Principal Symposium by Macmillan Education :

A Report

Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best. - Bob Talbert

The above thought forms the gist of the symposium organized by Macmillan Education at Hotel Radisson Blu, Ghaziabad on the 16^th of October,2015. It was attended by about ninety teachers from various schools in Delhi-NCR. There was a unanimous agreement about the need to be an observant and compassionate teacher in order to foster a psychologically strong student. The role of a teacher is a crucial one as in today’s world a child is exposed to numerous stresses on a daily basis. The symposium comprised of two very fruitful sessions.

The first session was conducted by Dr Jitendra Nagpal who spoke about ‘Empowering Emotional Intelligence for the 21^st Century Learner’. Dr Nagpal is a senior consultant psychiatrist and shared his perspective on the issue of connectivity of students with the teachers in the light of changing family structures. He stressed that ‘every child matters’ and every teacher must suspend teaching once in a while and talk to the students. He also suggested that the teacher must notice any change in behavior of the students and pen them down. The teachers’ role is crucial in identifying a child who is neglected which also amounts to child abuse. He suggested to organize an open house for children and parents where parents can share their concerns and the way they handle difficult situations involving their children. This interaction would lead to an exchange of workable solutions in child-rearing and understanding.

The second session was conducted by Ms Jyotsna Bhardwaj , a consulting Psychologist . She spoke on ‘Reinventing leadership roles for engagement and excellence in education’. Her main emphasis was self-awareness and education. She elaborated on the concept of Johari window and a need to help students in expanding the open areas for self. This could be achieved by an activity of ‘Reflection Time’ where students share their strengths with the class. This will engage the students and help in achieving excellence in self-understanding. She concluded by saying that developing life skills is the main concern of teachers, students and parents today. It was a great learning experience as many teachers gave valuable inputs about acting timely to students’ needs. In nutshell, the students will gain the subject-knowledge sooner or later but helping the students understand themselves and changing as teachers as the times are changing is the need of the hour.

“Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.” ― Joyce  Meyers

By

Seema Tewari