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Ed Leader – Ms. Archana Singh, Maheshwari Public School International, Jaipur

Education is an integral part of a child’s upbringing. We, at Curious Times, have made it our aim to ensure that we also play an active role in imparting the right knowledge to all the Curious children. As such, we also try to ensure that we are always in touch with the leaders in education today and learning from them. After all, it is important to learn from the best.

So, today, we present to you a one-on-one conversation with Ms. Archana Singh She is the Principal of Maheshwari Public School International, Jaipur. The school aims to impart education, general as well as vocational, to all irrespective of caste, creed and colour in pure, efficient & discipline atmosphere.

When did you decide to step into the world of education? What motivated you to become an Educator? Personally, having witnessed a sacred and untainted trend of education since I was a child, I had always expected myself to become a figure of similar essence. It was only after stepping into the academia that I realized there was a monotonous and rigid trend of teaching or even interpersonal relations between the educator and the learner. That’s what made me decide to envisage a pattern and style that gave learners the voice to question and be curious than engulfing broad texts. A repetitive and traditional curriculum had compromised many people’s sense of deep reading and expression. So, I decided to be the change and started interacting with the learners — elder or younger alike, and the rest followed. I had to reinvent myself before I could go about reinventing the areas & beings of improvement.
A crucial trait of an Educator is teaching without books and confidently. And all that motivated and inspired me to be in this profile.

Share some of the challenges you have faced in your career journey. How did you convert those challenges into the pillars of success? Teaching, a noble profession is a daunting and challenging task. In the present era, with the advent of new methodologies in teaching and the way digital and smart learning has made inroads into the field of education, the role of we, the teachers, has also greatly evolved over a period of time. I have always enjoyed my career first as a teacher, a mentor and a facilitator.
On one hand, where I have tried keeping pace with my knowledge, I also faced various challenges. The greatest challenge was to know my students well. It became imperative for me to form a healthy bond with my students. I wanted that my students should feel free to broach me regarding any subject and express all doubts whatsoever and that I should be approachable and accessible. A broad mind and a friendly attitude on my part made all the difference.
Principals are held to a very high standard—as we should be—because we are hired to be leaders, to be in charge, to meet the expectations that our students and staff and communities bestow upon us. We are expected to communicate frequently, clearly, and well; we are expected to handle the instructional, emotional, and social challenges of others; and we are expected to do it pleasantly and without misstep. When sometimes I do feel the weight of too many problems and responsibilities, I just literally get up, walk down the hall, and find myself with some students. I sit with them and offer to help a group working on a project; or slide into an empty seat in a classroom being taught by an inspired and inspiring teacher. Immersing myself back into the world of students brings me joy and relief, all at once.

What are the changes have you observed over the years in the field of education? Are you happy with these changes? The traditional learning delivery mechanism has, of course, changed, drastically, with the advent of the electronic medium and technological advancements. Blended learning brings to the forefront, the diaspora of imparting training, be it educational or be it professional, through traditional as well as electronic mode. This may be achieved through imparting theoretical lectures via the video-conferencing mechanism and other practical examinations, which are quintessential to the concerned training programme, physically, in the classroom or at the workplace. The dawn of electronic platforms, for example, Google Classroom, have enabled the teachers as well as the administrators of a particular institution to communicate effectively with the end learners and, at times, their parents, which inculcates a habit of imitation of a well-meaning dialogue. The cumbersome task of collecting assignments, giving valuable feedback, and marking of the answers has been eased through these platforms, which, in essence, allows the trainer/teacher to focus more on providing quality education and not be much burdened with clerical tasks. While one cannot quibble with the proposition that physical one to one interactions is quintessential in bringing the nub of the learning, with the present times, the use of technology through blended learning means does wonders where virtual and physical spaces come together introducing a novel sphere to develop learning upon.

What changes would you like to see in the field of Education? What role can the various stakeholders like the government, teachers, students and parents play in this? Technology has brought with it the ease to invite the experts, in a concerned field, to deliver and share their excellence, via the virtual mode. This further delves into the very root of blended learning. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the entire world, being privy to technological advancements and seeking refuge under the same has become the norm for the better societal good. An electronic library can be set up with ease using the means provided under Google Classroom/Google Drive, which would drive all the learners to educate themselves with the material in one place without waiting for the “traditional” methodology to revive. This makes the learning public. The workforce training has its own benefits too when coupled with the scenario delineated herein above. Be it military or law enforcement, studies show that blended learning having technology as their base have resulted in being highly sustainable modes which allows the instructors to update themselves without delay at just the click of a button. This provides for a much-assorted variety of approaches to instructions which are, in effect, specifically for the end addressees, which are the learners.

Share your message with the aspiring teachers and leaders of tomorrow. Dear Teachers and the Leaders of tomorrow, Always remember that You play vital role in shaping the future of the students and thus of the Nation. I believe that Teachers in particular work day and night to ensure that the students given under their care reach to their fullest potential, excel in all areas including Academics, Sports, CCA and other walks of life. This is the Day to salute you all for your great contribution in bringing laurels to your career. Keep up the good work and go forward with the same spirit always. Always believe, that you must be the change you want to see in the world. Be the ROLE MODEL and try to be the FOOTPRINTS for each and every student to follow.

Share your message for your and Curious Times students.

“Dreams a million there in my eyes..for which my passion bleeds in thy spirits
Coz’ every dream has its craving..its striving in my hearts..
There came a breeze..A breeze of faith..A light of transcendence pouring unto me from the pearly gates the spirits of infallible belief and a sanguine efficacy..”

I want to see my kids strong and unafraid because Faith is letting yourselves be pulled up into the aeons to come first and then driving it through the most caliginous streets thriving out the shades of absolute sanguine efficacy

There’s a reason we refer to “leaps of faith” – because the decision to consent to any notion of life is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable, and you shouldn’t care how diligently scholars of every sphere have concluded. Faith is promenading in the steps-first. If we truly knew the answers to the myriad hopes, to the numerous hidden nitty-gritty of lives, to the infinite imbroglios which the world swing up in advance then the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would have been in a state of complete oblivion and cognitive delusion..!!
My dear students, Life never reveals itself with an elucidation; neither it’s a game of rebuttal nor it’s a quest of submission. Instead it’s a voyage, a junket to unravel the mundane humdrum and yearning for absolute success with tranquility and love. It never demands any justification, it’s not going to go with the stride. Instead, it’s taking it in the strides of our indomitable endurance.

The phase of student life is filled in with consummate urbanity, with utopian dreams, with the profusion of imaginations which make it the most memorable memoir of life.

The answer to all your doubts, your fears, of all your agitation and fright is FAITH which is infallible indeed. It forms the firm stanchion onto where our lives stand and we breathe with absolute calmness..!! Just have faith in yourself.

Stay blessed!!
Stay healthy !!

Ms. Archana Singh, Principal

Maheshwari Public School International, Jaipur

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