Know Your Teacher: ‘We learn from our students all the time’

She has done her MSc in Applied Geophysics but before pursuing this programme, she did her BEd. Having been a teacher for over three decades means that she has vast experience and knowledge to give to her students. Meet Maninder Kaur, a Science teacher at Apeejay School, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

“I have been teaching since 1991 but all of these have been spent at Apeejay alone. My husband was in the Border Security Force so for over 15 years I was a teacher at another school till we came to Noida in 2007. That is when I joined Apeejay School in Greater Noida,” Kaur said, who has taught classes V to XII but at present, she is teaching classes VII to X – Science to classes VII and VIII, and Physics to students of classes IX and X.

Excerpts from an interview.

Why and how did you decide to work at Apeejay?

I belong to Amritsar in Punjab. And anybody who has lived in this state would have heard of Apeejay Education Society and the reputation that its schools have. I have always wanted to teach at this school. I had heard so much about this school and how brilliant the education system is. So, when we moved to Noida, teaching at an Apeejay was an obvious move. I aimed to teach at an institute that believed in high moral values in students and providing excellence in education. And this school does this rather well.

What and who inspired you to become a teacher?

My father was an educationist. He was a Professor at the college in Punjab. His enthusiasm to teach increased my passion for sharing my knowledge with the students. So, after I completed my MSc I decided to get into teaching. The best part is that as the years progressed, my love for teaching has only grown.

What are some of the changes that we have seen in education?

I think that all the changes that have taken place have been for the better. Change is the only constant in our lives. Technology has brought in so many changes in this sector and all of it has only improved learning. During the COVID-19 lockdown, teachers and students had to quickly adapt to learning online. The teaching methodology changed overnight. We started using PPTs and other teaching tools to engage with our students. This helped the students understand the concepts better since a lot of it was visual.

What are the challenges teachers are facing?

There have been a few. As a teacher, you have to be on your toes all the time and understand that each child has different learning abilities. So, one has to pace the lessons to the learning of all the students in your class. A teacher has to remember that she is not just imparting knowledge to a select few.

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“As a teacher, you have to be on your toes all the time and understand that each child has different learning abilities. So, one has to pace the lessons to the learning of all the students in your class”

–Maninder Kaur, Science teacher at Apeejay School, Greater Noida

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What is the best thing about Science?

Very few students realise that Science is around us. We don’t have to read a book to know and understand this subject. If a student has good observational powers he/she will understand how deeply our lives are entwined with it. When we teach, we use real-time examples to explain various concepts. As teachers, our work is to connect the student with how Science is in everything they do. This helps students to understand the concepts better and gain practical knowledge as well.

Some students find Science tough. Can you share tips to help them score well?

Now that the National Education Policy 2020 has been fully integrated, the Central Board of Secondary Education has transformed the way students learn today. It is no longer rote learning; everything is based on how well the students have understood the concepts of the topic that is being taught. The only way to score well today is to have clarity about the subject matter.

How do you build trust with the students and in turn the parents?

One has to look at teaching as more than a profession. If a teacher thinks that once he/she is out of school, they can be disconnected from the students, then they are in the wrong profession. You can never be offline with your students. A teacher has to be more than a person who imparts knowledge.

A teacher is a mentor and guide for life for their students; they have to constantly motivate the students to always do better. A teacher also needs to build trust between the parent and the child. Once this is done, the child learns how to trust people who are close to them including the teachers.