His teaching career began 24 years back, in 1999, when he taught at DAV College, near Dalhousie. He switched jobs in 2000 and has been with Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg since then. For him, being able to contribute positively in the life of the students is the most rewarding aspect of teaching. This is because it is one profession in which we get an opportunity to shape the lives of his students. Meet Manish Malhotra.
“In Sanskrit, guru meansthe one who takes you away from darkness and towards light. When students come to us, they do not know anything about the subject in specific life in general. They have no idea about their future career. Through our teaching, behaviour and communication we guide them in all aspects,” Malhotra said, who teaches Accountancy and Business Studies to classes XI and XII.
In an interview, he talks about the most rewarding aspect for a teacher and how the last 23 years at Apeejay seems like 23 days to him.
Tell us about your professional qualifications- courses, and certifications, if any.
I am a PGT (Commerce) and academic coordinator at Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg in Jalandhar. I have done my master’s in Commerce with specialisation in Business Administration. I also cleared UGC NET in Accounting and Finance. I have also done MEd. Other than these I have taken a professional course in Stock Trading.
What is the most rewarding aspect of a teacher?
Our students remember us, appreciate us and cherish the time spent with us for the rest of their lives. I am still in touch with so many students and we share a great relation even today. Other than this teaching enables us to remain young forever. We remain surrounded by the youth. Our brain remains active. We keep ourselves updated.
You are an academic coordinator. What is a typical day for you?
As academic coordinator, I have to coordinate the whole learning environment of the school. Besides teaching, I manage substitution duties for teachers who are absent on a given day. Preparation for substitution duties start the evening prior and this work gets completed during the zero period on the given day. After the classes I have to coordinate with different HoDs with regard to syllabus completion, upcoming exams and other departmental matters. Mostly I sit with the exam committee which I head. I discuss official matters with the vice-principal and the principal who are very supportive and encouraging.
Why did you want to be a teacher?
I am a teacher by choice. I love interacting with the youth and guiding them in the right direction. Besides, I am good at my job. I have a passion for teaching. By choosing to be a teacher I can make a difference in many lives, can impact society positively and can have personal fulfilment as well.
How and why did you choose Apeejay?
After completing my post-graduation, I worked as a lecturer in DAV College near Dalhousie for one session. Then I came back to Jalandhar. I got lectureship at DAV Colleges of Jalandhar, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur on contract basis and also got selected in Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg. I had to make a choice. I chose Apeejay over college because I thought that teaching on a permanent basis in Apeejay is far better than taking an ad-hoc job in a college.
Also, ever since my childhood I used to hear that Apeejay is a great school. Elite of the city study here. Plenty of activities here help in grooming the overall personality of the children. I thought it would be great to serve in such a great school. My decision proved to be perfect; Apeejay gave me everything. It is a great place to work. Jalandhar being my hometown is the cherry on the cake.
What are some ways that parent-teacher interaction can be improved?
I think parent-teacher partnership is the most important relationship for the betterment of the child. In the absence of a healthy relationship between parent and teacher both the parties just indulge in blame games and passing the buck on to the one another. To bring about a qualitative improvement in parent teacher interaction following things can be of great help: Open communication; be relevant; parental involvement; be respectful and understanding. Be flexible, positive, and empathetic too.
There is a lot of emphasis on concept-based, analytical-based learning by CBSE. How is this benefitting the students?
In concept-based learning we focus on ‘deep understanding’ of the subject. We emphasise on the exploration of key principles, theories, and relationships between ideas, rather than focusing solely on memorizing facts or procedures. The main goal here is ‘in-depth study’ of the topic. Concept-based learning also develops the ability of ‘syntheses’ among students.
Analytical based learning on the other hand uses the breaking up the subject matter into small more meaningful parts and studying the relationship of different parts among themselves. This learning model is quite useful in Mathematics, Accountancy and other areas requiring ‘logic’ and ‘reasoning’. It also develops ‘problem-solving’ and ‘data analysis skills’.
What are the challenges that come with teaching? How do you deal with it?
Catering to the needs and personality of each child is a challenge. Dealing with deadlines, indiscipline, relationships with students, adolescence of students, handling the pressure of outside coaching institutes, rising expectations of parents and management are all challenges. But ‘Challenges Maketh a Man. Life is boring without challenges. They present us with great opportunities to learn and grow stronger.
How does holistic development benefit a student?
The main aim of education, for me, is to enable the child to grow up to his potential in all walks of life. A holistically developed personality of the child enables him to first achieve and then enjoy all seven sukhas (happiness) of life which are deep rooted in our culture.
