As an economics teacher, my journey in the classroom is not just to impart knowledge on the demand and supply concepts or the macroeconomic policies and principles but also to simplify the subject and inspire my learners to understand and appreciate the beauty of Economics.
One of the most memorable moments in my career was when my student Praneeth, a grade XII was struggling to understand the fundamental concepts because he had met with an accident and had multiple fractures. It took him 4 months for complete recovery. When he came back, he was unable to cope up with his assignments and was often embarrassed in front of his classmates. Praneeth’s struggles and anxiety became evident while his parents were depressed. I noticed this and decided to help him out.
I started having one-to-one discussions with Praneeth after the class. I discovered that he lacked the basic conceptual knowledge of the subject and it took him time to understand and grasp the concept. I had practically provided him with a lot of examples from our daily life so that he could enjoy the subject and understand the lessons easily.
I had to provide him with extra and simplified reading material and exam-oriented worksheets. I had to spend few extra hours after school to help him out with his external broad project work, viva- voce, writing techniques and had to give him constructive feedback to improve on his pitfalls. Within 3 months his writing skills improved considerably and he had no self-doubt. He was filled with confidence and the external viva – voce was a cakewalk for him. I continued to support Praneeth till his board examination and he performed well. I saw the light-bulb moment in Praneeth’s eyes when he scored 88/100.
I had a deeper sense of self-contentment when Praneeth’s mom hugged me with tears in her eyes. The happiness of his parents had no bounds. On that day I experienced the real joy of being a teacher while my heart was filled with immense satisfaction and a sense of achievement.
On that day I decided that as a teacher of Economics, my mission should be to equip each and every student with simpler tools and examples so that they can navigate through the complex economic theories. I constantly reinforce my belief that teaching economics should empower learners to become well-informed global citizens.
