuals are always different and unique. My children have taught me critical thinking as no workshop could possibly teach me. I recall two incidents in particular. The first was when one of the boys would regularly misplace and lose his water bottle in school. I would scold him but replace it with another bottle – till the other one pointed out one day that his brother was rewarded for being careless while he remained with the same bottle because he took care of his belongings. Wham! Another instance, I recall I would often say without much thought that I had always wanted a girl. One day I was met with a quiet “Who would you not have – Raj or me?” All this I carried with me in my teaching profession – to be careful of your words, for children are very perceptive and sensitive. My children have always challenged me to keep myself updated. When I once casually remarked that ‘Grooming Club’ sounds more like grooming of dogs and cats I was met with curious looks from the boys. They went on to explain the new and rather sinister meaning of ‘grooming’ which is applicable to paedophiles! The range and depth of the children’s interests never fails to amaze me. They have encouraged me, for instance, to explore the dark labyrinths of the mystery of the human mind through studies of music. I was surprised that they had actually listened to a five hour music album which traced the study of dementia and proceeded to explain to me the gradual decay of the composer’s mind. Never, ever, underestimate the intelligence of children. They are much more sharp than we think. The next time one thinks children nowadays are lazy and useless, and is tempted to say ‘At your age we used to … ‘Stop! They have their own interests and activities which are different from ours and we in fact, have a lot to learn from them. - Chinmoyee Ghosh Choraria South City International School

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Beyond the Classroom As a teacher I have thus far been clear as to what my role is in ‘shaping the minds’ of the young and restless. Currently I have been feeling like old and ‘Clueless’! While struggling to figure out the mysterious world of technology, I have played the role of the empty vessel waiting for the pearls of knowledge in the form of technology to fill the void. So this trickster called the Corona Virus very successfully teleported me back to a world where I was a student once again! As a student I was accustomed to reading those little remarks in my report cards which sang to the tune of ‘Can do better’ or ‘She has so much potential but does not apply herself!’ I guess they were true too, because I never really understood my potential while I was hiding under my shell. Thankfully I am the tortoise that won the race, only because I decided to toss the shell away! So from my classroom to Google Meet, from a blackboard to a whiteboard, from soft boards to Power Point, from hugs to social distancing, I conquered it all. I have realized that not much has really changed. It is all in the way we look at it. As a primary school teacher whether online or offline you have to be conscientious about your students, you have to be that beacon in their lives, ensuring that you see the sadness in their eyes, or the joy in their smile or the excitement in their voice! This is something that cannot be muted. As a teacher I don’t teach subjects, I teach children. My role as I understand it is not to fill their minds with seeds of knowledge but to help them discover, create and express. I should not only teach them Values but also how to value and facilitate in raising a generation of thoughtful, caring and innovative, global citizens who cannot only adapt to change but also be the change! - Mrs. Miranda Benjamin Loreto Day School, Dharamtala

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Class Values

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The Dew On The Grass I do not consider myself to be sufficiently qualified to evaluate the extent to which I may have succeeded in impacting the lives of my students but I definitely consider myself to be very fortunate in having had some of the finest teachers. I have the highest regard for every single teacher who has taught me and it would require an entire book to pay tribute to each one of them. I will, therefore, content myself by mentioning a teacher from various stages of my life. My ‘it’s complicated’ relationship with Mathematics started in my formative years. However, when I was in Class 4, along came this new teacher under whom Mathematics became a picnic. What struck us ten-year-olds most favourably was her delightful sense of humour which had us in splits. It was around this time that I started to be in dire need of glasses. All of a sudden, I found myself unable to read what was written on the blackboard and consequently, I started to fail in my tests. I did not know how to communicate this problem to anyone and, for a while, went through life dreading the ire of my teachers as well as my father. It was this particular teacher who identified the problem and wrote a letter to my father, requesting him to get my eyes tested. I can still recall the enormous relief at not being scolded for my low marks, at having someone who understood. Classes 11 and 12 will always be remembered for the English classes. To begin with, we had a syllabus that was an absolute treat – Shakespeare’s ‘Richard II’, Tennyson, Keats, Byron and a delightful collection of short stories. Add to these a teacher, who, no doubt struck a healthy fear in every girl’s heart, but whose lessons were pure bliss! In Class 12 we saw her gentler, warmer side and I have the fondest memories of the time that she took out of her busy schedule, to be with us when we stood outside the examination hall on the day of the ISC English examination – a warm, reassuring presence. The English Department in Loreto College was among the best of its kind. Many of us had joined college with a heady sense of our worth, fuelled in no mean measure by the one point in English proclaimed by our ISC mark-sheets. The first year in college thus turned out to be a period of much needed ego-cleansing. Along with teaching English literature, our teachers made us aware that progress begins with a humbling sense of how little we actually know. Tennyson’s famous words suddenly made enormous sense – ‘Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ Gleams that untravell’d world….’ Calcutta University holds a special place in my memory for the ‘King Lear’ classes which were held on Saturday afternoons, when attendance was, to put it mildly, thin. I was among the wise few who attended these classes. On those Saturdays, we sat on the front benches because our Professor, being

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rather soft-spoken, was practically inaudible at the back of a huge classroom. That was when I realized how fortunate we were to have one of the most brilliant minds expounding Shakespeare for us. Like the seasoning in our Indian curries or the ganache in a French gâteau, I would now like to add my memories of my French classes at Alliance Française. My teacher was formidable and, what was more, very French. Being French of course means, having a rooted aversion to uttering even a word in English. So, these French classes initially consisted of teacher and students staring uncomprehendingly at each other, trying their best to understand each other through gestures, through signs, in fact, through every possible means of non-verbal communication. The only French that we understood perfectly was his irate, 'Ne parle pas en Anglais' every time someone inadvertently said something in English. He was the first to concede defeat and then, voilà! The impossible happened. He started lapsing into English because he could see no other way out. Nevertheless, it is surely the highest mark of dedication that a teacher should modify his approach to the extent of doing something that he was completely averse to doing, just so that his students may learn. It was a moment of pride for both teacher as well as students when all of us emerged in flying colours in our Élémentaire level test. Teachers... where would the world be without them? I find myself reminded of those lines from Yeats’s ‘Gratitude to the Unknown Instructors’ ‘What they undertook to do, They brought to pass, All things hang like a drop of dew Upon a blade of grass…’ My teachers have been my inspiration, my reason for choosing this vocation. As a teacher I know that every single day I have the opportunity to touch the lives of the young people entrusted to my care. I would, indeed consider my life well-lived if my students, too, on looking back, would feel that I had made a difference in their lives.

~ Rema Pillai Loreto Day School, Bowbazar

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How to Create Your Own Rangoli Art This Diwali Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, is one of the most popular festivals in South Asia. The Indian diaspora celebrates Diwali, too, taking part in traditions for this major event. Celebrations span over five days with plenty of ways to commemorate the holiday no matter where you are. One very popular way to celebrate Diwali is by making Rangoli designs. We’ve compiled some tips and tricks to inspire you to get into the Diwali spirit this year with your own designs. What is rangoli? Rangoli is a traditional form of art originating in India. Colourful patterns are created on the floor using different materials, such as ground rice powder, flowers, diyas, or special colored powders. Rangoli is also known as kolam, ossa, muggu or alpona in different areas of India. These designs are also created for other holidays and events, such as festivals or weddings. Rangoli art is an important part of celebrating Diwali. The design of each piece has religious or special significance chosen by the artist, and they are often an heirloom passed down over generations. With Diwali upon us already, what better time to create your own Rangoli art? Even if you’ve never done so before, it can be quite doable with a plan in hand. How to create your own Rangoli art for Diwali To make these beautiful works of art, all you need to do is choose your materials, select your design, and start creating. Choose your materials First, decide what materials you will use for your Rangoli design. Many people use pigment powders especially created and sold for making Rangoli art, but you could also use flower petals, sand, rice powder and/or paste stone or brick powder, or chalk. Grains and beads can also be gathered to use along borders and provide a 3-D effect. Diyas or candles are usually included in some part of the design. Since rangoli is found in homes of all income levels, people improvise and use what they have on hand. Select your Rangoli design and significance Next, decide what the shape of your rangoli will be and its significance. If you are not re-creating a family design, you have a range of options for your artistic expression. You may want to choose a deity impression, a simple geometric shape, a flower, or even an animal. Decide whether you’re able to create the design free-hand, or need to create a stencil impression to work from. - From the Internet

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Learning from the Learners “Whoever teaches learns in the act of teaching and whoever learns teaches in the act of learning" wrote the Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire in his famous book, “Pedagogy of Freedom” (1996). Despite the overwhelming consequences of the pandemic, this global crisis has also been an extraordinary time for learning. We have discovered how adaptable and resilient the education system, policy makers, teachers, students and families can be. Daily, we teachers impart knowledge, provide wisdom and offer information to the students. We show them the sights they haven’t seen; we take them to the places they’ve never been. We give them a sense of right and wrong, and just like little sponges, they soak up everything. As teachers, we were so busy rearing, educating and helping them navigate the world that we didn’t realize that our students are teaching us too. Here I am, at 41, having to learn how to use Google Classroom with the little children in their early stages of learning. I felt that though I was traveling through an unknown road, at the same time I was also helping the little ones to explore that route. When the online classes had started last April, I was tech-shy and too scared to sit in front of the screen. I was scared to be judged by so many unknown people. Teacher training prepares you for the classroom but in real life, teaching is a dynamic profession. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic change in the education system. Today teaching is conducted on the online mode, blackboards are replaced by screen sharing and the assignments are submitted through email. The new normal is not so normal for young children as well. No more playing freely during recess, no more sharing of tiffin, no more faceto-face chatting with friends. Children too were never trained to embrace online learning. But today to our surprise, the online learning is widely accepted by these enthusiastic learners. Children never limit themselves. They can dream of being a pilot, astronaut, architect and professional football player all at once and work towards it without doubting themselves. They possess a great brilliance in their simplicity. Every morning my students join the online class with a smile on their faces and with an eagerness in their eyes to learn something new. They come up with several questions in their mind to add to their knowledge. My students have taught me to be fearless. They have inspired me to look beyond the horizon. If they can accept the new challenges in life, so can I. Today online teaching feels like a natural part of teaching- thanks to my students.

