Guruvani: 'Everyone should set small goals in life'

What is the biggest professional challenge that you face in your role as a principal?The biggest challenge is the lack of parent cooperation and the expectations parents have from their children. They give a lot of importance to their children's academic achievements instead of appreciating their efforts. Every child works extremely hard to not only to keep up their grades but also do well in extracurricular activities. Parents fail to see this hard work and compare their achievements to that of other children of their age. Also, parents do not spend healthy quality time with their children.Once a teacher, always a teacher. Do you agree?Yes. A teacher believes the society is their home, a space where their ideas are valued and their voice is powerful. Teachers leave an everlasting impact on the students; they continue doing so all their lives. Teachers commit to teaching because they care not only about their students but also the development of their country. They continue to give advice, motivation, and encouragement to all those who require it to do their best.Success has become an obsession with people of all ages nowadays. Your comments?Society has set a parameter for judging who is successful and who is unsuccessful. Success may vary from person to person, from time to time and place to place. Focusing on hard work and not getting carried away is important. Success comes from the consistency of vision and values. When one remains consistent and true, it will help them achieve their goals and become successful. Everyone should set small goals and achieving them is also a success.What emphasis do you put on teacher training?As a facilitator and an educator, teacher training is of utmost importance. Change is constant and training helps the teacher update their skills with modern methods of teaching and technological updates. Curriculum standards and guidelines change, making it challenging for teachers to keep up with the trends. As education is a never-ending process, training helps in improving the skills and increasing the proficiency of teachers. It also helps teachers improve their teaching style in the classroom and help students perform better.What in your view is GenNext's biggest strength? Which are the key areas of improvement?Availability of modern technology along with the knowledge to update and upgrade it is the biggest strength of GenNext. Technology is on-going and its evolution has come a long way and it still has a long way to go. Technology has made human life easy and its use will motivate children to learn. Technology will help in creating better learning experiences in academic fields, medicine and space research, among others. The use of technology requires a lot of restrictions. Children spend maximum time with their eyes glued to their mobile phones, television and computer screens. They lack social interactions and physical activities. The use of technology requires constant guidance on its correct use and teaching GenNext on being less dependent on technology.How can the elderly contribute to a student's growth?Elders are an ocean of knowledge because of their life experiences. Their valuable life lessons are free. Owing to urbanisation and the need for better lifestyles, many people flock to cities and children grow up in nuclear families, losing the affection and care of their grandparents. Grandparents nurture and care of a child when both parents are working. This plays an important role in their growth and development especially when they are toddlers or in pre-school. They impart lessons on giving charity and being polite and respectful. Through their stories, they also pass on the moral values of life.What according to you is the role of media in education?Media plays an important role in education. Media comes in many forms like television, the Internet, radio and books. The media makes the teaching-learning process fun and interesting. Only correct and proper use of media can work wonders but wrong use can prove to be disastrous.