"அன்னசத்திரம் ஆயிரம் வைத்தால்
ஆலயம் பதினாயிரம் நட்டல்
அன்னயாவினும் புண்ணியம் கோடி
ஆங்கோர் ஏழைக் கெழுத்தறிவித்தல் "
- மஹாகவி பாரதியார்
The poem mentioned above says everything about the nobleness of the teaching profession. Children believe what their teachers say. Sometimes they even argue with their parents saying that their teachers are correct. Children have a lot of trust in their beloved teachers. This trust can be used to make a positive difference in them.
In my experience, a little planning and good execution will surely make a difference. I have great love for plants. So I decided to plant saplings in my school premises. Firstly, I wanted to check my students’ attitude towards plants. So we planted 65 tree saplings in our school to begin with. As expected, within just 3 months, around 45 saplings were either uprooted or damaged by the students or outsiders as they were not aware of the importance of increasing the green cover of the earth.
So I felt the need to first create awareness among children and then automatically their parents would get educated. Each and every day, I educated the children on the need of planting trees and the importance of protecting them through many skits, lectures, pictures, videos and memes. After sometime, students themselves started talking about the importance of growing plants. So I initiated planting saplings again. Students were given responsibilities for watering and proper maintenance. Soon the number of saplings increased. Our school teachers of Grade 1, Grade 2 and the HM formed the backbone of this small task. A little planning with good execution started to yield its benefits. Now students themselves feel responsible to save the environment by protecting nature.
Teachers can make positive change in hundreds of students over a period of time. Children are fresh clay; teachers should be very careful while shaping them.
Highlights
Each and every day, I educated the children on the need of planting trees and the importance of protecting them through many skits, lectures, pictures, videos and memes. After sometime, students themselves started talking about the importance of growing plants.