Teacher's Diary: 'Patience, tolerance and affection go a long way in ensuring children continue learning at school'

I teach at a government primary school in Madhya Pradesh's Daulatpura village in Mandsaur district. I feel proud and fortunate to be a primary teacher at a government school. I enjoy the challenge of keeping my students entertained and informed.

I think my imagination was triggered by a course I attended at the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training in Jaipur, Rajasthan. There, I learnt how to make colourful puppets with discarded material. I learnt about voice modulation and how I could play several roles by just changing my voice. I made and used rod puppets, finger puppets and glove puppets to teach anything from numbers and words to languages and the environment. All kids love cartoons and these puppets are something similar, aren’t they!

Also Read: Rod, finger, and glove puppets come alive in a village primary school in Mandsaur, MP

In the beginning I would take short videos of my classes on my phone and share it on a few WhatsApp groups. Then, someone suggested I put them up on YouTube. And, that was another learning experience for both me and my students. I taught students to tape what I was doing and put it up on YouTube. Everything I put up on YouTube has been filmed by a student.

The kids love the activities and feel let down if I have not planned something special for them. But, the fact that there could be something interesting and entertaining in class that day, keeps them coming.

I have found that patience, tolerance and affection go a long way in ensuring children stay on in school. Finding innovative ways to teach them will keep them engaged in class.