“There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much
quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod
behind and you jump to the skies.” ― Robert
Frost
The ISA programme gave the much needed prod that
I needed to come out of my complacency and routine classroom teaching.
Every teacher knows this and as teachers we do
appreciate the fact that we learn every moment of our life. But the learning
that one gets from ISA programme is globally relevant. This learning gives a
teacher global insight, tolerance, empathy, thinking out of the box, greater
awareness of the wide world, less stereotypical views about others. A caring, co-operative and open outlook on
the classroom experience, and core concerns- finding out about all the cultures
of other countries are what I gained as a teacher involved in the ISA
programme.ISA has opened the floodgates of global perspective to the way of
approaching everything we teach and how we teach it. It broadens horizons and
encourages exploration of all subjects from a global perspective. It
contributes to the whole curriculum and enhances our understanding of the
world.
My life can now be
divided into two eras. Before ISA and After ISA. I have been a teacher for the
past two decades and consider myself to be a good teacher, popular among
students.
After ISA, I have got
another dimension added to my persona. I am no longer just a three dimensional
personality, teaching and enjoying it passionately. The fourth dimension is
given to me by my experience as an ISA team member. The changes I have acquired
are positive and my perspective has become global.
Teaching is an art – but effective teaching consists
of a set of skills
that can be acquired, improved and extended. The set of skills provided by ISA opened new vistas and widened horizon. Internet is no longer just social networking sites and cursory research portal. It is now a magical well with never ending wealth of global experiences. ISA has shown me what I can do with the internet. I am now able to guide my students into putting their IT skills beyond social networking.
that can be acquired, improved and extended. The set of skills provided by ISA opened new vistas and widened horizon. Internet is no longer just social networking sites and cursory research portal. It is now a magical well with never ending wealth of global experiences. ISA has shown me what I can do with the internet. I am now able to guide my students into putting their IT skills beyond social networking.
Before ISA I considered myself computer savvy. After
ISA, the computer department of the school acknowledges my enhanced computer
knowledge and the new ways that I can use IT skills to improve teaching
learning experience. Being one step ahead of the present generation of tech
savvy students is the skill I have improved upon and extended.
International exposure with our partner school across the globe has
given me insight that teachers and students are more or less the same. Students
thirst for knowledge and when given it is given to them in new exciting forms,
they are ready to lap it all up. Teachers are ready to experiment and add on to
their vast experience and only wait for the opportunities. When opportunities
knock, like ISA, the globe becomes a small place which could be held in the
palm of one’s hands. One can reach any
corner of the world – to use a very popular cliché – with the click of a
button. The whole world is waiting to be explored.
ISA can only be appreciated with experience. Without experiencing what
gateways it opens up in our minds, one cannot truly appreciate its value.
While appreciating the ISA experience as an exceptional one, I acknowledge
that all things positive has come out of this experience. As a part of the ISA
team, I take this opportunity to thank the ISA co-ordinator, and my ISA team
mates.