- Simran Kohli Birla High School, Mukundapur

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Au Revoir School Life As a teacher approaching superannuation, about to say au revoir to school life, this is the time for me to introspect, to reflect on how successful I have been in making the classroom environment and learning a joyful experience for students. As teachers, we savour “The Best of School” where D. H. Lawrence visualizes the teacher sitting on the shores of class as a source of inspiration. The students discover knowledge, “the grain of rigour they taste delightedly”.Lawrence gives a totally opposite picture in his “The Last Lesson of the Afternoon”.Here, the teacher eyes the students as the “...pack of unruly hounds” and with a sense of frustration and weariness decides resignedly that, ”I will sit and wait for the bell.” For me, the moments of joy far outweigh the instances of disappointment or desolation described by D. H. Lawrence. What motivates us teachers as a community is the constant interaction with young minds. Each batch is so refreshingly different from the other. And there is the pulsating flow of life in a school with its rites of bell-ringing and various other daily activities. As a teacher teaching English Language and Literature, my work has been to help students appreciate the subjects and overcome the cultural barriers. The students learn to look with Prospero into the dark abyss of time or view the bloody battlefield with Macbeth or walk with Shylock on the streets of Venice. Students sit on a hot sultry day reading “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening “or walk along the Yukon trail in “To Build a Fire” As years move on, learning methods change. This is especially true of line learning where You Tube and social media have now become part of the new normal. Instead of chalk and talk, there is the Share Screen option. Kindle has replaced the tomes on the library shelf. Classics can be seen in their new avatar- the graphic novel; but the festival of learning goes on and on, as needs it must for the human race to survive and find hope and meaning even in dark times. - Anasuya Mukherjee The Frank Anthony Public School, Kolkata.

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Math Online…. It was frightening when we began our Online Classes because of the limited knowledge we had in the usage of technological tools. But in this grave pandemic scenario, we had no other option, but to adapt to the change with the mindset of an enthusiastic learner. We, the teachers, took the challenge and excelled in it. As a teacher myself, I had quite a few concerns, but with the passage of time we all learnt how to meet the ever-growing needs and challenges of Online Classes together, along with the support of regular webinars and training sessions arranged by the principal and the management team. Therefore even during that difficult scenario, we could comfortably continue with the teaching, as well as, the learning process. The students were perhaps going through the most difficult times. They were confined within the walls of their homes and the situation outside was quite alarming. As I slowly got accustomed to the nuances of technology, the foremost concern for me was, how to keep the children motivated, soothe their anxieties and encourage them to express their feelings and concerns in class. For effective learning to take place in the class, a proper ambience is necessary. My next concern was how to teach a ‘written language’, like Mathematics, a subject with so many intricacies, online. We needed to make the classes more interesting yet teach the content in a simplified manner so that the children could easily grasp the concepts being taught. Apart from online videos, I regularly made different aids and presentations. I planned out story telling sessions involving real life scenarios to make the classes more engaging. From organizing a simple salad making activity and a baking class to teach Fractions and Measurement to the students or a Shopping activity to teach them the value of Money, to playing a Bingo game online and engaging them in a simple clapping activity, I used a wide range of teaching- learning strategies to cater to different learning styles and interests. What I enjoyed the most was teaching Number Sequence while playing music. I enjoyed every bit of the time I invested in guiding my children and helping them learn. Encouraging them to solve math puzzles, having online math quizzes, drafting out math projects where they could strengthen their basic mathematical concepts while showcasing their creativity all involved meticulous planning; though challenging, I found these equally stimulating. However, even after applying different strategies to deal with different types of little learners in my class, I still missed the blackboard while taking the Math class. To my delight, one bright morning one of my colleagues introduced me to the Blackboard app. It was immensely satisfying when I could use the blackboard again to explain the basic mathematical concepts to the children and demonstrate how to solve the sums- stepwise. They even seemed to comprehend the concepts better. We had to be innovative. After all, we were dealing with the greatest resource of this planet, our children, and teaching them a subject which might not help to reduce their pain and worries in the future, but it definitely demonstrated that ‘Every Problem has a Solution’! - Jaita Mitra Basu Loreto Day School, Dharamtala

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Moving On I have always been an introvert and a reticent person. After the untimely and sudden demise of my husband, I felt devastated and I had cocooned myself from my relatives, friends and colleagues. An unknown shame had shrouded me. I thought I could never face the people anymore and I had stopped answering phone calls and messages. Anxiety and loneliness had become my best buddies. Often I reminded myself “-when every grief is entertained that’s offer’d, comes to th’entertainer”….however I kept entertaining grief. The incident took place in the beginning of the summer vacation and soon time flew and it was time to face my friends, colleagues and the WORLD. The first day when school re-opened after the summer vacation, an unusual feeling of disgust grappled me. Whatever I was doing was so pretentious – I asked myself a several times – Can I become my normal self? People say time is the best healer but as days passed by, time for me was becoming the best killer. When such ravaging thoughts raced my mind, I suddenly recalled the incident of Padma and Nishtha from my outgoing batch of class twelve. Padma lost her mother to Covid 19 and Nishtha too lost her father to the deadly virus. How was Nishtha’s mother managing the finance of the house? She is just a home-maker with three children to look after….and what about Padma a schizophrenic patient with severe bi-polar disorder. So many times she dozed off in class due to the strong medications. Her father must be going through hell. I quickly sent up a prayer for their families. I summoned up courage to call Padma and Nishtha to ask about their well being. Both sounded normal and bubbly and took several tips for their upcoming ISC examinations. A lot of discussion went on between us on whether the board examination would take place or not. Padma was a TTIS writer and read out several articles that she had written. Nishtha talked about how she was helping her mother open up a home delivery centre. “After the storm comes the calm” …That short interaction with my very own students gave me immense strength from within. I thought maybe we were the chosen few who has the power to endure. They are only eighteen and had seen so much of ugliness that life has to offer. A sense of calm gave way to those disoriented, turbulent thoughts that were criss-crossing my mind. So many times, as their class teacher, I have talked about inner strength, endurance, patience, learning to accept life as it comes and so many other values. That day my very own children taught me the greatest life lesson…to move on in life…. - Mrs Rakhee Neogi Loreto Day School, Dharamtala

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My Journey as a Teacher - Facilitator My journey as a teacher began in the year 2012 with a few hitches and glitches and tiny bumps and hurdles but it was overall a wonderful learning experience. There were times when I totally would collapse at the end of the day, tired and exhausted. There were times when my day would begin with the little ones smiling. The time when I had an opportunity to teach overseas was a most fruitful and eventful experience in my career as a teacher. There was alot of learning happening especially with study being inquiry-based wherein children displayed their curiosity and interest in doing things independently. STEM learning helped me gain alot of insight into the world of knowledge. In STEM learning children actively engaged themselves in doing activities assigned to them. The exposure to international methods of teaching was very different from the teaching- learning methodology of most Indian schools. In traditional Indian schools learning involved an over- dependence on text- books; of course, there was hands-on learning too whereas in the international system of education children only focused on doing all the activities on their own and that too independently, and then explained what they had done and how they had done it. I also enjoy teaching children with special needs. It was a challenge to take it up but I am proud for opting to teach differently abled children who have touched my life in many beautiful ways. From them I learnt to see the world from a totally different perspective. The pandemic too enabled me to hone my technological skills as a teacher. I can assert today that my life as a teacher has helped me, over a period of time, to grow in my way of thinking and not to be afraid to face challenges. The little ones with their love and support enabled me to be the confident person that I am today and fill my heart with gratitude for choosing to be a teacher.

