Today is an important day for me as I am entering into 5th year of teaching profession and also I complete one year at Kameshwar International School (or I can say my second family). I am glad to celebrate 1 year work anniversary. I learnt many valuable life lessons like trust, perfection and unity. I made many mistakes but learnt something new every time. There were times when people have treated me and my dreams like trash, who tried to stop me from doing something good, but, I have people like my parents and some colleagues who have encouraged me to ignore negativity and walk ahead in the path of life. With their support, I never gave up and tried harder next time till I was able to reach somewhere with my dream. There were times when I thought that it was impossible, where there were many ups and downs but I never backed down. I am really grateful to all those who have supported me every time I needed.
I have learnt many new things from my colleagues and students. I ended up being open and vulnerable which allowed me to grow, adopt and think on my feet! Having these experiences is the true life of a teacher. I got several opportunities to attend trainings, webinars, seminars, and national and international conferences which helped me grow in my field. I got opportunities to host events and it has been a great experience for me as I got more courage to wipe away the fear of standing in front of hundreds and thousands of people.
I spent a lot of time preparing for each lecture to be delivered, many activities that my students would enjoy and made sure that I had all of the materials but sometimes things wouldn't go as planned. Sometimes, technology would fail, or students would require more time to complete a task than expected. At that point of time, I realized that I need to prepare as much as possible but more than that, I needed to prepare to be flexible as we never know what will come up next. The questions asked by the students during discussions and inquiry made me think how a child could think differently. Their thinking makes me an inquirer.
My colleagues have taught me many things. They gave me suggestions, tips and ideas. Not only making friends was helpful but it also made my days joyful. If some day I was upset, some of them would understand my silence and would cheer me up. They have treated me like their own little sister. In short I can say is I ended up making friends for life.
"But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
These line have been my favorite since my childhood. These lines have given me motivation to work with utmost dedication to achieve the things I desire for. When it comes to teaching, I have always motivated my students to work continuously as they have many things to achieve. I have loved getting to know each of my students' likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. I believe this helped me teach them in a better way and hence made my classroom the happiest place to learn. I learned the importance of having an open mind as every class has different environment, different personalities, different curriculum and needs. Sometimes, students drive us crazy but it is inevitable that there will be relationships formed and connections made that leave lasting impressions.
My primary reason to pursue teaching as a career was my passion and the strong desire to positively influence and educate. Teaching gives me a sense of satisfaction. This year, I learned to become more independent, self-sufficient and a hard and smart working individual. My experiences have taught me to use a great deal of discipline and time management which are essential in the teaching profession. Balancing numerous activities with my school life, family and social life has provided me with a lot of experience with prioritization and has made me more efficient. I have tried and have come so far. The sense of happiness and satisfaction has reached my heart. I couldn't be more thankful to those who helped me discover myself. Being a lifelong learner has made me a positive person. It has also transformed my fixed mindset to a growth mindset. I am thankful to all (my parents in the first place and then all the institutions) who have given me a chance to work and utilize my skills.
