Know Your Teacher: ‘Being a teacher means you help enrich children’s lives’

She has been a teacher for over eight years now. After pursuing her master’s in Physics she went on to do her BEd. Not only this, but she is also Central Teacher Eligibility Test qualified. Meet Suruchi Girdhar, who has been teaching Math to classes V-VIII of Apeejay Svran Global School, 21-D in Faridabad.

“I have been in the teaching profession for more than eight years. Being a teacher means you help enrich children’s lives, not just through core educational skills but also by developing a sense of responsibility, creativity, and building self-confidence in the students,” Girdhar said, who says that to build trust with the students, the teacher must be consistent with what she does.

Excerpts from the interview.

Teaching comes with challenges. How do you keep yourself motivated?

I remain positive about my work all the time. I am patient, dedicated, and passionate. I can do more with less. It is a treacherous journey often filled with just as many valleys as there are mountains.

How do you make classroom teaching interactive?

To make classroom teaching interactive I stay up to date with learning technology, make my lessons integrated with other subjects, and involve and encourage students to actively participate in classroom activities.

You teach Math, not an easy subject. What are some things that students can do to score well?

Getting a good score requires a streamlined study process and strategy. Another important thing is effective time management, which directs a student to develop a balanced study programme. This is the most important step in learning how to get good grades on tests. A wonderful technique to assess where you stand on the topic is to take practice tests and solve papers.

To build trust with students a teacher must be consistent in her/his tasks. A teacher is a role model for the students. A teacher’s actions and words are all the more important than the instructions

–Suruchi Girdhar, Apeejay Svran Global School, 21-D in Faridabad

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What is the toughest thing about teaching?

The challenge teachers face in the present world is to know and understand their student’s different learning abilities and capacities. Motivate and encourage them when the students underperform and have to deal with parental and peer pressure.

How can we use technology to improve Math skills?

Technology enables teachers to make use of learning aids that are designed to make the student’s visualisation power better. A student learns better when he/she sees things rather than teaching just theory. This helps them to solve problems and builds their analytical and logical thinking.

How can a teacher build trust with her/his students?

To build trust with students a teacher must be consistent in her/his tasks. A teacher is a role model for the students. A teacher’s actions and words are all the more important than the instructions. She/he has to be patient and must give them responsibilities and challenging tasks to build trust.

Message for the students.

Believe in what you can do, and you will overcome any obstacles in life. Being successful is easy if you trust yourself. It’s okay to make mistakes. It is a great way to learn since you will remember every single one of them and won’t repeat them. With determination, persistence, and hard work, anything is possible in life. So, the mantra should be to continue to work hard.