Hindustan Times celebrates teachers, the unsung heroes of the society
Amidst the pandemic-induced closure of institutes during the past two years, teachers across the county made a crucial contribution towards ensuring continuity of learning and supporting students through continuous engagement. The efforts of these unsung heroes were acknowledged on Wednesday as part of the Hindustan Times’ Annual Teachers’ Meet which took place after a pandemic-induced hiatus of two years.
Roopali Dhawan, Head, HT Education, said that the teachers’ meet was an occasion to celebrate the contributions and sacrifices of teachers who had played a crucial role in guiding children during the pandemic. “The last two years have seen a whirlwind of disruption that has the affected the school community. Students found themselves in difficult and uncertain circumstances. In these very tough times, the role of teachers became the most crucial. They were not only the link between schools and students but they also became the caregivers of anxious parents. To call them heroes is an understatement,” said Dhawan. Besides thanking teachers for their efforts, Dhawan also announced the return of the HT students’ edition which will be back in circulation with a plethora of opportunities for students. Besides the resumption of HT students’ edition, HT Education has also planned a number of new initiatives for this year ranging from a hackathon, crickathon, ecothon among others.
Nearly 500 teachers from schools in Delhi-NCR were felicitated and recognized for their efforts during the pandemic as they came together at Hyatt Regency, Delhi, on Wednesday at the meet organised by HT PACE, in collaboration with HT School. Puja Sharma, Head, Special Initiatives, Hindustan Times, who unveiled the mission of HT School, said, “Hindustan Times has always been committed to the cause of education in India, and it was with this vision that HT School, an OMNI channel technology-inspired, event-driven platform, was launched in 2021.” “While the platform is yet young, it has achieved laudable feats with HT School plunging into the event space for students, hosting several award-winning events, such as ClassAct 2022, The Hindustan Times Republic Day Quiz; HT Code-a-thon; Hindustan Olympiad; and a 4-Day Quiz Camp, to name a few. We believe that events, such as these, help students reach their full potential, as they compete against the best on a global platform!”
The meet and greet also gave teachers an opportunity to unwind and interact with their counterparts from different schools as they attended an inspirational talk by Sister Shivani, a renowned motivational speaker, and an interactive musical healing session. Sister Shivani, during her mindful session addressed the teachers and said, “Your emotional health will ultimately reflect in your aura and your energy and everyone you interact with.”
The motivational session was followed by an Interactive Rhythm Circle and performance by Nomadsouls, a group of passionate musicians, who distributed musical instruments among the attendees thus enabling them to be active participants in calming session.
Vaibhav Chaturvedi, one of the band members, said that while the band had been performing online during the pandemic, a physical session with school teachers was a unique experience. “We conducted a healing session for school teachers today. During the pandemic, our audience was restricted so it was good to see so many teachers in attendance today,” said Chaturvedi.
Madhu Gaur, a teacher from D.A.V. Centenary Public school, Narela, who attended the meet, said that these sessions had filled teachers with renewed energy and rigour. “It was heartening to attend the teacher’s session after two years. Both the sessions were fruitful for the emotional health of teachers,” said Gaur.
Jyoti Sharma, who teaches English at St. Columbus school Faridabad, said that the session was refreshing and had given teachers a chance to reflect back on their teaching-learning experience from the pandemic. “There was a lot of anxiety and uncertainty due to the pandemic in the past two years. It was good to reflect on the experience today. The motivational session was especially fruitful,” said Sharma.
The audience was also enthralled by Didgeridoo player Mayank Sharma. A native of Rishikesh, Sharma has been playing the instrument that traces its origin to Australia for the past 21 years. “Didgeridoo produces low-frequency music which is fruitful for relaxation and calming. It was good to see teachers unwinding and relaxing today during the session,” said Sharma.