SUNITHA SATEESH| Former Principal
Mrs. Sunitha Sateesh has a M.Phil and a B.Ed degree. She has been with The Choice School from 1996, and the school has reached great heights under her leadership. The school was a part of the Student Exchange Programme to Broadgreen International School, Liverpool, UK and Pascack Hills High School, New Jersey, USA.
1. Who/what inspired you to take up teaching as a profession?
Getting into teaching fraternity was by default. But once I started teaching, I enjoyed it completely and have stood by this profession for the last 22 years.
2. You have been in teaching field for more than 20 years. What do you think has changed in the education space, over the years?
The perspective of student, parent and staff has changed a lot over 5-7 years. The excessive unmonitored exposure to the social media has impacted the youth in many negative ways, though social media has more positive if it’s utilised well.
3. What according to you are the important values a school should impart to its students?
Important values schools should impart:
Being respectful
Being polite
Able to differentiate between the right and wrong
Not to get overly influenced by peer group
4. How important and difficult is it to maintain a good school – parent– teacher relationship? What are the steps you take to maintain this relationship?
It is absolutely important to have a happy parent community, especially in today’s scenario where parents, particularly in private schools, are considered as one of the important stake holders of the institution.
Involving parents in organizing events and making them feel as a part of the school activities helps a lot to build up the bond and camaraderie.
5. In a world where class 9 students are preparing for class 10 exams, do you think spending time on extra-curricular activities help children in reaching better heights?
It definitely helps. Extracurricular and co-curricular activities, be it sports or arts, helps in the overall development of the child.
Extracurricular activities help children to channelize their thoughts and energy constructively and this helps them to perform better academically. These students channelize their energy and time effectively and are better equipped to face the challenges of life.
6. As the principal of a well-known school which has received several awards like the prestigious Education World Award for 2015, what did you and your school do differently to achieve these feats?
The simple mantra followed is ‘give in your best’ in all what is done and ‘embrace positive changes’ wherever possible, to stay right at the top.
7.How important is modern technology in classrooms these days?
A right blend of modern technology along with regular class room teaching is what is best suggested.
8. Do you think having the provision for ‘Student Council’ helps students build leadership qualities? If yes, how?
Provision for student council partly helps in building up the leadership qualities. But over years, what I have noticed is that children with leadership qualities take initiative and come up as leaders irrespective of whether they have the tag of ‘student council’ or not.
9. What is your message for teachers and educators?
My message to teachers and educators would be to be patient, be good listeners, and create a bond with students, and everything else will fall in place.