TURA: A two day Orientation Programme for the teaching staff of Don Bosco College Tura was held on Friday and Saturday with Father (Dr) George Palamattam, SDB, Director of SILOAM in Umiam participating as the resource
person taking the teachers on an interesting journey on the broad theme of “Extending Teaching beyond Textbooks”.
Quoting the Late President Dr.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who wished to
be remembered as a teacher, he recalled that Dr. Kalam had said that education is “transformation from I can get to
what I can give.” However, giving has to be preceded by a store of “something” so that one is in a Position to give, said Fr Pallatam.
Through a video show, the teachers were reminded about going beyond the textbook and “seeing something” in the students. The need to go beyond class-room teaching and being able to ‘touch’ at least one or more students was emphasized.
Three types of people: i) the leaf people, ii) branch people, and iii) root people was introduced and the
teachers were asked to introspect as to “who are the roots in my life?” the episode on Aloke Sagar was
another example that education is not all about the degree required but in the realization that one
needs to give something of oneself to society. The Resource Person outlined the habits of confident
persons.
The Two-day Orientation Programme was a compact “Take-away” sprinkled with a little bit of spirituality
and laced with a lot of do-able pointers. The focus did not shift from the students all throughout. The
student-centric programme saw teachers deliberating on very pertinent yet rarely talked about issue or
question that is, “How can I create my class-room where they feel safe to commit mistake and bounce
back…? A little reminder of how legends make children comfortable around them was given through a
clipping of “Little Big Shots” of the video of little Nathan and Steve Harvey.