My background and how I became a teacher...

I have completed bachelor's degrees in science (B.Sc) and education (B.Ed). My original goal was to go into medicine, but due to various circumstances I ended up pursuing my B.Ed. While I was going through it though, I came to the realization that teaching was my calling - it was the best job in the world. My father is a teacher as well. That gave me an even stronger motivation to take up teaching as my career.

About my school...

My school is in Gadag-Betigeri, Karnataka, an area best described as between rural and urban. The school is very large and teaches students in grades KG through 10, pre-university as well as undergraduate programs. The school emphasizes activity-based learning, which is very different from other schools in the area.

My teaching experience...

I teach science to students in grades 6 through 10. I have been teaching in this school for 2 years. I have some teaching experience at another school prior to that.

My interests outside teaching...

Music and crafts. When I have free time and want to relax, I listen to music. I am also always looking for hands-on activities that I can use to complement the lessons I teach in class.

My role model...

My science teacher in school was my role model. The way he explained new concepts, and how he paid attention to every student in the class made a strong impression on me. In fact, he made it a point to pay more attention to the so-called weaker students. He would encourage each of us by focusing on something that each of us did well. I follow the same practice when teaching my students. I find try to find out what the underlying reasons are when a student is struggling and try to help that student accordingly.

My Aikyam experience...

I was very skeptical in the beginning about the Aikyam program because it was not clear to me what the program was trying to achieve. But having led the students through several sessions now, I have changed my opinion. I think it is a very good program and a unique one. No other school I know has such a program. We are getting positive feedback from the parents and my peers in other schools as well. The children are learning things and doing things that are outside the academically focused school curriculum. Their interest in the Aikyam activities has grown over time. Now, they are always asking when the next session will be. Their friends in other schools are also curious about the program and expressing interest.