For as long as I can remember, I have always had a strong affinity for teaching. In hindsight, I believe that I have been training to become a teacher ever since my schooldays. I was an avid participant in elocution competitions and regularly won prizes in such activities. This was also accompanied with a rank among the top 3 in my class.
The turning point in my life came when I took admission in St. Xavier's college as a B.Sc. student. Having studied all my life in a Gujarati medium school (Sadhna Vinay Mandir, Paldi), adjusting to the all-English curriculum of St. Xavier's was a challenge. The support of my professors and teachers that helped me greatly during this period and sowed the seed of teaching in my mind. I have since then completed my M.Sc. from the School of Science, B.Ed. with distinction and M.Ed. with first class. This education has been instrumental in my teaching career. Over and above this, I've also completed an Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. As I was much more interested in student psychology I have completed my Ph.D. in Education.
I had always been very fascinated by the functioning of living organisms. Understanding the human body and the various processes that make up this biological wonderland. What was once a hobby and a passion soon became the groundwork for my professional career.I was always irked by the notion of mugging up material for examinations. I wanted to prove that conceptual teaching and understanding based explanations always work far better for students. This is something, I am proud to say, I proved in my career as a biology teacher.
I firmly believe that education cannot be simply text based. To further this idea I have invested in extensive audio-visual paraphernalia to aid my teaching process and to help students better understands concepts. We have over 100 different animation software, VCDs, DVDs, books and physical models which I regularly use during my lectures. These, I believe, make the learning process more interactive, interesting and informative – the three pillars of effective education.
I have always believed that the true religion of a teacher is to support a student in his or her quest for knowledge, even if it means burning the midnight oil in this endeavour. This is an ethos I bring to my classes every day ever since I started teaching in 2002, and continue with it even today. Students need to be guided very carefully and tactfully during their teenage, education cannot be imposed on these impressionable minds but needs to be made interesting for them to seek it themselves. This, I believe, is the secret to any teacher's success.
I was unable to achieve my desired goal during 12th science due to extenuating circumstances. My dream now is to help students in every way possible to reach the goals they have set for themselves so that they can embark upon their chosen course and career. I enjoy teaching to the core, even after ten hours of constantly teaching students I find myself energetic and refreshed. This is something I can attribute only to my passion for being an educator. My family is a huge source of support in this endeavour and it is through their encouragement that I am where I am today.
I have been teaching 11th and 12th standard students of Gujarati and English medium both, since 2002. This experience has been one of the most cherished experiences of my life. Teaching, I believe is my life's calling and I'm privileged to have been given the opportunity to shape the young minds that come to me.
