2. Johnson P. J, The UN Educationist
Principal - GD Goenka Public School,
Srinagar
In the making of a good school, qualities
of an effective teacher, an efficiently
organized classroom, the best teaching-
learning process, and so forth are major
concerns for all schools. When we talk
about an effective or successful school,
the role of three stakeholders needs to
be considered, and how they function in
the teaching-learning process.
First of all, teachers are the great
catalysts in the learning process. Are all
qualified teachers skilled? If skilled
teachers do not have the basic required
teaching training, what can be done?
3. How can those a minor ratio of such
unmotivated teachers create an effective
teaching and learning environment in a
school? Once a person has decided to be
a teacher, the first requirement is that
such a person has the real aptitude for
teaching or, in other terms, facilitating
learning in students. They must acquire
the skills to play a passive role in the
active learning pursuits of students. They
must train students to make the right
inquiries of learning and inculcate in
them the culture of leading by self. With
the passive role of teachers in the
learning process, a teacher has to
facilitate and ensure the minimum level
of learning for all. A group of students
will go beyond, and the sky is the limit for
such learners facilitated within the time
frame.
4. When an effective teacher evolves in the
classroom, he or she has the biggest
challenge of handling the same textbook
and the curriculum for the manifold
types of students at hand. The biggest
skill for such a teacher is understanding
the differentiated teaching techniques.
Such genuine teachers understand the
learning styles of their children. They
know how they are intellectually, socially,
emotionally, and physically different.
This awareness is a complex but divine
duty of the teacher. Right training and
motivation are needed for teachers to
become effective.
Teaching is not a simple task like reading
the textbook aloud. Or if a person realizes
that, after acquiring qualifications in
engineering or medicine, teaching in a
5. school is his or her passion. The
motivation for this passion could be the
comfort of less time needed per day in
teaching work, fewer working days, or the
feeling that teaching is easy work. If a
person could not make a good career
decision and wasted many years studying
for pursuing a career unrelated to
teaching, how will such a person mold
the individuals for tomorrow? Why did
such a person not try to be a teacher in
engineering or in medicine? Quality is the
result of conscious efforts. The quality of
a school requires strenuous efforts by its
stakeholders. Motivation is a big word in
this pursuit.
The second stakeholder of a school is the
learner or student who was called
"vidhyarthi." The first condition in a
6. student to justify that title is his humility
and desire for seeking knowledge. This is
history. Today, from the age of three
years, a child has to start schooling as
per the National Education Policy (NEP).
But a child is exposed to strong addictive
audio-visual tools right from a few
months of birth. Children are born into
technology, born through technology,
and in some cases because of
technology. For such children, should the
same old classroom setup give any
motivation? Will the same age-old
classroom setup and the style of
teaching be acceptable for the modern
learner? Information is available at the
fingertips of modern students. It is a fact
that the majority of students come to
school out of the fear of coercion. They
are not allowed to stay home. An action
research in this matter will be worth an
7. idea. Do the students like the same age-
old style of disciplining? Will the children
like to maintain themselves the same way
as the old generation wanted?
The society has a crisis of the huge rift
created by technology between the new
generation and their immediate previous
generation. Today's children are the first
generation in the exploding technology
growth. They are the product of a
technological revolution. This
breakthrough technology was not even a
result of gradual evolution. The
frightening fact is that the modern
generation itself is struggling to cope
with the exponential growth of the
technologies. Very often, the big
capturing attraction it offers steals even
young minds towards the adult ways. The
8. young learners need independence in
everything except for physical
sustenance and financial support. The
awareness of rights is at the forefront,
but knowledge of duties needs to be
cultivated.
It is time to reflect upon the reasons for
the general dislike for learning in the vast
majority of students. First of all, we
teachers have to evolve with the new
technology breakthrough. Only when the
teachers adapt themselves to the new
needs of students according to the
present times can we, as teachers,
motivate the new learners. Teachers
need to evolve. We must not forget that
there are certain unchangeable areas in
human life. The need for good food, the
role of parents, the need for language,
9. the priority of self-effort, the role of
teachers, the importance of motivation
for performance, etc., are some of these.
But our big challenge is to keep our
young learners motivated. Hence the
qualities of an effective teacher, good
discipline, and a good classroom need to
be redefined. Society is in a transition
stage, but the perpetual values stay
forever.
By looks, 'he' was not handsome, but
even the youth loved him so dearly; by
style, he was not an eloquent speaker,
but even school children keenly listened
to him; he was not a trained teacher, but
even scholars waited for his sessions; he
was not a saint, but people adored him.
When he died in the middle of a session
he was teaching, the whole nation cried.
10. And he was the one and only APJ Abdul
Kalam. Our eyes must be open, and we
must realize that the value of genuine
teachers will never be lost. A true nation
will always salute the genuine teachers.
The third stakeholder about whom I
would like to discuss in making a good
school is the parents. Should teaching be
left in the hands of parents? Many
parents discharge this duty through
tuition teachers. Why should students be
left to the mercy of pressures from all
quarters? Many parents have confusion
about their role in the academic growth
of their children. Since parents pay for
education in modern schools, education
is thought of as a product they buy by
paying. The parent-teacher relationship is
toppled as a customer and seller
11. relationship in the eyes of many parents.
This attitude percolates into the hearts
of their children too. This is the reason
why, at least in a few classrooms,
students go to the extent of looking down
upon teachers.
Let education be traditional, modern, or
ancient, the importance of addressing
the needs of the affective domain of
students is the primary function of
families and parents. Physical care, loving
support, and moral correction are the
primary duties of parents. If a healthy
support exists between the parents and
the teachers, no student can neglect the
needs that come forth from their
affective domain.
12. A good school is where a non-
threatening, loving environment is
present before the intellectual and
psychomotor developments are
addressed. An unexpected kindness and
love will be deeply engraved in
individuals in comparison to the
intellectual advancements and
psychomotor growth they achieved
through their parents and teachers.
Making a good school is a collective
effort.
