× Pushpa Prasad

“Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man” – Swami Vivekananda

This has been proved by research and now educators understand that every child is unique, has the potential and capabilities which need to be brought out. We observe in schools that each child comes with innate intelligence and intrinsic talent. With curiosity and the right kind of exposure and stimulation, she/he learns and develops further as she/he grows. It is interesting to ponder over the journey of a child in the school system.

When a child enters the school as a toddler, our focus is on developing basic skills. In my view these skills include gross motor, soft skills such as listening, speaking, awareness about self and others, the environment around and social skills of responding to stimulations, peers and adults, sharing, expressing and so on. It is at this stage that our children learn to interact with and develop a sense of belongingness to a group.

Gradually, we introduce childrento literacy and numeracy along with more awareness about nature and environment as they grow into the primary level. Their expressions become clearer as they gain more confidence. They are further introduced to the skills of reading, writing and other subjects along with various co-curricular activities. It is amazing to see their energy, enthusiasm and curiosity in learning and experimenting with new things

As they reach higher grades, the complexity of the concepts increases. In English, they learn the constructs of the languages as well as get exposed to the beauty of literature. They move from basic arithmetic operations to integers, algebraand geometryand beyond in Mathematics. Similarly, they learn various concepts in other subjects which get deeper as they proceed further.Though the topics, themes and concepts vary from one another I believe that the learning is easier and profound when concepts are interlinked and are used in real life situation.

In my experience, apart from academics, learning takes place in different dimensions in a school environment. Students become stronger at physical as well atemotional level. They learn to appreciate different art forms through their exposure in co-curricular areas. Sports help them to improve their all-round personality. Through Life skills, they develop value systems, social skills as well as thinking skills as reflection becomes their second nature. I am certain that real growth and development takes place through these areas.

Students come to school from different backgrounds and exposure. Learning style and pace differs from one student to the other.I think it is the role of the teacher to cater to needs of all students. Growth of the student depends on the belief his teacher has in him. We have seen students excelling when they know that their teachers are confident of their abilities.

It is my personal conviction that every teachermust inculcate curiosity in students, make learning experiences interesting and encourage them to ask questions. Students shouldget opportunities to share their knowledge and express themselves.I believe that experiential learning helps students to understand concepts better and when thisknowledge is applied to daily life experiences their learning gets deepened.

I am convinced that formative assessments help us to understand gaps in students’ learning and following up withremedial teaching helps in closing them. It is a well-known fact that study skills and exam taking skills play a major role in enabling betterlearning. Scoring well in examinations is important for students as it gives them a sense of achievement and motivates them further.

As Einstein remarked, Education is what remains with us after we forget everything that was taught at school. We have seen that the values and character that is built during schooling remains with the student forever.

In my view, acquisition and assimilation of knowledge and skills is only a process but not the destination. As John Dewey said, “Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.”

Our endeavor at Samhita, therefore, is to create an environment conducive to learning and facilitate all round development of the child spanning across cognitive, intellectual, physical and emotional dimensions. Our emphasis is to create an atmosphere where the child longs to come to play, learn and interact with his peer group, develop self-confidence and in the process acquire life-skills to face challenges and realize his/her potential. Our teachers arewell motivated towards our philosophy of child development through values and character building. Student – teacher interaction is such that it enhances the teaching learning process of both the student as well as the teacher. Involvement, participation and contribution of our parents is a unique feature of our institution.