CHENNAI: Just a month back, a now-popular Tamil rhyme, Urulaikilangu chella kutty was an earworm. Though targeted at kids, the song soon trended on Instagram, and users irrespective of age made reels on this audio. Among them was a primary schoolteacher, Bhagyalakshmi from Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli. A scroll down her Instagram handle @packia_teacher, introduces us to more such reels on famous Tamil rhymes, alphabets, and words in the form of songs from every chapter she teaches.
Working at a government school, with only two other staff, Bhagyalakshmi teaches all the subjects to kids from classes 1 to 3, specialising in Tamil. “Tamil is one of the oldest languages known. We must learn this language in the right way and teach our kids how to pronounce the letters correctly, as that is where the beauty of the language lies,” she says, claiming that many people nowadays shy away from learning their mother tongue. “I upload videos on the Internet to kindle the interest of students and others towards the language. Not only Tamil-speaking audiences but also others should be motivated and learn the language. I’m here just for the push,” she adds.
A teacher for almost 28 years, it was during the pandemic that Bhagyalakshmi took to social media platforms to teach her students. She recorded videos of lessons and sent them to her students. It was then that her daughters suggested she upload these videos on the Internet so that other people could also learn. “I started uploading videos on YouTube in 2020 and only a few months back I joined Instagram. All the responses/comments have been positive. People message me that listening to me singing and teaching reminds them of their teachers,” she says.
Bhagayalakshmi has about 100 songs that she learned from her teachers written in her diary. She notes that her teaching methods and techniques are inspired by her teachers. Most teachers back then refrained from beating and scolding students; it was through songs that the teachers taught and grabbed the students’ attention. “Every day, me and my children sit in a circle and learn,” she adds.
Working at the school five days a week, she plans her video content on Saturdays, referring to her diary of songs. Having started with rhymes, now she uploads videos of Tamil alphabets. After planning the content, she shoots videos on Sundays on her phone for almost six hours. Along with singing, she also dances and uses props like a blackboard and chalk, for the viewers to understand better. Later, she edits the video herself and uploads them on YouTube and Instagram.
Noticing that this method has helped her students to be more active, involved and interested in her class, she suggests other kindergarten and primary schoolteachers use this technique. Following the success Bhagyalakshmi soon plans to make videos of three-minute short moral stories.