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We often take our schools and teachers for granted, blind to the immensely important work they do. Here's a peek into the life of a School Principal.
We often take our schools and teachers for granted, blind to the immensely important work they do. Here’s a peek into the life of a School Principal, Mrs. Vidhupriya Chakravarty.
Meet Mrs. Vidhupriya Chakravarty, Principal, St. Thomas’ School Shimla, who carries the responsibility of school administration on her shoulders with élan.
She can be credited with reviving the school to its present prestige – with more than 500 students. Under her leadership, Shimla witnessed a literary festival for the first time, to celebrate the centenary of the school’s establishment. Before coming to Shimla, She served as a principal for Shiv Niketan School, Delhi, for six years, and has numerous years of teaching experience under her belt.
How would you describe yourself?
I would describe myself as a person with a positive attitude, and someone who is always looking ahead. I give my 100% to whatever I do, and I can go out of my way to help others if required. Once something is done, I don’t think about what could have been.
Why did you choose this field?
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. There was never any other option to be explored as far as my career was concerned, no plan B. I have always loved children, and I find my profession very fulfilling and wholesome. When I am among young people, I feel happy. Working with the children is also one of the ways I can see my energy and creativity channelized in the right and needful direction.
Describe your role so that it is understandable to someone who knows nothing about your industry and what is the most challenging aspect of your role?
Teaching has never been easy and it has become even more challenging taking into consideration that there is humongous exposure for children out there. With each day, there is change in society, and it is a huge challenge to keep intact the value system. In many cases, both the parents are working and are unable to devote time to children; the onus of good upbringing shifts onto the school. So, teaching is invariably becoming a challenging job each day.
What is the most exciting aspect of your role and your field?
With each day, I have an opportunity to think of something innovative and creative in terms of curriculum implementation, and also administrative nuances for the school. One exciting thing that I am really looking forward to work on is SQAA, School Quality Assessment and Accreditation. It will be an ongoing process, which is bound to keep us on our feet.
SQAA is a quality initiative by the CBSE, which will introduce high standards of education in the affiliated institutions.
If you had to change one thing about your work, what would it be?
Sometimes too many new changes are introduced. I feel there needs to be stability in introduced changes, in the policies… so that the effectiveness of the same can be judged. I also feel we should have more freedom in designing and framing our curriculum.
I would also like to decrease the students to teacher ratio i.e. less students in a class, so that classrooms can become effective in every way.
I realised, I can never be a writer unless I write. With this I am finding my way back to writing. I am a teacher, unconventionally set in conventional roles of this conventional society. read more...
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We can’t bombard impressionable young women in the name of enlightened entertainment to feed them the same drivel. At least let us not label misogynist movies as helping the cause of women.
I have watched at least 2 ‘purported’ trailblazing Bollywood movies in the recent past that left me with a feeling that I had taken part in the ice-bucket challenge all over again. This time around, however, without even the satisfaction of having supported a worthy cause.
Both the movies have about a 90% liking rate on IMDB/Rotten Tomatoes. Both are touted to ‘sensitively’ portray the taboo topics that seem to be mostly hidden underneath a layer of banana peels – dangerous to even tread nearby.
Dushyanta clearly remembered everything. But he didn't have any intention to accept a poor woman from a remote hermitage as his wife and her son as theirs.
Dushyanta clearly remembered everything. But he didn’t have any intention to accept a poor woman from a remote hermitage as his wife and her son as theirs.
She sat motionless on the royal bed, her knees drawn up to her chin, staring vacantly outside the palace window.
She was sheathed in exquisite scarlet red silk, shot through with golden threads forming intricate traditional patterns. Chests of gems and jewellery were strewn all over the bed. The maids were fussing over whether a diamond-studded necklace would suit their queen or a gold choker would look better. Another younger maid was arranging her tresses in a coiffeur.
A young girl finds that working with poor schools in India is also a learning experience for her
Ever since I remember, I have been visiting India my homeland, for my yearly summer vacations. I have lived in many places, but wherever I studied, the ritual of visiting my relations back home wouldn’t be missed. As I grew up, I gradually began taking more and more notice of the profound differences between India, and Dubai. Every visit would have me saddened at how much children like me were missing in terms of luxury, education, and resources, or at how so many poor begged in the streets, the same streets as the ones in which the rich, who completely disregarded them, lived.
A few weeks before last year’s vacations, I found myself dreading the visit to India- not only was it going to be boring, but it was also going to be painful- seeing again the children who deserve to enjoy as much as I have. (more…)
A Mumbai mother was appalled to find that her daughter’s school medical form only asked for the father’s details, ignoring her very existence. Why do some schools discriminate against mothers?
Fresh off a move back to Mumbai, freelance writer Saraswati Datar was filling in the medical forms provided by her four-year old daughter’s school, when she came across something alarming. While the forms asked for details of the father’s name, occupation and phone number, it simply ignored the existence of the child’s mother.
Saraswati scanned each and every page of the form in disbelief, only to note with dismay that the school required no information at all about the mother.