- Andrea Brooks Loreto Day School, Sealdah

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My Journey as a Teacher It was 1st June 2004, when I joined my alma mater as a teacher. I was appointed as a teacher in the preprimary section. Wearing a pressed cotton saree, which belonged to my mother, I entered the school with a dream-the dream to become my students’ favourite teacher ! After joining the profession, I realised that it was not easy to win the hearts of students. Moreover, being a teacher of Nursery pupils, I needed patience rather than knowledge. Children stepped on my feet and did not apologise. They sat on my lap without taking my permission. Gradually, I got accustomed to their innocent ways- and revelled in them. A few years later I joined as a class teacher of the Junior section in another school. One fine morning, a parent complained that his ward was not getting enough opportunities in my class. He said that I was partial and was giving less marks to his son. My principal did not go into any controversy. She transferred the child to another section of the same class. Within a month the parent returned and requested the principal to send his son back to my class as his son was missing his previous class teacher. His request was denied but this time my principal said, “Truth always wins”. My career took a new turn when I went to Bahrain in 2015. I joined an international school. I taught English in classes IV and V. I had students from different countries in my class. One day, a Pakistani student said that he hated me as I was an Indian. I explained to him the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy undertaken by our colonisers in the 19th century. He got an insight into the political conflict between the two countries and accepted me as his facilitator. He presented me an embroidered handkerchief on the last working day of the school year. After returning to Kolkata, I joined Birla High School, Mukundapur. The new school aroused new hopes in all the founder teachers. The state-of -the – art infrastructure of the school filled our heart with awe and wonder. Being a teacher of a ‘smart’ school, I got an exposure to information technology and integrated the same in my class. I implemented different pedagogies like blended learning, flipped classroom and many more into my class. Instead of mundane worksheets, my students were given selfexplanatory customised videos which had in-built questions in them. Students used to watch the videos in class and answer the questions in notebooks. They used to look forward to such digital class work. The year 2020 made a drastic change in the education system across the world. When schools were closed due to the pandemic, we shifted to Google classrooms in April 2020. My school organised training on the online teaching resources for its teaching faculty. Online games, quizzes, virtual trips brought back the joy in class. My students were thrilled when I said that I would take them on a world tour. I showed them 360-degree images of the seven wonders of the world on nearpod.com. This was followed by a quiz where all the students fared well. Thus, Benjamin Franklin rightly said,

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‘’Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’’ Another day, they took a virtual walk in the rain at Paris. They came back and wrote a paragraph on what they would love to do in the rain. These virtual trips brought a different dimension to my class. The pandemic taught me that change is constant in life and one can only survive by embracing it. Life is a roller-coaster ride-sometimes up and sometimes down. We have to fasten our seat belts and enjoy the ride. We teachers deal with the most prized possession of a human being-their child. It is indeed a privilege and a great opportunity. We nurture the future citizens. So according to Abraham Lincoln, we need to take them by the hand and teach them things that they will have to know in life. I enjoy my work and hope that my journey as a teacher continues for many more years. - Arunima Sur Birla High School, Mukundapur

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Kali Puja and Diwali Diya Sweet Pack What you need A large pottery diya. Gold and silver paper and sequins, zari braid and zari flowers. Cellophane paper, paints. Scissors, fevicol, cellotape. Assortment of sweets in a polythene bag.

What you do Upturn the diya and decorate the side with a mosaic of gold and silver chips of paper or with zari braid and flowers or with paint. Place the bag of sweets inside the diya, cover the top with cellophane paper and fix it down with cellotape. Decorate the cellophane paper cover with zari flowers or zari braid and sequins. Add a large gold paper 'flame' to the pointed tip of the diya. To make the flame, cut two leaf shapes and gum them back to back. The flames not shows golden on both sides.

You now have an unusual Diwali gift for your loved ones.

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Paper Plate "DIYA"

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Festival of Learning- A Teacher's Perspective Technology has had a huge impact on every aspect of our lives and education is no different. As a child I learnt primarily through textbooks with technology being a new and seemingly distant opportunity, I even remember the first computers our school had installed! Everything we learnt was limited to what was between the pages of our textbooks with little room for freedom of expression. Our teacher would follow the confines of what was on the page with little room for manoeuvre, but now as a teacher I am able to harness the incredible power and depth of the internet. At BHSM we give a great importance to technology and use it to not only teach various specialised subjects such as coding and IT, we also use it in literature, maths and also to connect with others. Earlier in the year my class linked up via video chat with a school in Romania. The students were able to exchange ideas and gain a first-hand look into the differences in culture and language as well as spotting the similarities which connect us all, something that a textbook would never be able to successfully teach in such depth. The vision of our school is “Freeing the mind” and utilising the range of benefits that come with technology is a huge ‘plus’ for not only our students but us teachers as well. Through our computer programmes I am able to get an in depth analysis of each of my students and identify where exactly their strengths and weaknesses lie. I can also encourage open discussion and free thinking by altering and adapting my lesson plans as the class develops. BHSM also strives to be ahead of technology as it evolves which means our students continue to be at the forefront of the modern world and have the best chance of growing to be successful and well-rounded adults. I can only imagine the impact this level of computer-based education would have had on me as a student so to have the chance to use it to its full potential with my own students now is a real gift! - Ms Nikita Chow Birla High School, Mukundapur

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On Teachers' Centre Many years ago, when I was a teacher at Loreto House, we had Mother Paul as our Mother Superior. At that time, we worked very closely with the British Council, because many fresh ideas on education were being launched and we always attended their special workshops. On this occasion the British Council held a special workshop at Loreto House to promote “Environmental Studies”, a new approach in teaching methods. I was most impressed by this method, which became known as EVS. It made so much sense, being based on the environment of the child rather than distant abstract concepts. We were asked to submit our projects and mine was selected, so I was sent to Delhi along with the British Council Team to introduce this method to the various Heads of the School Boards. They approved. Mother Paul wanted to introduce all the Loreto Schools in the City {there were 5 of them in Kolkata at that time}, to this method and thus The Teachers' Centre was launched to hold workshops and introduce the EVS method to these schools. Mr. D'Souza, who was the Inspector General of Schools at that time, gave us his support. Mother Paul offered the premises. A very august committee of experts was formed, and the Teachers' Centre was formally inaugurated. At first the priority was to explain and promote the EVS method and the Project method to the teachers. We held workshops to cover this area. Soon we had requests from teachers to tackle other issues too. The Centre soon became very active and busy and grew into a small but dynamic force that exposed teaching problems and tackled them. We held annual exhibitions of projects done by various member schools. These were crowded by teachers and students who came and learned from each other how to follow the Project Method correctly, and often the exhibitions lasted 2 days. Every two years we held a 3-day session called Focus the Child. Dignitaries were invited from all over India to discuss issues and problems connected with education. These events were initiated by Ayesha Das when she was co-ordinating events at the Centre. The Centre suffered a huge loss when she passed away. The Centre responded to requests from parents and teachers on a wide range of teaching and learning issues, from overload of homework to the weight of school bags!!! We were amongst the first to ask for automatic promotion for primary school students up to class five. We tried to find ways and means to reduce the weight of school bags by organising a system of carrying only the books required for the day, and our sessions with parents were always well attended and satisfying. We held a series of practiceoriented short courses for teachers to build their capacity and bring in innovative teaching methods. We have had our ups and downs, but we are still determined to provide teachers with help and relief in trying to overcome the myriad problems that beset our educational system. With God's blessing and your cooperation, we hope to CARRY ON. - Mrs. Uma Ahmed Founder Member, Teachers’ Centre

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Online Teachers--- The Real Challenge Ooops, no connection, now what to do? I have fixed the time with the class and all the students are eagerly waiting for me to start. I have to start the class and give them the call. Dear students, due to connection problem I will start the class a bit late, after 15 mins. But Ma’am, we have another class after your class, what will we do? Ok, I will keep my class as short as possible, don’t worry. Dear students, can you hear me? Yes Ma’am, but your voice is too low. These are the common problems we teachers face while taking classes online during this Covid era. Every problem has a solution. So, what is the solution? I had a varied experience while teaching online. From net connectivity problem, absence of a proper writing board (we teachers are so used to this Chalk and Talk concept), availability of online study material, preparing digital notes as per the syllabus, setting assignments and homework using various online apps and of course following them up frequently. Teachers had a Herculean task mastering online tools and are still trying to put in our best effort to cope with unexpected challenges. A teacher not only teaches, but shapes lives too. Here are certain guidelines which I would like to share with my teacher friends and colleagues which might be of use to them in the new normal1. Keep your classes concise and as brief as possible, with only the relevant instructions to be given Net connection is a big issue hence shorter classes will help the students. 2. There should be a buffer time in between classes when the students can take a break from staring at the computer screen. 3. Teachers are role model for their students, as they cannot see you in person, modulation of voice is very important. Your voice holds all the appreciation, determination, compassion, and above all Respect. 4. To make sure they are listening to you, ask them questions in between your lessons. 5. Make your lessons as interesting as possible so that you hold the students’ full attention and they never skip even a single word. 6. Never address individual student’s problem during online classes, you can deal with them later over individual calls. 7. Objective questions are most suitable for online examinations.

