My background...

I did my early schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Geography in Agra and my master’s degree in English Language Teaching in Guntur. I obtained a doctorate degree from Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Delhi. My thesis was the study of internal personal relations with mass media.

My teaching experience...

Teaching was not my passion, at first. My mother is a schoolteacher, and she instigated my journey into teaching. She convinced me that I will enjoy teaching because of my academic work on interpersonal skills and the opportunity to interact with different student personalities that teaching will provide. I started my teaching career at Bapatla Engineering College in 2007 and taught there for 5 years. I am currently assistant professor on deputation to Bapatla Women’s Engineering College.

I teach soft skills, technical English, human values and professional ethics, communicative English to 1st and 2nd year students. The soft skill courses I teach cover a variety of areas such as professional conduct, behavioral skills, emotional intelligence, non-verbal communications, interpersonal skills. I also teach foundational courses to 1st year students such as brainstorming, mind mapping, extempore speaking.

My approach to teaching...

Traditionally, there is a line between teachers and students that is seldom permitted to be crossed. I allow my students to break that tradition by creating a comfort zone around that line. It is important for me to establish rapport with my students. To do that, I need to let them express themselves freely and without fear of retribution. My students are clear on what I expect from them and what they can expect from me, so they know when it is alright to cross the line and when it is not.

My advice to graduating students...

The degree the students attain at graduation is their ticket to enter the professional world. To sustain a career, be successful at what they do, and contribute to society by tapping into their creative soul, they need to intentionally commit to life-long learning. They should view every association they have, with juniors, seniors, colleagues, faculty, and friends, as an opportunity to learn and grow. Learning should not be just a means to an end, like getting a job. They need to flex their capacity to learn, which is infinite, all the time.

My Aikyam experience...

Participating in Aikyam has been a truly wonderful experience. Aikyam has given me a platform to develop skills that I can use to teach better. I am taking some of the Aikyam activities, like machine analysis and daily pondering, into the classroom as well. Before I start a class, I now think about what activities I can ask the students to do, so they are better primed for the lecture. It has also helped me to create stronger rapport with the students. I see that the students that participate in Aikyam are spreading the skills they have learnt in Aikyam outside of the Aikyam sessions.