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Guruvani: ‘I try to empower, motivate others’
This forum provides school principals/ teachers a chance to share their views and insights on a wide range of subjects with students.
Jyoti Gupta, principal, DPSG, Meerut Road expressed her views on a wide range of educational issues in an interview with HT Students’ Edition. Excerpts:
What is the biggest professional challenge that you face in your role as a principal?
Schools today are incredibly busy places. They’re exciting with a diverse array of activities going on everyday. It’s a tough call for teachers and principals to manage the complexity of it all and to carve out time and energy required to plan for learning. To unlock collective genius and create a school community that is able to generate new ideas and innovations is probably one of the biggest challenges I face as a principal. I believe in the potential of every teacher and every student. I encourage my team to be creative and innovative thinkers, and to establish new and exciting pathways for the students in the 21st century world. I realise the impact I have on others as a leader and make attempts to use my role to inspire, motivate and empower others. Principals are held in high esteem and we need to meet the expectations that our students, staff and communities bestow upon us. As a leader, we have to carry the torch and lead the way.
Once a teacher, always a teacher. Do you agree?
Teaching remains one of the most underrated professions today even though a teacher imparts life-long lessons, something that stays with students for the rest of their life. It is not a job that pays well but probably it’s the only job that gives satisfaction and contentment. A teacher teaches his or her students the essentials of life, the right way to live and to realise their calling in life. A teacher walks through with a student to help him achieve his goal and become the true star that he is destined to become. To be a successful teacher, one has to be responsible, dedicated and compassionate in moulding the next generation. A teacher is respected all his/her life. I believe that teaching will remain an interesting and fun-filled journey throughout my life. No other job on earth would make me feel so grateful and proud.
Success has become an obsession with people of all ages nowadays? Comment.
There’s nothing wrong in being successful but when success becomes an obsession, it spells trouble. People need to take failure in their stride and when they are successful, they should not let it go to their heads. We have become obsessed with winning and are consumed by the need that all should end well and that everything should be the way we have planned it to be. What we need to do is to give 100% to the task at hand and strive for perfection. When we focus on a goal with diligence and dedication, success will be ours. It is our obsession about the outcome of a task that robs us of the joy of learning and doing.
What in your view is GenNext’s biggest strength? Which are the key areas of improvement?
The present generation is truly called the millennial generation. Millennials view technology as an extension of themselves. More than a hobby, technology is a lifestyle for them and they are native tech users. In my opinion, their biggest strength is their higher level of awareness and their confidence in all walks of life. On the other hand, their weaknesses include a lack of commitment and an over-inflated sense of self.
Given the diverse needs of today’s youngsters, what emphasis do you put on teacher training?
The education system has changed radically with the integration of technology. At the same time, the students are more matured than the previous time. Hence, teacher learning has become extremely important as it promotes teachers’ teaching skills, helps them master new knowledge, develops new proficiency, which in turn, helps improve students’ learning. According to me, a teacher needs to follow the quote by Henry Ford, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.’’
What, according to you, is the role of media in education?
Mass media as a means of communication make ideas clear to children and help them acquire correct knowledge. They help in simplifying and giving vividness to explanation. Mass media make instructions concrete and stimulate interest and curiosity in things. They help disseminate information quickly, spread awareness and guide everyone about their duties and responsibilities. The role of media in education is evident today by the number of computer labs, television sets and libraries that have become a part of curriculum in most schools today. Media comes in different forms and each form affects the way students learn and interpret information. Media has brought the world closer (globalization) so that now students from different universities in different parts of the world are connected via internet. Through modern electronic techniques and technologies, mass media proves that education is comprehensive and no longer confined within the four walls of the classroom.
Tell us about your leisure activities and how you spend time with family and friends.
In my leisure time, I read a lot and spend quality time with my family by going on vacations. This helps me to unwind and rejuvenate. I also believe in the power of the Almighty and believe in staying positive always.
