Showing posts with label teaching days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching days. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Reach out’13


Part- 2

Previous parts- 1

          One of our plan was to prepare some simple and interesting experiments in the laboratories. As we have 5 different branches of Engineering stream in our college (Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering), all the departments decided to prepare their own experiments and models for the students.
          

         Duties were assigned to every staff members and we started working on it. I have been assigned the duty of preparing a Lab manual ( of course with the help of my friend and colleague, Deepthi )and  demonstrate some of those experiments . As I belong to the Electrical & Electronics Engineering department, the experiments and models that we arranged were related to electricity. We have planned to familiarize the various electrical equipments to them and make them understand the basic principles of electricity. Some of them were;



  1. Study of intensity of light in an Incandescent lamp and Compact Flourescent lamp (CFL) with variation in voltage.
  2. Electric power generation from sun using solar panel.
  3.  Demonstration of wind speed measurement
  4. Demonstration of principles of magnetism
  5. Conversion of ac voltage to dc voltage using rectifiers.
etc..
We were very eagerly waiting for the day.. 15th April. The inaugural day of “Reach out’13”....

                                     

               To be continued.........

Reach out ‘13


Part-1



   Last Week, was so busy for me. Not only for me, but also for all my colleagues @ college. We were conducting a one Week Workshop for the high school students. As you know, I am working in an Engineering college, and dealing with students elder and different than the school students. The management and the staff together had taken the program- named as “Reach out’13” as a social commitment, and that was a grand Success.
          
      The aim of the ‘Reach out 2013’ was to make the high school students aware of the technology in a practical aspect. We wanted to show and make them experience the things that they study in text books. We want them to understand the importance of technology in the day today life.  That too, in the most possible simple way. They should enjoy the session...
         
       When we first heard about this idea from the management, we were not sure whether this can really work. We really wondered, what we can arrange for them to explain and make them understand and enjoy completely. And worried about whether we can manage these kids, as we are not used to the students of their age. There may be over dynamic kids, and it can be difficult to control them since there can be a lot of safety issues in the lab (like, electric shock, or putting finger inside a working machine etc).
          Even though, we had doubts regarding “How this will work?”, we decided to go ahead with the plan. The first step was to convince the students so that they are ready to come and attend a workshop during their summer vacation. First, we have contacted the teachers in the nearby schools and invited them to our college, and conducted a workshop for one day. We have introduced the various laboratories and machines to them, and they found the session very interesting. We got very good feedback from them. They said, they would really like their students also get an opportunity of this kind.
               
            Thus, we have selected above 200 students from 10 schools and started working on the preparation. ...........
                                                          



                                                                        To be continued...

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Always be shining stars....


            That was another FDP session in our college. It was on the same day, I have stood up myself to make a comment on the sessions done by two of my colleagues. I am coming to the details;
    There were two seminars on that day. The 1st one was on the topic “Stars- our friends”, and the 2nd was on “stress management”.  The former one explained the life cycle of stars, mainly the death cycle in which the stars first become ‘Red Giant’, then ‘white dwarf’ and lastly ‘ black dwarf’ which means the end of the life of a star. Due to some reactions happening for a long time  in the stars, some pressure will cause them to shrink inwards, which makes them decreasing their size. Gradually it become smaller, which is called as a ‘white dwarf’ And the  final state is “ black dwarf” which is the death of that star. This was very informative and new to most of us.
            The latter topic covered what is called ‘stress’ , its symptoms, types of stresses, how positive stress helps us, and how we can get rid of the negative stress. It was also an interesting seminar.
  We all enjoyed both the sessions; they were presented very well by my friends. And, after finishing both, started the interactive session. The seniors started talking about the stress in teaching profession. Somebody said that, it is the most stressful profession, but one opposed by saying, it is not a stressful job, rather it is an easy job. And there is somebody else pointed out that, if we are passionate about teaching, then it can never be stressful. Likewise, different types of opinions were coming. But, I think, it was only me, who was not thinking about that point. I was thinking about something else. I was feeling so tensed, my heart started beating so fast, and I was almost up from my seat. I got understood what my mind trying to do then. I agreed.. I couldn’t resist the urge to go the stage and tell something. But, there was serious discussion going on. But, I couldn’t wait. I called principal Mam, and told her that “Mam, I just want to say something”. She looked at me in surprise, and told me that, “ Come forward Mam, you don’t have to ask permission”. Then, I found myself on the stage( Actually I don’t remember how I reached there).
            I started with congratulating both of my friends, and then I said- “ when I heard both of the classes, I just found a relation between both the topics. I want to relate the dying star to a negatively stressed person. When he is at the peak of his stress, or mental pressure, he is in the same position as the ‘Red giant’. And if he continue to be in that state, after some time, he will shrink to a ‘ white dwarf’ and then to a ‘black dwarf’. And friends, what I want to tell  that, we should never allow us to continue to be a ‘Red giant, then to become a white dwarf and at last a ‘black dwarf’. I wish all of us,to be ‘shining stars’ always....”
   It was my first comment, that I have made myself (the very 1st one was made by me when Principal Mam called out my name on stage, and I had no other option). And, you know what, all the rest of the appreciation was about my statement. They congratulated me saying that, it was a creative thought, and they liked that. I was so happy then. “Everybody like to be appreciated” – it is true. Actually, that day helped me to make me noticed by everyone. And, then in all the next FDP’s I have tried to say something. And I can feel the difference ; FDP have improved my confidence to speak before public. Nowadays, I don’t feel the tension which I had on the first time. My heart beats are normal when I stand up for saying something. Actually, this is the purpose of the FDP (Faculty Development Program). I am happy to say that, our principal Mam pointed me out saying, I am the best example for the FDP utilization.
      Thank you friends, for all your patience. I will come later with another FDP story.. 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A rare luck

