Every teacher has a series of
stories to share, so do I. My first teaching job was that of a primary teacher, though
teaching was not new to me. I have been teaching for a very long time. I taught math and science to 4th and 5th graders then.
Later I inquired about him and his behaviour. His class teacher informed me that he was a first-generation learner and had a learning
disability. That very day during the dispersal I saw Aman scribbling on
the board with a smile. I got an idea of seeing this. Next day, I solved a sum on the board, explained a
particular concept and later divided the board, using chalk, into three sections.
I called three students randomly to solve similar
questions, every child was excited to solve the sums on the board and awaited their turn, eagerly. I saw Aman writing in his notebook. It was filled with many mistakes. I corrected them and asked him to write the answer on the
board. He hesitated but agreed to copy it from his corrected notebook. I appreciated his work and asked everyone to clap for him. I could
see the smile of achievement on his face. After this, we continued doing this
every single day. He was appointed the homework monitor. One part of the board had
been assigned to him for solving homework answers on the board. Of course for a
math teacher to give time for homework solving in class is time-consuming and
frustrating. Yet, I was PATIENCE and the whole class co-operated. So I feel in
this process of teaching we all learnt the art of PATIENCE.
I could see a drastic change in Aman's behaviour. He began to greet me with a smile whenever I entered the classroom. In fact, he
waited for the math class, where he felt like the star of the class. Moreover, he became a happy child, more confident than he was
before, and was enthusiastic to come to school. He started showing COURAGE.
Every child in the classroom got a chance to solve sums on board, but
for Aman, it became a symbol of his achievement. A permanent column was made on the board for him to solve the sums. He started doing his homework regularly, knowing he had to do it on
board every day.
" A little patience can make a timid child courageous".
If you love and care for someone you have to have patience and understand their behaviour. When you do that to bring in some positive change in your students it makes you feel happy and this happiness translates into a more interacting and enthusiastic class.
Optimizer @ Billabong High International School Thane.
- Rupal Trivedi, Kalyani Chaudhari, Madhubala Saji, Kshama Rajgor, Momita Banerjee, Ajita Bhoir & Sanket Patel