How a lot can a easy Instagram web page change lives? This was what I.S. Sumathi, a teacher from Panchayat Union Middle School, Therkamoor, in Madurai district, thought whereas beginning the @_.future_genius._ Instagram web page in September 2022.
“The students were thrilled because it was something they had never done before,” stated Sumathi to The Hindu. Fast ahead to 2025, the web page has lakhs of followers and a blue tick due to its recognition.
Deepika, consider your self!
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At a time when academics, dad and mom, and all authorities are asking students to steer clear of gadgets, social media and whatnot, Sumathi stands aside for utilizing the exact same for rising her students’ confidence. Helping them develop wings to their desires, Sumathi ensures that every one students get an opportunity to be in entrance of the digicam. She spoke about how social media is an important device in at this time’s age and the way students ought to be taught to use it responsibly as a substitute of avoiding it.
The first step
“Before I started Instagram, not many people were posting videos. My only motivation was that since others use social media for different reasons, why can’t I use it for education instead of competing with others?”
Under authorities schemes like Ennum Ezhuthum scheme (Numeracy and Literacy scheme, which ensures students underneath the age of eight get primary arithmetic and literacy training), academics are anticipated to share exercise movies in academic Telegram teams. These schemes have a learner-centric, activity-based curriculum that’s distinctive. This is the place Sumathi thought aside, “Why not post the same videos on Instagram?” That considering introduced 1000’s of followers to the web page and faculty, to the extent that many personal colleges additionally adopted the activity-based instructing strategies.
From being reluctant and not sure of how the web may react to the content material to understanding the significance of exposing them to the true world, the channel grew. The students now all try to turn into prepared for the true world on the market ready for them.
The journey
With 26 years of expertise, Sumathi fondly remembered her grandfather, who was a teacher and the way she took up instructing to fulfil her father’s dream. Inspired by her personal teacher again in college, Sumathi had one purpose. Become like him — top-of-the-line academics doable. She’s following his path by way of her revolutionary methods of instructing and guaranteeing her youngsters achieve confidence and the life expertise wanted to go forward with their aspirations.
The viral impact
The viral movies had been primarily associated to a ‘Believe in Yourself’ exercise that they did in class, the place every pupil is seen pointing at themselves whereas saying ‘Believe in yourself’ with their identify.
Thus got here the well-known ‘Believe in yourself, Shivadharshini’ and ‘Deepika, believe yourself’ tendencies that received tens of millions of hearts.
While these turned fashionable due to how catchy and confident the students had been whereas speaking, there are a number of different actions, together with the students speaking about English grammar utilization by way of actions and describing what they’re doing.
Sumathi’s reels are principally lesson actions that one may get simply attracted to indulge in whereas doom-scrolling. By utilizing handmade chart paper cut-outs of the varsity, stickers and drawing boards, she ensures the expertise is a enjoyable exercise for her students.
The web page gained tens of millions of views, and the students obtained fairly a little bit of fame. But the efforts didn’t cease there; the web page continued to be lively and fairly constant in placing out content material.
niranjana.ps@thehindu.co.in