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Care should be taken to ensure that students don’t feel bored staring at the computer screen and cause damage to their eyes during online classes. Prolonged online classes cause eye problems, headache, nausea, and several other symptoms. It is advisable to drink plenty of water and keep the body hydrated, splash cold water in the eyes at frequent intervals, sit in an upright position preferably using wooden chairs, looking down the screen instead of looking up too helps. Regular eye exercises in the morning will relax the eyes. A proper diet full of vegetables with Vitamins A, B,C will rejuvenate the body. There will be a change in the mode of the Education system. Teachers, parents, students need to adapt to this new mode i.e., Online teaching or home schooling at least for another year till we acquire the herd immunity or the population immunity against the virus. All of us need to be patient with the new system and should accept the fact that blamegame will not help. Each of us should come forward and adapt themselves to this new method in this present Covid era. One day we will definitely come out of our new normal life and shift to the old normal methods. But till the transition, let us be extra careful for the wellbeing of all. - Ballari Ray Senior Computing teacher The Frank Anthony Public School, Kolkata

Teacher's Mindset

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Digital Dilemma A new virus ails the teaching fraternity. A malady unlike any known since eternity! When global lockdown was forced by corona pandemicTrade and industries froze, but not endeavours academic! Educational institutions sounded their alarm sublime“Teachers- GEAR UP!!! Classes are going online!!!” Panic- stricken educators toiled day and night. Confidence fluctuating, but spirits high as the kite! Several web-portals, apps and websites were tried. Every synchronous and asynchronous option was eyed! White-boarding replaced chalk and board! Online resources- assimilated and stored! Virtual classes, presenting- screens and videos anew. Online assignments and digital assessments too!! By and by, the ‘digital dilemma’ reached a new height. Teachers preparing lessons and correcting- late at night! Some panicked; some struggled while others enjoyed it too! Overnight traditional methods digital learning overthrew! Classrooms and lessons have undergone a major change. But this is the ‘new normal’- nothing weird or strange. Augmented Reality and 3D have made lessons enthralling! Pupils experience what they’re learning- not mere recalling! Online quizzes and polls give us an instant feedbackIf lessons need to be remodelled and brought on-track. “Was this really a curse?” It calls for introspection. After all, “Adversity is the mother of all invention!” While scientists struggled to make a vaccine shot, Education rose from its ashes- believe it or not! - Deepak Giananey Birla High School, Kolkata

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Hi, I am a Teacher In this Beautiful World, There are great jobs to do. To guide them, what they would be, Let me introduce myself to you I am that ubiquitous Creature. Hi, I am a TEACHER. The parents are worried about the child He is restless, he is so wild, He never listens to what they say, Controlling the world, in his own way.

I am that magical Preacher. Hi, I am a TEACHER. My friends own bungalows and a fancy car To my students, I am a Superstar. With needless greed, they are running to earn, From little kids, there’s lot to learn. My friends are Rich, but I feel Richer. Hi, I am a TEACHER.

To save them, from this Torture, Hi, I am a TEACHER.

Calm, Composed, Gentle yet Strong, I support the truth and oppose what’s wrong, Educated, Empathetic, and good at Listening, Energetic, Patient, Cheerful and Smiling!

From Chalk Board, to Digital Class, Various ways, to teach the diverse mass, With written notes, I control the fleet, Zoom, Webex or Google Meet.

In the lives of many do I Feature. Hi, I am a TEACHER. - Arup Halder The Frank Anthony Public School, Kolkata

Because of a Teacher

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Staffrooms In most schools, there are a few staffrooms and usually the inmates of a staffroom bond like family. Every year, the school makes some changes in who would be seated in which staffroom. I'm sure that the school has valid and practical reasons for doing so but on an emotional level, the teachers who are displaced get jolted out of their zone of comfort. We had received the new staffroom arrangement just before the lockdown in 2020, following which I had written this piece. I teach in Modern High School for girls and by virtue of being an ex-student of the school too, I have cherished memories of my wonder years there!

MY THIRD (FLOOR) HOME With excitement flowing through my 25-year-old self, I pushed aside the green curtain and entered the room for the very first time. It was a dream come true moment for me... a dream that I had cherished as a little schoolgirl while standing outside that very green curtain. The room was bigger than I had ever imagined it to be. Crisp sunlight entering through the many windows, gave the room a cheerful look! A quick glance around the room put me at ease immediately...yes, many of my own teachers were smiling back at me! More than a warm welcome awaited me in the third floor staffroom. Mrs. N. Sen my Bengali teacher, whom we so rudely referred to by a name starting with “N”, passed down to us from our seniors, was very fond of me. As a student, I was quite good in Bangla and successfully managed to be mischievous but not get caught. She broke into a spontaneous song " Aha ki anondo akashe batashe" and embraced me. I felt a little small because I had always shown false interest in her self-composed poems to induce her to recite them in class, in order to break the monotony of the lesson and to make my friends find it difficult to suppress their laughter while I sat with a straight face in the front row!! As soon as I settled down in this room, I began to germinate and grow roots...such is my connect with the third floor staffroom. I was the youngest in the staffroom then, replacing Kavita, who was a couple of years older than me, from that position. The staffroom bearer was Jatin, who had seen me as a schoolgirl and needless to say that he beamed from ear to ear on my arrival. He used to sell sarees and floor mops during his free time and later graduated to selling salwar kameez materials as well. He gave credit to us newcomers for causing this diversification of his business. There was no coffee machine in those days and he used to make

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customised tea for all the teachers...with milk, without milk, with sugar, without sugar, less sugar, light brew.... the permutations and combinations were numerous, but he was flawless!! Over the years I developed great respect for him because of his sincere, hardworking nature and indomitable positivity. The staffroom brought into my life friends of various ages who were not confined to my department only. Gouridi, the Librarian, turned out to be a neighbour too and has always been a tremendous pillar of support. Now, she's family. I got the opportunity to see " the other side" of many of my teachers, in a positive sense when I got to know them as colleagues. A Physics teacher, of whom we were petrified (and she was aptly named too by students !!) came across now as a very affectionate person and an involved parent. It was a haven of peace for me and so during very difficult times on the personal front, I would yearn to come to school and take refuge in the staffroom. Slowly, my teachers began to exit, one by one, but before that, they had been instrumental in nurturing all my abilities. In a certain year, when coincidentally many maths teachers retired, someone went and told our then principal Mrs. Kar, "It's not her subject, but give maths to Nandini, she was good at it in school." I must say, that I immensely enjoyed teaching Maths in the middle school thereafter, though I was appointed as a teacher for the Commerce department. I was appointed the official gift packer of the staffroom for packing and decorating joint gifts. I even remember packing a gift for a wedding that I hadn't been invited to!! But I was overjoyed to do it!! A sudden blow to all this was my transfer to the second floor staffroom in 2007. I was newly married then and my husband just couldn't fathom why his bride sat and wept at night! He found it rather odd after he learnt of the reason which obviously he found trivial and definitely harboured grave doubts about my mental health! After 6 years, I was back in the third floor staffroom again, much to my delight. The bonds hadn't loosened a bit and as a bonus, I had made some close friends in the second floor staffroom too! I can go on and on...but I'll draw a line now. As we are on the brink of being shuffled again like a pack of cards, let's promise to keep the camaraderie unharmed. I borrow words from Debendranath Tagore -this staffroom is … "Amaar praaner araam, moner anondo o aatmar shaanti." - Mrs. Nandini Dasgupta, Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata

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To my Teacher with Love “A gentle nod, a fleeting glance, A shake of the head, words unsaid, No impact realised at that timeBut did my best to catch the falling dimes! Sturdy structure, stern look, Immaculate dress, the figure who stood Behind this posture, really knew That I was a part of the lucky few. Hand in hand, no judgement thrown, Side by side, I’ll never walk alone! You’re the reason for this thought, Without those words, I would never have fought”. This is a poem written by me in honour of Mrs. Sharon Monteiro who has left an indelible imprint in my life and in the way I perceive things. She is a fantastic woman who oozes confidence, treads with humility and deals with compassion. When I was in grade XII, I had yet to come into my own as an individual. A teenager who was unsure, unstable, naïve and aloof, I didn’t know it at that time but I was in desperate search of guidance. Mrs. Monteiro has a knack of knowing exactly how to uplift and motivate. She saw in me something that I didn’t feel or see in myself. She encouraged without prejudice and instilled in me a sense of being and self- worth. Sometimes a tiny step in someone’s direction can really make a difference. I know it did with me. I was bright in academics but lacking everywhere else. Mrs. Monteiro helped me learn to navigate my dreams. She may not know this, but her faith in me continues to serve as a beacon till this day. I want to be the kind of teacher she is. I want to leave a trail of light so that it guides someone through the tunnel to her own light. Every person deserves to be heard. I know this because she heard me. - Gillian Gilhooly Birla High School, Mukundapur

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Think Festivals…………Think Food……. One of the things that comes to our mind when we talk of festivals is the offering to God, ‘PRASADAM’. Each community has its unique delicacies associated with the different festivals. Teaching children how to prepare some of them, or at least getting them involved in the preparation, would ensure that the traditional recipes don’t get lost to the world. Besides this, we once again acquaint our children and teach them to love our traditional fare. Keeping this in mind we have chosen one the most popular Bengali desserts often used in almost every religious ceremony as BHOG/PRASAD: ‘ Chaler Payesh’ or rice pudding.

BENGALI CHALER PAYESH [RICE PUDDING] INGREDIENTS Milk 5 litres Gobindo bhog/Basmati rice -500gms. Sugar -700 gms. Cardamom -15 Ghee -5 teaspoons [optional] Bay leaf -6 Raisins -50 gms Cashew nuts – 50 gms Pistachios – 50 gms.

METHOD 1.

Wash rice and soak it in enough water for 15 minutes. Drain it. Mix ghee to the rice and keep aside. [The addition of ghee will prevent the rice from sticking together]

2.

Boil milk in the pan. When the milk starts boiling, add crushed cardamom pods and bay leaf. Boil milk well in a low flame until it reduces to one third.

3.

Drain the rice and add it to the milk. Let it cook well. The rice should be well cooked but should not be mushy and should hold its shape.

4.

Keep stirring in between to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.

5.

Once the rice is cooked, remove the bay leaves and add sugar and mix well.

6.

Boil for some more time till the milk thickens.

7.

