How Supportive Teachers Change the Way We See Challenges

- Nishi Vipul Oswal, X B

In every student’s life, challenges are inevitable. Be it difficult subjects, fear of failure or lack of confidence. What truly shapes how these challenges are perceived is not just the student’s ability, but the presence of supportive teachers. For me, my teachers like Megha Ma’am, Vrishali Ma’am, Deepak Sir, Preeti Ma’am, Salauddin Sir, Neha Ma’am, my school, The Kalyani School, Pune, one of the top CBSE schools of Pune, all demonstrate how the right guidance from supportive teachers can transform challenges and obstacles into great opportunities. Last year as a 9 th Grader, I used to face a lot of challenges in Math and Physics, but with the guidance of Vrishali Ma’am and Luna Ma’am, I overcame the challenges and fear. Traditional methods often focus on rote learning, which can make challenges feel overwhelming. However, the modern learning-teaching methodologies used by The Kalyani School, emphasise understanding, curiosity and student engagement. Our supportive teachers adopt these approaches, so that the students grasp the concepts with ease.

I used to fear Physics numericals and theory, and often found them very confusing. Then our Physics teacher Luna Ma’am made me believe that with the right approach, I can get really good marks in Physics. Grade 10 is a year where everybody gets tense. Because of the fear of pre-boards and boards, they feel pressured. However, supportive teachers give them guidance, and positive affirmations assure them that they can definitely do it. These things make a student confident and successful not only in board exams but also in life. The difference between a strict and a supportive teacher is that a strict teacher usually tells you to solve a difficult question at least 10 times until you get it right; whereas, a supportive teacher says, “If you don’t understand the problem, come to me and we’ll solve it together.” Supportive teachers encourage us to ask questions, take risks, and trust our ability to grow. It is because of them we stop seeing challenges as threats to avoid, and start seeing them as learnings. I hope to meet such teachers and mentors in all walks of my life.