Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Importance of being a teacher
Teachers' excellence.
TEACHING IS the art of making oneself progressively unnecessary, goes a popular adage. Indeed it is so. And in today's times where ingratitude rules the roost, teachers, an important human resource who shape our future generations, get sidelined, or are forgotten.
Recognising this indifference to the teaching profession, and in an attempt to make a difference, a programme was organised in the city on Sunday, to celebrate the importance of teachers.
The programme, entitled ''Drona 2002,'' was sponsored by a leading jewellery store in the city. About 800 teachers, vice-principals, and principals, from 105 schools in districts of Madurai, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Theni, and Tuticorin, participated in the programme, organised exclusively for teachers. Retired teachers were also invited to take part in the programme. About 11 interactive games and events were lined up for the teachers. Team events like group dance and light music, to test the teachers' ability to work effectively in teams, as well as individual competitions, like debate were conducted.
Winners were given cash coupons to buy jewellery, and so were retired teachers, who were chosen from applications.
What set this programme apart from others of this kind was that probably for the first time ever, teachers were given a cultural space of their own to interact, and simply have fun. ``Usually events are organised only for students, or the youth in general,'' remarked one teacher. ``We never realised until now, how much fun it can be. We hope to have some programme like this every year,'' she added.
Teachers of all ages, caste and community, came together to make the programme euphoric. Be it dancing to the latest Tamil film number, or sporting bizarre costumes for a fancy dress competition, or engage in a heated `Patti Manram' on the problems facing the teaching profession, the participating teachers were quite sportive, in putting their best foot forward.
Pandian, a retired village school teacher, and recipient of a State and Central Government award for excellence in teaching, had reasons to cheer. He was felicitated for his contribution to society, after several years of non-recognition. ``The programme, in its own small way, provided a recognition for my life's work. We teachers are usually forgotten after the odd government award or two,'' he said, in praise of the programme. About 222 retired teachers from various southern districts, selected from more than 400 applications were felicitated for their contribution.
By Preeti Chandrasekar.
Photo: S. James.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