Turn off the flame. Garnish with raisins, cashews and pistachios. Allow the payesh to cool, refrigerate it. Serve Chaler payesh chilled. [You can serve it hot or cold]

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SOUTHERN SPICY SUNDAL Every Navarathri brings to mind the 9 varieties of sundal that is made. Each day a different one is prepared and offered to God. Chick peas, kidney beans, green moong, black-eyed peas [lobia], are some of the protein medium used. This is distributed to young and old who visit the house. INGREDIENTS Chick peas/channa/garbanzo beans -1kg Coconut grated -100 gms. FOR THE TEMPERING Mustard - 1 tsp [5gms] Urad dal – 1 ½ tsp [15 gms] Red chillies – 2 broken into pieces Hing/asafetida – 2 pinches Curry leaves – a few Oil – 2 tbs PREPARATION Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Rinse well, add fresh water and pressure cook with required salt till soft. The channa/chickpeas should be soft but not mushy. Drain the excess water and keep aside. METHOD 1.

Heat oil in a kadai/pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add urad dal, red chillies, hing and curry leaves. Fry till urad dal turns golden brown.

2.

Then add cooked channa, salt and grated coconut and give it a nice stir.[Add only a little salt as we have already added it to the chick peas/channa while cooking]

3.

Channa sundal is ready to be served to the Goddess.

INCULCATION OF LIFE TIME SKILLS 1. Measurement /Mathematical skills: [using the above recipes] a. Calculate the approximate weight of the payesh/sundal [hint: you can take 5 litres of milk = 5 kgs.] b. Research/extension work: Why are liquids measured in litres whereas solids are measured in grams? c.

Do it yourself: Boil milk in a pan on a low flame. Calculate how much time it takes to reduce to onethird volume. [To be done under parental guidance.]

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2. Linguistic skills and General Awareness: Recipes follow their own language. When children are asked to follow a given recipe, their vocabulary improves and they learn to identify several spices and food items which otherwise they would not know of. 3. Logical sequencing: Recipes can always be used for sequencing activities. This hones their logical reasoning skills. 4. Hygiene: If children are given cooking lessons, they realize the need for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. ‘Cleaning up’ after creates sensitivity towards those who work for us. Teachers could draw comparisons and ask them to contemplate on the hygiene practiced by roadside vendors. This will help them realize that street food is not always healthy and should prevent them from over indulgence. 5. Eat Right, Think Right: Help the children to calculate the nutritional value of food. Having the basic knowledge of healthy and unhealthy food empowers them for life. 6. Life Skills: Learning to cook at an early age makes it a fun activity. The element of joy becomes a part of one’s psyche and cooking is not viewed as a chore even in adult life. It is an important life skill one needs to acquire for it makes one independent and future ready. 7. Strengthening Moral Values: Once children get involved in cooking activities, they realise how much effort goes into it and appreciate the effort put in by their mothers in preparing nutritional and delicious meals for them. Soon they will start pitching in at home without having to be asked. 8. Fostering Team Work: Cooking activities in school should be done as group activities as most children cannot perform all the activities individually. This helps them to learn how to collaborate and work as a team, appreciating each person’s skills for we all know that "Team work makes dreams come true".

- Uma Rajan & Deepak Gianney Birla High School (From Teacher Talk October 2017 edition)

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Ways of Fostering a Healthy Classroom Atmosphere – Now & Then! What are some of the things you do in your classroom to make the year incredible for all those you serve? What strikes me is the link between a healthy society and meaningful relationships. Fostering effective connections with the school community has always been important. However, it has never been more crucial than it has been throughout the last four years of teaching and learning amid the pandemic. As a school administrator, it was straightforward to identify instructors who valued relationships with their students. According to the infographic, these teachers would engage in these critical daily contacts, provide feedback, and foster a positive environment during a trying time. On the other side, positive relationships needed to be emphasized throughout the entire school community, as this was a trying moment for all stakeholders. As previously stated, a favourable time is an investment, and individuals need to know that you genuinely care about them and are looking out for their best interests. The preceding two years have emphasized the importance of servant leadership and its extraordinary impact on developing a positive culture in the entire school community.

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Once the students return to school – and in many parts of the country schools are reopening- some of the following ideas may be may help in making them feel welcome, comfortable and safe. Simple things can make a significant difference in our classroom environments, yet we should be intentional about them. Every year we should strive to make it the best year the students have, and if we all did this, school would only progressively get better for our students. 1.

Greet kids at the door. There is a significant difference between walking into a room and being welcomed versus one where you feel like you are not even noticed. This sets the tone for the entire day and reminds kids that we are privileged to have them show up every day.

2.

Play music to liven up the day. This might be something that I am a little biased on, but the environment of a room that I walk into that has lively music playing, as opposed to one that is quiet, reminds me of warming up for a game as an athlete. Music can often bring a smile to people entering the room and is just a terrific way to start the day.

3.

Go out of your way to make your first interactions positive. At some point, kids make mistakes. As a principal, I would go out of my way to connect with kids before they were sent my way. A student that knows they are valued will make the tough conversations a lot easier later on. This time spent is an investment in the child, not an expenditure.

4.

Call parents early and make sure they know you care about their kid. I learned this vital idea from a former secretary at my school. It is a great call (and far too often surprising) when parents hear from their child’s teacher, and the conversation is ONLY a positive one. This is an investment in an emotional bank account, and lets parents know that you genuinely care about their child.

5.

Have ideas about what you will do, but constantly tailor things for the students in front of you. Be flexible. What you did last year might not work this year because these are different kids. Don’t over-plan; ask questions and learn about your students.

6.

Design the classroom with your students. We spend so much time decorating the classroom before students show up, and then we call it “our room.” Something as simple as decorating the classroom together not only gives students ownership of the space, but it also helps to show that you care about their opinions (while also saving you a ton of time!).

7.

Find out the passions of each student and tap into them. One of the best ways to work with people is finding out what they love and tapping into it. The

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teachers who found out my passions made me feel like they had a genuine interest in who I was and what I loved. 8.

Find out their dreams, and try to help them move closer to those goals. We spend a lot of time thinking about where we want students to be and not enough time asking where they want to go. Success is deeply personal, and if we know students’ goals and dreams both in and out of the classroom and help them work towards achieving them, our impact will last long after their time under our care.

9.

Have them ask questions every single day, and help them find those answers. If a child leaves schools less curious than when they started, we have failed them. Through different endeavours, we ensure that we encourage our students to find the answers to the questions they pose and are curious about, not just what we are expected to teach.

10. Love them. This might sound a little fluffy, but teaching is a tough job. So is being a kid. There are so many things that kids deal with while growing up that they need to know that someone cares about them. Go out of your way to show enthusiasm for them as people, not just who they are as students. - George Couros, Blogpost

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The Voice of the Pupil This lesson, over two periods, on Listening and Speaking in English is for 11 and 12 year olds. The story, ‘Friend or Foe?’ is to be read aloud to the class once by the teacher and again by individual children in turn. The teacher then directs questions to the class. All pupils may have a copy of the story to fall back on, if required. Aims of the Speaking Exercise: i) The Teacher ? asks the questions but draws all the answers from the pupils ? knows that many questions have more than one answer ? encourages pupils to express their opinions ? tactfully supports pupils who are trying to make a point ? encourages pupils to pose questions to the class

ii) The Pupils ? think before responding ? use their own words, as much as possible ? speak clearly and to the point ? allow others to speak in their time ? respect the opinion of others

Friend or Foe? A monkey and a crocodile became friends. The monkey lived in a jamun tree on the bank of a river while the crocodile’s home was on the other side. He visited the monkey often for the sweet and juicy jamuns the monkey shared with him. In fact, the generous monkey even sent gifts of the jamuns to the crocodile’s wife. The lady crocodile loved the jamuns. But she didn’t like her husband being friends with a common monkey. So she made a plan to get rid of the monkey. She pretended to be very ill and told her husband that only the heart of the monkey could cure her.

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The crocodile begged his wife to try another medicine. But she insisted that nothing but the monkey’s heart could cure her. So the crocodileswam across the river to the jamun tree. ‘My wife wants to meet you’, he said. The monkey was delighted at the invitation and hopped on the crocodile’s back for the ride. Though he feared the roaring river he felt safe with the crocodile. On the way the monkey heard his friend sobbing. ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked. Then the crocodile told the monkey that his wife was ill and needed the monkey’s heart for a cure. ‘Oh dear!’ said the monkey after a moment’s thought. ‘I wish you had told me earlier. I’m afraid I’ve left my heart hanging on a branch of the jamun tree. But let’s go back and get it immediately.’ The crocodile agreed. When the monkey reached his home he was up the tree in two shakes of a tail. Safe at last, he said, ‘I know my heart’s in the right place. Because it’s beating like mad in my chest!’ (Based on a tale from the Panchatantra)

Suggested questions: Can a monkey and a crocodile be friends? Give reasons for your answer. Why did the lady crocodile want to get rid of the monkey? How do you know that the monkey trusted the crocodile? When did the crocodile cheat his friend? Why? In what ways do you think the crocodile was a foolish creature? Was the monkey afraid of anything? Give an example. When did the monkey behave bravely? At the end of the story the monkey says, ‘My heart’s in the right place…’ What does he mean? ‘My heart’s beating like mad in my chest’, says the monkey. Why do you think this is happening? Is the title of the story suitable? Give your reason. Make up a conversation between the crocodile and his wife after the monkey tricked him. - John Mason

