Know Your Teacher: ‘An educator is like a painter or sculptor’

Poonam Nijhawan is a Primary-Years-Programme (PYP) Facilitator at Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park. She began her journey as a teacher almost three decades back before moving to her present workplace. Having been around children for so many years, she believes they show their best talent when they are allowed the freedom to explore and learn at their own pace. She tells us more about her teaching methodologies in an interview.

Edited excerpts:

How long have you been associated with Apeejay School International, Panchsheel Park? What do you teach?

It has been five years now. I teach PYP-I children. As the class facilitator, I take all the disciplines including English, Hindi, the Unit of Inquiry, Science, and Math.

How did you start your journey in teaching? What inspired you?

I’ll start by responding to the second part of your question because inspiration is what eventually directs people toward the proper course in life. For me, children’s innocence and the way young students revere and look up to their teachers at school have always interested me. I’ve always compared a teacher to a painter or sculptor because they have the ability to create anything they want with wet clay or an empty canvas.

My teaching career began about 28 years back when I entered Apeejay, to enroll my son in a nursery class. I was given the chance to work there as a pre-primary teacher. The atmosphere at the school was so welcoming that I quickly started to feel at home and love my job. Since then, I’ve been inspired to attend a class every day owing to an optimistic environment and the freedom to do what is best for fostering young minds.

How would you describe teaching at Apeejay?

The method of instruction at Apeejay is neither teacher-nor student-centric but a combination of the two, making teachers and students equal partners in the learning process. After providing the student with guidance, the teachers offer them the freedom to investigate, sort the information, and act according to their areas of interest. Nothing makes a teacher happier than watching pupils develop into self-reliant lifelong learners.

Secondly, we don’t have any fixed textbook curriculum here. Teachers can use their own methods and teach topics that they feel are relevant. Here, there is an ongoing learning process for both teachers and students. Teachers are also encouraged to attend in-house and outside workshops for their professional development.

Can you describe your approach to classroom teaching and how you create an engaging and inclusive learning environment for your students?

I keep it simple and child friendly. Keeping the International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy in mind, I don’t dictate to students but make them my friends who love and trust me as they would love and trust their mothers. I don’t believe in rote learning but in activity-based learning, so I use a lot of hands-on activities to explain the different concepts in all the subjects. I believe that all children are little adults who need their own space, and pace and have a desire to be praised.

To cater to this, I use differentiated methods of teaching and assessing so that every student learns at his/her own pace and feels happy when praised. I also give enough space for the student to have agency and act as per their areas of interest and choice. This way, students learn to adapt to their surroundings without losing their uniqueness.