Dear teachers,
Sharon English High School is one of the oldest schools in Mulund which, over the last fifty years has established a good reputation because of its fine academic record. It might seem tempting for the teachers and staff to just sit back and relax. I have been working in this school for the past 25 years and I must confess there is never a dull moment at Sharon. I’ve found that the school is spirited and energetic like a young person, full of bright and innovative ideas, willing to embrace challenges and courageous in undertaking reforms in pursuit of excellence. More importantly, every teacher needs a mentor and many have been lucky enough to have one. My mentors in the past 25 years were retired headmistress Mrs. Ranjani Bharadhan , Mrs. Sosama Das , Mrs. Lata Zachariah and many more.
I feel the goal of education should be to equip students with the skills of decision making , problem solving , critical thinking and creativity. Teachers must provide opportunities for students to be independent, to gather information from different sources, analyse critically and use it effectively through group or project learning and other multi-disciplinary activities. This aim to enhance student creativity and higher order thinking reflects in the school’s academic and extra-curricular achievements. As teachers we’ve recognized these as important areas of continuous professional development. We have been working towards making our classrooms more active and meaningful spaces of learning.
A group of teachers in our school recently completed CEQUE’s Teacher Pages Innovator Fellowship in English and Maths. This fellowship is a testimony to the teachers’ commitment to designing and implementing new ways of teaching Maths and English. School-wide, our teachers have been enthusiastically and creatively using smart classroom technology provided by Tata Class Edge for seven years now. Recently the primary grades have supplemented the language curriculum with a new academic program, Karadi Path. The latest initiative that we’ve all been a part of is the Prerna program offered by The Teacher Foundation, Bangalore. Under this initiative, teachers participated in a whole school analysis which included aspects of our classroom teaching based on observations by experts. We have completed six workshops offered by them and have six more to go. We’re on a slow but sure path of transformation and I hope each of us will contribute meaningfully to make a landmark in the educational history of our school.
I do feel education reforms initiated by the government have been very well received and implemented by the school under the excellent leadership of the principal, Mrs. Annie Thomas. With the whole-hearted support of a team of committed and professional teachers many initiatives have been introduced and successfully implemented in the school. Very often we’re one step ahead of other SSC schools in Mulund and take the lead in trying new and innovative ideas. Our principal, Mrs. Annie Thomas has made unrelenting efforts in assessing needs of the community we work with, equipping our students to meet the changing needs of the society, exploring the professional potential of the teachers and activating a happy and motivating environment of a school. In terms of curriculum design, activities and competitions she has given flexibility and freedom to teachers and hence we try out new initiatives that help develop multiple skills & intelligence among our students .
Our success as a school depends on the concerted efforts of the management, commitment of the staff, effective implementation of government policies and our relationship with the wider community. It is only through multiple collaborations that we can bring the expected benefits to our youngsters. As all of you are dedicated and hard working teachers, I have confidence that you will be able to cope with all challenges in pursuit of excellence.
Do not allow circumstances to restrict your dreams.
Let’s gear up for a great year ahead.
Geeta Ramadurai
Secondary H.M. (Acting)