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For Durga Puja

Recipes for festivals by Samina Qureshi

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For Durga Puja

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For Durga Puja

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For Durga Puja

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For Diwali

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For Diwali

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For Diwali

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For Diwali

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For Christmas

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For Christmas

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For Christmas

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For Christmas

My Tryst with Santiniketan I spent the first two years of my college life in Santiniketan. Coming from a Convent environment, it was a totally different world, but it welcomed everyone with open arms and I soon belonged. Sitting on a mat under the shade of a spreading tree around our professor, it did not seem out of place to discuss the nuances of logic or critically appreciate a poem. Strangely, I do not remember anyone getting distracted in between. Then on a cloudy day, we were permitted, if asked, to go for a long walk to the Kopai River and the teacher came along with us. I remember to this day the coolness and quietness of the huge library here one could disappear to a corner at will to devour a book! And then there was Nature all around us, every change being celebrated in all its glory – not only the advent of Spring and the full moon nights, but also the “Halakarshan” – the first day the land was tilled with the coming of rain. There was music, dance, art and aesthetics in all its variety and simplicity. I probably learnt the lessons of life most there. And when I came for my graduation to Calcutta, I was not found wanting. Till date, Santiniketan has stayed with me, even entering my classroom! My best friends are the ones I bonded with there. In the autumn of my life when I look back, those were the best years of my student life. I learnt the true meaning of freedom – freedom with responsibility, freedom with restraint. And I still belong to “Aamader Santiniketan”. - Shibani Iyengar

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Action Research In schools, action research refers to a wide variety of evaluative, investigative, and analytical research methods designed to diagnose problems or weaknesses—whether organizational, academic, or instructional—and help educators develop practical solutions to address them quickly and efficiently. Action research may also be applied to programs or educational techniques that are not necessarily experiencing any problems, but that educators simply want to learn more about and improve. The general goal is to create a simple, practical, repeatable process of iterative learning, evaluation, and improvement that leads to increasingly better results for schools, teachers, or programs. Action research may also be called a cycle of action or cycle of inquiry, since it typically follows a predefined process that is repeated over time. A simple illustrative example: Identify a problem to be studied Collect data on the problem Organize, analyze, and interpret the data Develop a plan to address the problem Implement the plan Evaluate the results of the actions taken Identify a new problem Repeat the process Unlike more formal research studies, such as those conducted by universities and published in peerreviewed scholarly journals, action research is typically conducted by the educators working in the district or school being studied—the participants—rather than by independent, impartial observers from outside organizations. Less formal, prescriptive, or theory-driven research methods are typically used when conducting action research, since the goal is to address practical problems in a specific school or classroom, rather than produce independently validated and reproducible findings that others, outside of the context being studied, can use to guide their future actions or inform the design of their academic programs. That said, while action research is typically focused on solving a specific problem (high rates of student absenteeism, for example) or answer a specific question (Why are so many of our ninth graders failing math?), action research can also make meaningful contributions to the larger body of knowledge and understanding in the field of education, particularly within a relatively closed system such as school, district, or network of connected organizations. The term “action research” was coined in the 1940s by Kurt Lewin, a German-American social psychologist who is widely considered to be the founder of his field. The basic principles of action research that were described by Lewin are still in use to this day. Educators typically conduct action research as an extension of a particular school-improvement plan, project, or goal—i.e., action research is nearly always a school-reform strategy. The object of action research could be almost anything related to educational performance or improvement, from the effectiveness of certain teaching strategies and lesson designs to the influence that family background has on student performance to the results achieved by a particular academic support strategy or learning program—to list just a small sampling. An example of how Action Research is conducted is provided in the following article.

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Teachers who Lead without having to Leave the Classroom The time is now right to get teachers involved not only in teaching but also in research based on their continual reflection of their work and learning from it. This idea came to mind when I heard an ex-student comment about the fact that the children in her school were not able to communicate in English despite having been there for a year. Here, I felt that that action Research would find the best strategies for this. Teachers who involve themselves in action research make the school into a learning organisation. This is an ideal that most schools want these days. Where do we start? A) Begin to identify the problem that is bothering the school/class/department ? For e.g.: Many children find it difficult to cope with Maths when word problems are introduced ? Spelling is very weak ? Children are disengaged

B)

Once the problem is identified then we need to talk with the group of fellow teachers, identify the possible causes, find ways to overcome this problem and apply strategies that will be Measurable and Achievable

? For e.g.: Let’s take a real life classroom example: ? Increasing Vocabulary increases classroom participation ? Many students do not engage in a class as they are first generation learners or even new to the

language. If students do not participate and interact with the teacher then she remains “outside” of the classroom activity ? Possible causes: Lack of confidence, Poor vocabulary, Classroom setting

C) Today’s children enjoy speaking in the vernacular and can express themselves better. Given a chance, they would like to speak in their mother tongue and do! I share below the activities used to enhance vocabulary in English from any reader /text: ? Word Gradients ? Vocabulary Stretchers ? Words tell a story

Word Gradients: Take the example of the story “ The Sleepy Seed” The book develops the relative size of things with words like massive, microscopic, tiny. I use both spectrums of the wordmassive vs microscopic and make a gradient: Massive, gigantic, large, big, small, tiny microscopic There could be other words too that describe size. This exercise can be done every day for 2

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months, with a variety of words from the reader stories. The children, with guidance learn the difference between “massive and large” and use them to compose sentences and in their compositions. This exercise done regularly helps children to be stronger readers and more descriptive writers. Vocabulary Stretchers: Word association is an activity that can be used with large classes and limited resources. How it works: Write a word on the board, and then get your students to say the first word that pops up in their head which has a relation to the word on the board. It’s a good idea to go around the class getting each student to give a word. If a student can’t come up with a word, this is the perfect opportunity to go over the meaning. 1. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Words Alive Instruct students to write the vocabulary word above the first box. Ask students to answer each of the five questions below the word. Direct students to draw a picture that depicts the meaning of the word. Have students write a caption that describes the picture and uses the vocabulary word.

WORD ? What do you think the word means? ? What does the dictionary say the word means? ? Write a definition of the word using your own words. ? What are some other words that mean the same thing as the word? ? What are some other words that mean the opposite of the word? ? Sketch of Word 2. Words in Association Write the word FOOT on the chalk/white-board Try ‘Stretching’ the word with SHOE, DOOR, BED, and FIRE. The children record these words using dictionary skills and have it up on their Vocabulary wall. ? Words tell a story: Take for example the word “Curriculum”

This word like many other words, tell a story. In ancient Greece, the stadium had an elliptical path for chariots to run the race. This path was called the curriculum. The word now has come to mean the course /path taken by a child to complete her education. Primary school children can be given Information cards with the story of the word. It encourages reading and recording. The big word for this is called “ETYMOLOGY” Can we show children how it works? All these strategies when practised regularly, with supporting data can be “measurable assessment.” In today’s world we should not fear data as we have software that will show us SD. Over time this will lead to better Class participation. Hence action Research is the way forward to make teachers the fountainhead of all classroom strategy and change schools into Learning Organisation! - Sonali Lahiri, Loreto House, TTC Department

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Kids Today Are Being Socialized to Think They’re Fragile Snowflakes A looming crisis and how to avert it Something is amiss among today’s youth. This observation isn’t the perennial “kids these days” plaint by your middle-aged correspondent. According to San Diego State University psychologist Jean Twenge, as reported in her book iGen (Atria, 2017), to the question “Do you have [a] psychological disorder (depression, etc.)?” the percentage of college students born in 1995 and after (the Internet Generation, or iGen) answering affirmatively in a Higher Education Research Institute study rose between 2012 and 2016. For men, the figure increased from 2.7 to 6.1 percent (a 126 percent increase) and for women from 5.8 to 14.5 percent (a 150 percent rise). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that between 2011 and 2016 the percentage of boys who experienced a depressive episode the prior year increased from 4.5 to 6.4 and in girls from 13 to 19. iGeners began entering college in 2013. Between 2011 and 2016 there was a 30 percent increase in college students who said they intentionally injured themselves (for example, by cutting), and according to the Fatal Injury Reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates increased 46 percent between 2007 and 2015 among 15- to 19-year-olds. Why are iGeners different from Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers? Twenge attributes the malaise primarily to the widespread use of social media and electronic devices, noting a positive correlation between the use of digital media and mental health problems. Revealingly, she also reports a negative correlation between lower rates of depression and higher rates of time spent on sports and exercise, in-person social interactions, doing homework, attending religious services, and consuming print media, such as books and magazines. Two hours a day on electronic devices seems to be the cutoff, after which mental health declines, particularly for girls who spend more time on social media, where FOMO (“fear of missing out”) and FOBLO (“fear of being left out”) take their toll. “Girls use social media more often, giving them more opportunities to feel left out and lonely when they see their friends or classmates getting together without them,” Twenge adduces. This, after noting that the percentage of girls who reported feeling left out increased from 27 to 40 between 2010 and 2015, compared with a percentage increase from 21 to 27 for boys In search of a deeper cause of this problem—along with that of the campus focus of the past several years involving safe spaces, microaggressions and trigger warnings—Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt argue in their book The Coddling of the American Mind (Penguin, 2018) that iGeners have been influenced by their overprotective “helicoptering” parents and by a broader culture that prioritizes emotional safety above all else. The authors identify three “great untruths”:

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? The Untruth of Fragility: “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.” ? The Untruth of Emotional Reasoning: “Always trust your feelings.” ? The Untruth of Us versus Them: “Life is a battle between good people and evil people.”

