It is now thirty six years since I started teaching. Each of these thirty six years have been really enriching. What has made my teaching experience so invaluable?It is my multifariousinteraction with my students who have now become an intrinsic part of my life.

I believe I have gained as much from my students as I have given. They have taught me that each one of them is unique and we need to identify the special spark in each child. This is possible when we connect with children, communicate with them professionally but freely. This naturally creates love for the children and makes teaching enjoyable.

I believe that teaching is not like a savings account where we just go on depositing knowledge. What really helps the students is constructive, participative learning which can facilitate them to build their own understanding of concepts, cultivate their skills of learning and help them bloom. This is what makes teaching interesting for me.

Seeing my student pass with merits or become a successful professional gives me great pride. However equally fulfilling is the time spent with the children who require extra attention to cope with their academic requirements. Similarly my role in guiding the parents of a child with learning disability (LD), counseling them about the special provisions made by the SSC Board for children with LD and giving them hope that the child has the intelligence to succeed in life inspite of academic problems, I feel isan important contribution I am making in the student’s lifeand I am happy to do so.

Job package of a teacher includes a number of monotonous tasks too in terms of filling registers, preparing marksheets,report cards, correcting papers, etc. but the monotony gets overshadowed by the time we spend with the bubbly, lively students. Memories of their innocent talks, their innocent mischief linger in my mind when I am back home too. No doubt my students have always occupied a very special place in my heart.