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Swati Lahiri

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Swati Lahiri

Teacher

Swati Lahiri is a member of:

Outlook about increase students’ participation

A nation is said to be developing or developed when it prepares its students to meet the upcoming challenges and for that incorporates collaborative learning features in its system of education where it is a journey undertaken by both the teachers and the students. The role of the teacher is that of a facilitator who himself learns from his students and of course transfers knowledge to his students. He makes the environment a fun learning environment that makes it conducive for the students and leads them to find school as an interesting establishment that helps them in their pursuit of knowledge by infusing a sense of love for learning. The aim of education is after all preparation for both personal and professional lives of an individual.

Favorite Non-Academic books

Although it is not that recent but the book 'Eat,Pray,Love ' had a huge impact on me because I feel that we are all on a road of self discovery just as the author did. I found the book quite inspirational and made me think on the life choices that we all need to make in this journey of life and how the twists and turns could deter us in the path of self-progress.

Most Rewarding Moment

There was a time when I taught as a special education teacher at a school in California meant for the physically and mentally challenged students. This was definitely heart wrenching for me as I saw such disabled students in my classroom who were incapacitated in every possible way. I felt priviledged to be around them and instill a sense of positivity in them so that they could learn and be self competent even with their limitations. This was very fulfilling for me because I could teach them some positive life skills to get along with life and to me personally it was a huge opportunity to reflect on my own strengths and not complain about my weaknesses which seemed to be so trivial in front of them.

Most Challenges facing by students

I feel that it is the lack of motivation that prevents students from putting in the required effort.This again stems from the fact that the teachers do not perform according to the learning needs of the students.Education is evolving and so are the learning needs; it would be optimum if the teachers realized that they need to step up and offer the same educational materials but packaged in a more conventional manner so that students feel the urge to learn and try out such materials. Overall ,students need to be inspired and the onus rests on the teachers and the education system to keep that interest alive and growing.

Family Background

Sure. I am the younger daughter of my parents. I was born in the holy city of Benaras and moved to Kolkata at the age of 10 years. My parents still live there and I make it a point to visit them every year.The annual visit to India keeps me connected to my motherland and I somehow feel that my soul feels a sense of belonging to that place where I spent a good number of years in my adulthood. From my early childhood, I had a natural bent towards education and I take pride in the fact that my parents supported me in my quest for education and my onward journey. I am married to my husband for the last 14 years who has always been more than supportive in whatever I wanted to do so whatever I t say about him would fall short in my appreciation towards him. We also have a wonderful daughter aged 9 and I am trying to be her friend,philosopher and guide to the best of my abilities.

My priorities

Time management is definitely an issue particularly when you have a family life as well. I prioritize on a need basis and I have a to-do list for every day that I sincerely follow otherwise the feeling of unfinished tasks makes me guilt ridden and serves as a hindrance in moving forward. I would categorize tasks into three categories- URGENT, IMPORTANT, REGULAR and assign my time based on that and then proceed positively and keep pursuing persistently.

Future of Indian Education System

I believe that education ,during the next few years would go through revolutionary changes just because a lot of stress is being placed on innovative and new age education which essentially means preparing students to be life long learners and helping them to become global citizens. A radical shift needs to happen from the traditional methodologies to conventional and systematic approaches. The changes have started taking place around different parts of the globe and people are gradually moving from the 'fixed- mindset' to the 'growth mind-set' approach. Especially,in my field of specialization I notice educational institutions understanding the need for emotional and social literacy for children and therefore putting a great deal of effort for incorporating that into the curriculum.

Strongest Subject

My partial education occurred in India ; I had to get a taste of almost all kinds of subjects in school /college which is why it was nearly difficult to choose one particular subject and develop a deep understanding of it and therefore a consequential liking/strength as you may call it. By the time,I finished my second bachelors in the United States, I realized that I was naturally inclined towards cognitive psychology. My education in human development was very useful in understanding human behavioral pattern and metacognitive skills as I gradually learnt the intricacies of the human mind that lead to a certain personality type and helped me gain a better understanding of human beings in general.

My inspiring personality

This would be pretty difficult for me to answer, the reason being that I do not look up to one person as my single role model. I keep drawing my inspiration from several legendary figures and they are not necessarily from the education sector. I have both legendary stalwarts and common people who inspire me in their own unique ways and help me grow better both as an individual and in my job.

Outlook about way to raise quality education

First and foremost India needs to step away from the rote-learning approach to the collaborative learning approach.Not only rote learning is ancient,but it also detrimental to the approach in the learning process. Learning should be collaborative and student -centric. Collaborative learning also promotes higher order thinking and helps in better -retention. There should be open communication between the students and the teachers and all kinds of negativity and fear with respect to education should be removed.Only then students can be more open and flexible and learn better which would serve the purpose of education. It is imperative to introduce the 'whole child' approach in education as well where students are taught to be well rounded individuals an just not have an askew or an imbalanced personality.

Most Important Career Decisions

Even though I had started with a career in finance, straight after graduating with a Finance and Accounting degree from Calcutta University in India ,I figured that I was more inclined towards education; more so on innovative forms of education. Consequently, soon after my move to the US in 1999, I started pursuing a Bachelors degree (BA) in Human Development also known as Clinical Psychology. Thereafter, I did a Masters in Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum Design For Educators. And now after gaining the required expertise,I am happy that I can put my education to a good use by founding Globastudy and doing something that I had always aspired for.