Believing that conflicts will make you weaker, that emotions are a reliable guide for responding to environmental stressors instead of reason and that when things go wrong, it is the fault of evil people, not you, iGeners are now taking those insalubrious attitudes into the workplace and political sphere. “Social media has channeled partisan passions into the creation of a ‘callout culture’; anyone can be publicly shamed for saying something well-intentioned that someone else interprets uncharitably,” the authors explain. “New-media platforms and outlets allow citizens to retreat into self-confirmatory bubbles, where their worst fears about the evils of the other side can be confirmed and amplified by extremists and cyber trolls intent on sowing discord and division.” Solutions? “Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child” is the first folk aphorism Lukianoff and Haidt recommend parents and educators adopt. “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded” is a second because, as Buddha counseled, “once mastered, no one can help you as much.” Finally, echoing Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, “the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being,” so be charitable to others. Such prescriptions may sound simplistic, but their effects are measurable in everything from personal well-being to societal harmony. If this and future generations adopt these virtues, the kids are going to be alright. From Scientific American - Michael Shermer

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The Right Mix of Chalk and Change They say, the only thing constant in life is change. Irrespective of whether we want to embrace it or fear it, change is inevitable. Like with anything over the past few years, the teaching-learning process too has undergone many changes. Most of these changes have been gradual, however, as a result of the global pandemic some changes have taken the teaching-learning world by storm, making the 21st century an extraordinary time to be a teacher, and even a student. The dependency on gadgets, the new methods of assessment or even the various platforms used to conduct classes in the present teaching-learning scenario is a subject we need no introduction to. Students and teachers of all ages are not merely embracing the change, but thriving as a result of it. These changes have certainly been big, but the biggest change to have come about in the post COVID world of education has interestingly enough not been this influx of technology, but rather, the change in the role of a twenty first century teacher.After all, had it not been for the teacher, this paradigm shift could not have taken place, the process of learning would have come to a halt and there would have been no scope for the use of technology, had teachers not facilitated this revolution of sorts. Educator, role model, counsellor, coach, cheerleader, mentor, artist, disciplinarian- these are some of the hats donned by any twenty-first century teacher. Needless to say, being a teacher has never been easy, but over the last few decades, the role of a teacher-educator has definitely become more multifaceted and less unilateral. Previously, a teacher was like an actor on stage putting on a show before an eager audience. The teacher was all important, the source of knowledge and there was little scope for a student to stand up and share his or her thoughts. Today however, the role of a teacher is more in keeping with that of a director, someone who assists discovery, someone who will show you what to look at but never tells you what to see. The student now has become the actor on stage, imbibing what the director (teacher) has to say but carrying out the part as he or she sees fit. In conclusion, it is not the job of a twenty first century educator, to help the students score fantastic marks in their board examinations, rather the role of the teacher today is so much more important than that! He or she must encourage the students to be agents of change, men and women of agency and individuals who are not afraid to speak their minds. As rightly put by Bob Talbert- Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best! - Melody D’Rosario

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Õ ±  ó ò ü ™ L ± ò ¿ ú ¿ Ž  î Âý Ë ù Î û Õ ± ò j Õ ± ÷ õ þ± Â ó ± ý ×Î ü ý ×Û ß Â ý ×ý ± ¿ ð Çß Âß Â ± ÷ ò ± Î û ò Û Ë ð õ þæ ò É Ý ï ± Ë ß ÂÕ ± ÷ ± Ë ð õ þý + ð Ë û þ¼ î Â Ë õ ý ×Î î  ± î  ± Ë ð õ þ÷ Ë ñ É ü Ål ü y  ± õ ò ± õ þë ×Â Ë i œ ø ¸Õ ± ÷ õ þ± â é  ± Ë î ÂÂ ó ± õ þË õ ± ¼ Õ ± ÷ õ þ± ý ×Î ú à ± Ë ò ± ¿ ú Ž  ± û þ¿ ú ¿ Ž  î Âý Ë û þå ± S å ± S Ï Õ ± R ¿ ò ö Ç õ þî  ± û þ÷ ± ò õ æ ± ¿ î  õ þÎ ü õ ± û þ¿ ò Ë û þ± ¿ æ î Âý Ë û þë × ê Â Ë õ , Î ü ý ×Î õ ± Ë ñ õ þæ ± á õ þË í õ þÕ ± ò j Î û ò Õ ± ÷ ± Ë ð õ þÕ ™ L õ þË ß ÂÕ ±  ó vÅî Âß Â Ë õ þ Î î  ± Ë ù î Â Ë õ ý ×Î î  ± ¿ ú Ž  ± ð ± ò ÷ ý È ÷ ± S ± Â ó ± Ë õ Õ ± ÷ ± Ë ð õ þß Â ± Ë å ¼ ¿ ú Ž  ± ð ± ò Õ ± ÷ ± Ë ð õ þý + ð û þË ß ÂÎ ü ý ×Õ ± R ò Åü g  ± Ë ò õ þî Âß Â Ë õ þî Å ù Åß Âû ± õ þ æ ò É ¿ ú Ž  ± ð ± ò ß Â ± Ë ù Û ¶¿ î  ¿ ò û þî ÂÕ ± ÷ ± Ë ð õ þß Â ± Ë å Û ¶¿ î  ¿ é Âå ± S å ± S Ï õ þ÷ Ë ñ É Õ ± ÷ õ þ± Õ ü Ï ÷ ü y  ± õ ò ± õ þÕ ± Ë ù ± Î ð à Ë î ÂÂ ó ± ý ×¼ ¿ õ ð É ± ù Ë û þõ þ Û ¶¿ î  ¿ é Â¥ ¡± ò ÷ ÅË à ý ± ¿ ü Î ô  ± é  ± Ë ò ± õ þÕ ± ò j Î û ò Õ ± ÷ ± õ þý + ð û þË ß ÂÕ ± ò Ë j ö  ¿ õ þË û þÎ î  ± Ë ù ¼ ß Â ± õ þí õ å Ë õ þõ þ ó õ þõ å õ þÕ ± ÷ ± Ë ð õ þö Å õ ò ü ß Â ± ù Î ï Ë ß ÂÝ õ þ± ý ×Õ ± Ë ù ± û þö  ¿ õ þË û þõ þ± Ë à ¼ ß Â ± æ õ þÏ ÷ Åà ± æ ÇÏ Loreto Day School, Bowbazar

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Festive Legends & Rabbit Tales The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Vietnam, as well as by overseas Chinese and Vietnamese communities. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan, Korea and throughout Southeast Asia. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night, corresponding to mid-September to early October of the Gregorian calendar. On this day, the Chinese believe that the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn. Lanterns of all size and shapes, are carried and displayed – symbolic beacons that light people's path to prosperity and good fortune. Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean, egg yolk, meat or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during this festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang'e, the moon goddess in Chinese mythology. The Jade Rabbit is also a widespread character related to the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon. The Chinese believe that the Jade Rabbit is a companion to Chang'e on the moon. There were three animals living in a forest: a fox, a rabbit, and a monkey. One day, the Emperor of Heaven wanted to test the animals' virtues. So, he came to Earth and changed his appearance to that of an old man. He said, "I heard that you three are good friends, so I came a long way to meet you. Now I am very hungry. What will you offer me?" "Please wait here. We will come back with food soon." Then the three animals went their separate ways to find food. The fox caught a fish in a river; the monkey got fruit in the forest; but the rabbit got nothing and came back with nothing. The old man said, "It seems that you three are not united and work alone. You two kept your promise and brought back food. But the rabbit hasn't brought back anything." The rabbit felt very sorry. "Please help me to get some firewood. I want to cook some food for him," she said to the fox and monkey.After they set the wood on the fire, the rabbit said, "Sorry I didn't fulfil my promise. But I can give myself to you. Eat me, please!" and the rabbit jumped into the fire.The Emperor of Heaven was deeply moved by the rabbit. He picked up the rabbit's bones and said, "was so touched.

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To honour her, I will let her go to the Moon Palace, so that people can see her forever."He decided to make the rabbit an immortal, sending her to live in the Moon Palace with Goddess Chang E. Therefore, nowadays when the Chinese decorate Mid-Autumn Festival, they would use rabbits as one of the decorations. Rabbits also feature in Native American tales.A rabbit is a trickster animal in most of the south-eastern Native American tribes, and occasionally in some of the north-eastern tribes as well. The Great Lakes Algonquian hero Nanabozho is also associated with rabbits and is sometimes referred to as the Great Hare (although he himself has the form of a human man except for one appearance as a rabbit spirit when he was a child.) In many Mexican and Central American tribes, rabbits are symbols of fertility; in Aztec mythology rabbits were associated with pulque (a type of traditional alcoholic beverage) and with drunkenness. Rabbits are used as clan animals in some Native American cultures. Tribes with Rabbit Clans include the Hopi (whose Rabbit Clan is named Tapngyam or Taf-wungwa) and the Shawnee. The Kiowa tribe also had a Rabbit Society (called Kasowe) as one of their four ceremonial societies, whose members were all children and young teens. And the Rabbit Dance is one of the important social dances for the Native American tribes of the Northeast Woodlands and Northern Plains, which can be seen at some intertribal powwows today. In the story that follows we see a different aspect of Rabbit’s character.

