Dear Teacher!

Every student has a favourite teacher who has been a friend and guide besides being an inspiration. Here is a glimpse of school Principals/Directors sharing their life-changing experiences about mentors who left an impact!

Shape our personality

Jasleen Kaur Sabharwal, Principal, The New Public School, Chandigarh

I feel privileged to be mentored, monitored, guided and nurtured by some very simple entities, who taught and trained me to be humane first. I may not be a great human, but whatever I am today and whatever little I have achieved is because of my first teachers at home, my parents, my foremost and unconditional source of inspiration.

They have stood by me at all times and helped me look at the better side of life with a pleasing perspective and optimistic approach. I hail from the City of Joy, Kolkata, and was fortunate enough to study in two of the top schools there. It’s pretty tough to name just a single teacher who inspired me at school. But I certainly have memories of my history teacher in Class IV, political science teacher in Class XI and my art teacher. They are the protagonists who instilled the best values in me and shaped up my personality to face the world.

As the saying goes, we come across many people in our lives who teach us a number of things, inspire us to aspire for more and more, some are intentionally acquired, some get into our system through conditioning and a few are latent and hidden in our subconscious minds. We learn a lot from our family, friends, associate list is long. Inspiration can come in any form from anyone, there are no hindrances at all. I am awed to see the zestful energy of my Director Sir and the empathetic attitude of my brother and son to embrace humanity and help all in need.

But not to forget, nature is one of the greatest teachers, never ages and never forgets to teach us lessons for life and inspires us to care and share. Dear children, you shall come across many people, many circumstances, just remember that each instance is a nourishing experience and live it happily as your radiance shall make you fulfill and live your dreams. But don’t ever be ungrateful and disrespectful to anyone.

My sincerest gratitude to my teachers, family, friends, associates and the creator! Love and blessings to all my children!

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Nation builders!

Charanpreet Kaur, Principal, Guru Harkrishan Public School, Dera Bassi

Teacher's Day is celebrated to pay tribute to teachers who have dedicated a considerable part of their life to impart moral and academic knowledge to the students. Dr S Radhakrishnan also considered himself a teacher first and then a President.

These days, teachers are showing remarkable performance by taking virtual classes and controlling students from distance. Not only are they taking classes, but are also checking their work and conducting various activities too.

I recall the teachers who helped me shaping my life. One teacher who turned and changed my life is Dr. Ashok Chitkara. He taught me in Class X in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chandigarh. He was extremely hardworking and always taught students in an innovative way. He used to give practical knowledge of the topics whether it was quadratic equations, shares and debentures or geometry. His most powerful weapon was his home work in which constituted 50 to 100 sums in one day. Each theorem was given to be written 10 to 20 times. Due to him, I am able to write theorem of my life to reach the successful designation. He was a very dedicated and disciplined teacher. Presently also, he is a very famous figure. He is the owner of Chitkara University and is helping many students explore their potential.

I was thrilled when I met his daughter-in-law Ms Niyati Chitkara in few Principal meets. She told me that he still teaches students of his school for 3 to 4 hours when he visits the school i.e. Chitkara International School. I give my hearty salute to such a great teacher and an educationist.

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Lifelong learners

Dr Madam Grace Pinto, Managing Director, Ryan International Group of Institutions

September 5, is celebrated as Teacher's Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India and a renowned teacher and a philosopher for his commendable contribution to education. This day is rightly set aside to honour our teachers for their sacrifice in making a significant contribution to the society. Dr Radhakrishnan believed that "teachers should be the best minds in the country".

Indeed, teachers are lifelong learners because learning never stops neither for them nor for the students.

Due to the current pandemic situation, over the past few months, the Indian K-12 sector has evolved tremendously with a transition taking place from offline to online mode of learning. Lifelong learning being the essence of teaching, we witnessed teachers unlearn and relearn, and learn new strategies and tools that were available online in order to provide a productive learning experience for the students. As a result, there was a seamless transition for many schools from offline to virtual interactive model of learning. We greatly commend all our teachers for their commitment and sincere effort to constantly upgrade and equip themselves for the betterment of our students. In the years ahead, hybrid blended learning with 'face-to-face classrooms and virtual lessons' is likely to be the future of education that will provide engaging and meaningful learning experiences for our students. Virtual learning as an integral part of education system is here to stay, however the holistic development through school activities with teachers as mentors will continue to remain extremely integral part of child's education.

While we appreciate our teachers for their relentless effort to guide children, with the National Education Policy (NEP2020) the whole pedagogical framework has undergone a change and therefore we will stand to benefit if our teachers as lifelong learners embrace the changes proactively and redesign and redefine the learning outcomes to make our children more global citizens. Teachers as mentors are not only empowering individuals but empowering generations to come. On this Teachers' Day, we urge all our dear teachers to rededicate themselves for this noble cause of education. There is a wealth of talent and potential within every child and teachers would serve them well to facilitate the unlocking of this wealth and empowering them to discover their true purpose in life. Teachers - cherish your special calling to be lifelong learners in order to impact eternity. Happy Teacher's Day!