“I learn from my students every day.”

As a teacher of social sciences and english, Gurmeet Bhatia realises that teaching history is a tough battle to win. Having taught high school students for a significant part of her career, she shares that bilingualism in teaching concepts and ideas remarkably helps students, especially those who need more time and help. 

This Teachers’ Day, Gurmeet Bhatia shares her teaching journey with Team Storyweavers, emphasising her learnings as a teacher and more. 

What is the principle you keep at the core of your role as a teacher? 

I am always a learner at heart. Becoming a teacher doesn’t mean one knows everything. I learn from my students every day. They are my teachers, I’d say. Knowledge increases as we share. The more I teach, I learn equally or more. This learning keeps me going as a teacher and makes me eager to learn more every moment.

Can you share a bit about managing the learning process in your classroom?

While discipline in the classroom is somewhat of a challenge, the bigger challenge is catering to various kinds of learners and their learning styles. It is important that students comprehend what I teach. So, I usually lean towards visual learning and explanation through examples, flowcharts and diagrams without depending too much on textbooks and bookish language. This makes organised learning, especially in those 40–45 minutes of class, really effective.

Can you elaborate on the learning process with an example?

A difficult topic in 9th- and 10th-grade history is the ‘History of Nationalism in Europe’. It is quite difficult for a student to imagine so much without much context, just through written or spoken words. I teach this chapter with video animations, maps, pictures and examples. They feel like they’re watching a movie and therefore enjoy the learning process.

This way, they learn and grasp much faster and rather well. Since children nowadays learn from mobile phones, this technique seems to work effectively with them. The confidence that flashes in students after they’re able to answer post-lesson questions is truly rewarding.

Share with us about your moment of pride as a teacher. 

The moment of results is the most important moment for a teacher. It’s an evaluation of the teacher when your children do well. Some of my students have done really well; they got selected in Navodaya. It was indeed a proud time for me as a teacher. 

Ms. Gurmeet Bhatia is a social science and english teacher and is a proud member of BYJU’S 1500+ strong school teacher community–The Teacher’s Staffroom. 
She teaches at Nirmal Vidyapeeth and her school is a BYJU’S for Schools powered school.