Rabbit Calls a Truce In the long ago when Glooscap (a legendary figure of the Wabanaki peoples), ruled over the Wabanaki, there lived two lively animals, Keoonik the Otter, and Ableegumooch the Rabbit, who were forever playing tricks on each other. One day, when Keoonik was in swimming, Ableegumooch ran off with a string of eels he had left on the shore. Keoonik rushed out of the water and went in angry pursuit. He had no difficulty in tracking the rabbit, for the mark of the fish, touching the ground between jumps, clearly showed the way. He was astonished, however, when the trail ended at a clearing in the woods where a withered old woman sat by a small fire. "Kwah-ee, Noogumee," said Keoonik, using the formal address for an elderly female. "Did you see a rabbit hopping this way, dragging a string of eels?" "Rabbit? Rabbit?" muttered the old woman. "What kind of animal is that?" The otter explained that it was a small brown jumping creature with long ears and a short tail. "I saw no such animal," the old woman grumbled, "but I'm glad you came along, for I'm cold and sick. Do please gather a little wood for my fire." Obligingly, Keoonik went off to do so. Returning with the wood, he stared around in surprise. The old

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woman was gone. On the spot where she had sat, he saw the mark of a rabbit's haunches, and familiar paw-prints leading away in to the woods. Then he remembered that Ableegumooch was very clever at changing his appearance and fooling people. "Oh, that miserable rabbit!" cried Keoonik and set off again on the trail. This time the tracks led straight to a village of the Penobscot people, where Keoonik could see the rabbit in conversation with a thin sad man wearing the feather of a Chief in his hair string. The wily otter cut himself a stout stick and waited behind a tree. Presently, Ableegumooch came strolling down the path, his face creased in an absentminded frown. Keoonik was ready for him. He brought the stick down on the rabbit's head with a thud, and Ableegumooch collapsed on the grass. "That should teach him," thought Keoonik, with satisfaction, and he sat down to wait for the rabbit to recover. Presently Ableegumooch came to his senses and staggered to his feet with a dazed expression. "What did you do with my eels?" demanded Keoonik. "I gave them to the people," muttered the rabbit, exploring the bump on his head with a groan. "What did you do that for, you silly creature?" "Those Penobscots are starving, Keoonik," said the rabbit. "For many moons someone has been stealing their food." "Just the same," grumbled Keoonik, "those were my eels." The rabbit thumped his hind legs on the ground with an air of great determination. "Keoonik, we must find the robbers and punish them!" "We?" asked Keoonik in astonishment. "Yes, you and I," said his companion firmly. "Let there be a truce between us until we discover the thieves." Keoonik thought to himself that Ableegumooch was a fine one to complain of people stealing other people's food! However, he too felt sorry for the Penobscots. "All right," he agreed. "We'll have a truce," and they shook hands solemnly. Then they started back to the village to ask the Chief what they might do to help, but when they were still some way off they saw two other animals talking to him. These were Uskoos the Weasel and Abukcheech the Mouse, two animals so troublesome even their own families would have nothing to do with them. "Let's listen," whispered Ableegumooch, drawing Keoonik behind a tree. "We will find those robbers for you, Chief," they heard Uskoos say. "Don't you worry about a thing." "You can depend on us," chimed in Abukcheech. Ableegumooch nudged the otter. "Did you hear that?" "I heard," said Keoonik. "So, the people don't need our help after all." "I wonder," said the rabbit thoughtfully. "What do you wonder? And why are we whispering?" "Shhh! Let's think about it a little, Keoonik. Have you any idea how those two get their living? They sleep all day and go hunting only after dark." "Some of us like to hunt after dark," Keoonik said fairly. "Well, but listen," said the rabbit. "All the fur robes in the camp have been chewed and scratched and spoiled. What animals chew and scratch wherever they go?"

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"Weasels and mice," answered Keoonik promptly. "Very well. Let's follow them and see what happens." So Keoonik and Ableegumooch, keeping out of sight themselves, followed the weasel and the mouse a very long way, to a large burrow in the side of a hill where a number of other weasels and mice of bad reputation were gathered. All greeted Uskoos and Abukcheech and listened to what they had to say, while the rabbit and otter, hidden behind a blueberry bush, listened too. "We were very sympathetic," smirked Uskoos, "and said we would help them." "So now they won't suspect us," said Abukcheech, and all the mice and weasels chortled gleefully. "It is time now," said Uskoos, "to call all the animals together and plan the conquest of the Penobscots. For we are smarter than the people and deserve to have all the food for ourselves." "Very true!" all shouted. "How will we get the rest to join us?" asked Abukcheech. "The smaller ones will be afraid to say no to us," declared Uskoos. "We will use trickery on the others. We will tell them the Penobscots plan to destroy all the animals in the land, and we must unite in order to defend ourselves." "Then, with Wolf and Bear and Moose to help us," cried Abukcheech, "we'll soon have all the people at our mercy!" The otter and the rabbit could hardly believe their ears. Someone must warn the people. "Come on," whispered Keoonik, but the rabbit only crouched where he was, tense and unmoving. The fact is, he wanted to sneeze! Ableegumooch wanted to sneeze more than he ever wanted to sneeze in his life before, but he mustn't sneeze--the sound would give them away. So he tried and he tried to hold that sneeze back. He pressed his upper lip, he grew red in the face, and his eyes watered-- but nothing was any good. "Ahhhhhh-ahhhhhh-choo!" Instantly, the weasels and mice pounced on Keoonik and Ableegumooch and dragged them out of hiding. "Spies!" growled Uskoos. "Kill them, kill them!" screamed Abukcheech. "I have a better plan," said Uskoos. "These two will be our first recruits." Then he told the prisoners they must become members of his band, or be killed. Poor Ableegumooch. Poor Keoonik. They did not wish to die, yet they could never do as the thieves wished, for the Penobscots were their friends. Ableegumooch opened his mouth, meaning to defy the villains no matter what the consequences, and then his mouth snapped shut. He had heard a strange sound, the sound of a flute piping far away, and he knew what it was. It was the magic flute of Glooscap, and the Great Chief was sending him a message. Into the rabbit's head popped the memory of something Glooscap had said to him once long ago, half in fun, half in earnest. "Ableegumooch," he seemed to hear the words again, "the best way to catch a snake is to think like a snake!" At once the rabbit understood. He set himself to think like the mice and the weasels, feeling the greed and selfishness that was in them. Then he had a plan. "Very well," he said, "we will join you. Those people are certainly very cruel and dishonest. They deserve the worst that can happen to them. Why, only yesterday"--and here he gave Keoonik a secret

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nudge--"my friend and I saw them hide away a great store of food in a secret place. Didn't we, Keoonik?" "Oh, yes, certainly," stammered Keoonik, wondering what trick the rabbit was up to now. The weasels and mice jumped about in mad excitement. "Where? Where? Where is this place?" "Take us there at once!" cried Uskoos, licking his lips. "Certainly," said Ableegumooch, starting old towards the woods. "Just follow us." Abukcheech the Mouse was right at their heels, but Uskoos soon shouldered him aside. Then each animal fought to be in front, and in this way all rushed through the forest, across the meadows, down into the valleys and over the hills, until at last--pushing and panting and grunting, they all reached the bottom of a grassy hill. Ableegumooch pointed to a pile of rocks at the top. "You will find the wealth you seek up there," he cried. "Hurry, hurry! The best will go to those who get there first." Away they all went, each struggling to be first. The ra bit and the otter stood aside and watched as the wild mob scrambled up the hill--up and up until suddenly, too late to stop, they found themselves teetering on the edge of a cliff, with nothing in front of them but space, and the sea far below. Those who were first tried to stop but were pushed over by those crowding behind and so, screaming with terror, down they all went, headlong into the sea. "Well," said Keoonik, peering over the edge of the cliff with a shiver, "their nations are well rid of them." "So are the Penobscots," said the rabbit. "And now that together we have saved our friends from the mice and the weasels, Keoonik, let us go home together in peace as good neighbours should." "I'm willing," said the otter, but he had no sooner taken a step than he sprawled on the ground. Ableegumooch had tripped him. "That's for the knock on the head!" the rabbit laughed, and made for the woods. Picking himself up furiously, Keoonik was after him, shouting, "Just wait till I catch you; I'll teach you to play tricks!" Their truce was over. And Glooscap, looking down from Blomidon, laughed at their antics, for he knew that with all their mischief there was no greed or spite in the hearts of Keoonik and Ableegumooch, against the people or against each other.

Teaching- Learning Ideas(for Classes VI- VII) 1. Narrate the story in class (off- or on-line); students could also be asked to read them aloud with different roles being assigned to different students in the class. 2. Discuss a) Which folk- tale did they prefer and why? b) Is the ending of the story of Jade Rabbit a happy one or a sad one? Divide the class into groups and ask them to change the ending of the story. What values did they learn from this story? c) What holds one’s interest in the tale of ‘Rabbit Calls a Truce’? Does the story have a message for the reader? What is meant by ‘truce’ and in what other situation can a truce be called?

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3. Activities d) A virtual enactment of ‘Rabbit Calls a Truce’ could be organised. e) Students could design a poster on the mid- Autumn festival. f)

Students could find out more about the harvest festivals of India and make a group presentation on it.

g) A few students could be assigned the role of farmers. How would they feel if there was i.

a sudden cyclone that destroyed their paddy fields one year? What steps could they take to ease the situation?

ii. a bumper apple crop this year? What should the farmer do to ensure that the fruit does not rot?

- Compiled by K. Dutt

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