BENGALURU: The distance and extended hours of teaching after school hours have not dampened his dedication towards his students. Shashikumar BS (42) travels 60 km to and fro each day from his home in Tumakuru to Yelekyathanahalli village in Nelamangala taluk on his two-wheeler to teach at the Government High School.
Fondly called ‘Shashi sir’ by students, he is among the two from Karnataka who will receive the national award for teachers from the Union Human Resource Development Ministry on September 5. Shashikumar, along with 45 other teachers, will also be meeting PM Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on September 3 and 4.
Hailing from Tumakuru, Shashikumar is an MSc, MPhil and BEd graduate and has previously worked at the Morarji Desai Residential School and other government schools. At present, he works as an assistant teacher at the school in Yelekyathanahalli village. Shashikumar not just inspires his students to do well in Science, but was also instrumental in setting up a Science lab.
His speciality is that he does not dictate notes to students, but instead gets them to jot down their own notes based on what they have learnt in the laboratory. This helps them in exams. He also tells his students to make presentations on particular topics and uses technology aids. “Mere textbooks will not interest students,” he said. After school hours, he not just takes special classes for Class 10 students, but also drops them home.
Shashikumar organises Science-themed rangoli competitions. “I make my students draw kidneys, heart, lungs and other diagrams. The students’ creativity comes to the fore,” he said. For instance, while teaching the process of osmosis, he uses potato and water mixed with sugar. “I set up everything and show them videos too,” he said.
Shashikumar also creates awareness on plastic usage, water management, etc, among the students.“After school hours, we take special classes for Class 10 students. At present, we have 16 students in the class. I drop off those who come from far-off places or pay for the autorickshaw ride as classes go on till 6.30 pm. Ever since I joined this school about eight years ago, we have got close to 100 per cent results in SSLC. I am proud that my students are scoring 92 to 95 marks in Science. All these students are from economically-weak backgrounds. My school teacher kindled an interest in Science in me and I am just passing it to the next generation,’’ he added.
Dr Nareshachari, who is studying MD in Emergency Medicine at Mysuru, was his student at the Morarji Desai school. “Shashi sir was the one who inspired me to take up Science. The manner in which he taught Science was inspiring. I am happy and proud my teacher is getting the award, he deserves it,’’ he said.