             Last day, I posted something about 'Luck'..and  now, I am here to tell you that, I am lucky to have a rare opportunity, that most of the people don' get..

       You all may  be knowing that, currently I am working as an Assistant Professor in an Engineering college. I have told you about the college, and the some of the things that is going on there. But, I didn't told you about this. You know something?, that one of my own sister studies in the same college. 'so what..?' you may ask. But, do you know, I am teaching in her class also. Actually, I am their group tutor/counseller till their final year. Isn't that exciting? .To be a teacher of your own sister?.I should say,'yes, it is..really exciting, and a good feeling' and some of my colleagues said that, it's a rare chance or 'luck'.. What do you feel my dear ones..?

Monday, July 23, 2012

A gift brought by FDP




In one of my previous posts, I was saying about the FDP (Faculty Development Program) in my college. Today I got something to share with you. The FDP program made me get a valuable gift .Let me tell the story. It was on last week.....
That day one of my colleague was taking a seminar on the topic “Luck”. She had explained some interesting things about ‘luck’, and finally there came the  time for making comments. I got up myself  and faced the audience to make a comment. I started with congratulating her for taking such an interesting topic. Then I told them about the book “The Monk Who Sold His Ferari”, by Robin Sharma, and continued like this...
‘In that book, the narrator of the story,John asks the central character Julian, “what is called ‘Luck’ my dear friend?”. Then Julian replies, “It’s nothing more than the marriage of preparation with opportunity”. As we see, preparation plays an important role in life success. When opportunity comes to a person, who is prepared, he can take the opportunity. This is what Julian Mantle considered as luck. So, if the luck knocks an unprepared mind, there is a high probability that, he miss his opportunity and misses his luck. So to be the lucky person, we all have to be well prepared ...Good luck to all of you’.... I stopped saying like this.
Then, the next day, the  Mechanical Department HOD(Head of the  Department) asked me about my interest in reading, and about the type of books I used to read. He looked so impressed on me..
The next day, he called me in his department, (Me belongs to Electrical Engineering Department), and gifted me something..You know what was that..? An “e-Reader”... Kobo e-reader. I was so happy and excited on seeing that. I also wanted to get one like that..and God is great! I got it as a gift.. I thanked him so..much for this wonderful present. I asked him , whether I can show this to our Principal Mam..He said “Oh..yes, go on..”. Then I showed Mam, and she said a “Wow!!”, and Sir explained why he had given me this gift.. Mam said “Look, how happy she is!!”..She was right.. I was so..so..happy..


Have a look at my new e-reader..


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

FDP program.


   

     I am talking about FDP (Faculty Development Program) in our college.
     From  the very first day, I have found out  some amazing things in  our college. One of them is this FDP, conducted  everyday @ 2pm. To  improve the communication skills of the faculty, and to make them confident on a stage, the college authorities planned to  conduct seminars by every faculty members. The topics can be anything under the sun, usually general topics. But the technical topics can also be taken but make sure  that, we are not going so deep in to technical; so that every  faculty get benefit from this. The audiences were  not only from the Engineering Department, but also from MCA and MBA department in our college.
      On my first day @ college, I got a chance to attend the FDP , which consisted of two classes by two of  my colleagues. The classes were really interesting, and  I appreciated this idea  of FDP.
    After each classes, there was interactive sessions in which all faculties are supposed to say something, any comments or questions. The senior faculties  take  part in it very actively, but the juniors are not that much  relaxed. I had  found out some of my friends sitting near me being tensed, worrying about, who will be called next. Actually the thing is that, when nobody is coming forward to comment on the session, then principal Mam will call somebody very randomly, to come forward and speak. This is a terrible situation to everyone, I can see from their expressions.
    ‘Thank God’.. I have escaped that time. But, me also became scared, on thinking about the session the next day. The seminar hall was a huge hall, air conditioned, having cushioned seats. The lights will be turned off before starting the show, just like  in a movie theatre. The difference is that, here we are making the show. We are taking part in the show. Whole of the ambience make every one tensed a little. Me also got it ..
     And  one day I also had to take my seminar ..I will tell that story later..