Teacher helps students speak the Queen’s English in a nondescript TN village
CHENNAI : M Pushpa is a Class 3 student at a panchayat union primary school in Kandhadu, a sleepy village tucked away in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district. And yet, when she parts her lips to speak, it is in English that would make even the Queen go wide-eyed with appreciation.
Ask the girl who her language tutor is and she will introduce you to 36-year-old Annapurna Mohan — a novel educator and a darling of students and parents alike.
So what distinguishes Annapurna from the others in her profession? For starters, consider the long string of degrees — BCA, MBA (HR), MA (Eng). MSc (Math) and B.Ed — that make her a trifle overqualified for a primary teacher’s job.
A peek into her classroom shows how Annapurna’s teaching style differs drastically from her colleagues in the school. While the walls of other classrooms remain dull and dreary, hers are plastered with cheerful sketches painted by young artists under her tutelage. “I spent quite a bit from my own pocket to do up the room. As I wanted to create a good ambience for my students, I pledged my jewellery to acquire a loan of ₹1.6 lakh,” she says.
Her techniques seem to be working: her students can speak better English than any of their counterparts in neighbouring schools. “They have gained a lot of confidence,” says Annapurna.
But she is also apprehensive about the fate that would befall her students after they pass out of Class 3. “I shudder to think what will happen to them when they are sucked back into the regular education system, which is fast becoming obsolete.”
The teacher admits to have entertained the thought of calling it quits on a couple of occasions. But she trudges on for the sake of social betterment. Annapurna says that the smiles she gets from her students and their parents are payment enough.