“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela.
Professional development refers to the training, certification, and education that a teacher needs to succeed in her career. It’s no secret that different subjects require teachers to have different skills. Even if a teacher currently has the necessary skills, he or she may need additional skills in the future. Through professional development, teachers can learn these skills to become better, more efficient workers and this has been the focus at the Ekya Schools.
As a teacher at Ekya for the past three years, I have grown wiser and more knowledgeable in terms of my awareness of students, their emotional and social needs, supporting adolescent learners, and how to nurture a language of caring. The hours of PD that I have been a part of have been very enriching and have supported me in structuring learning experiences that challenge the students and harbour a quest for mastery.
The sessions gave me clarity on how to plan my time better and stay organised. This made me more efficient and gave me extra time to focus not on paperwork but on students. I learnt to work with students with various learning needs and was able to accommodate a variety of learning styles in my classes. The SEE learning sessions and the activities facilitated by our team of counsellors were an eye-opening experience and taught me how to perceive the classroom situation and be an architect cum leader there instead of a manager and dominator.
It has been quite a pleasant experience and this journey of learning has been enlightening in more ways than one. I am grateful for the opportunity given and look forward to many more such enhancing experiences here at Ekya
