The teacher is said to be the heart of the educational system. They are one of your first role
models, instilling in you the confidence and curiosity that takes you ahead in
life. Blud Rodrigues from Vasco da Gama is one teacher who does this and is now
an award winning teacher for her effort. Goa Konkani Bhasha Mandal’s Ravindra
Kelekar Dnyanmandir’s teacher, Blud has been selected for the prestigious
Teacher Innovation Award, a National Award for zero investment innovative ideas
in education initiatives across India, hosted by ZIIEI, Sri Aurobindo Society.
There were 62 teachers from all over India selected for different categories
for the Teacher Innovation Award and she won in the New Age Teaching
techniques. “They asked me to join their Facebook group through a message,
which I did on the same day. The results were out in a video that day at 6pm. I
hope this motivation will prompt others towards similar initiatives and
implements,” says Blud.
Putting her theories to practical use, Blud was inspired to involve
students in the teaching process. The award winning idea was tried at the
Ravindra Kelekar Dnyanmandir School, where 12 students from classes 8 and 9
with various talents in art, music, sports, drama, dance etc became resource
persons who conducted workshops for the students of the same school in small
groups. “We chose students who had showed their talents at school and we asked
them to be resource persons and give workshops to other students. We put two
students together with common interest and skills so that they felt supported,
besides a guide teacher allotted to each duo to help with planning and smooth
functioning with discipline. We made a poster too to publicise the workshop,
which was called ‘Talentazzle’. There were so many other students who would
have loved this; though we could not give everyone a chance, we will surely
include them this academic year,” says Blud. The students gave workshops in
flower making, dance, drama, tennikoit, rubik solving, tabla, shamel, singing,
power point presentations, karate, etc.
This year the project will be on a grander scale with more
children giving mini workshops. “The thoughts and ideas just come randomly when
at school and amongst kids. We see them and the ideas just pop up. When they
are accepted by the school, they culminate into something new. This year, I
plan to have my students write about social issues that they come across. Small
letters from young students usually carry the most powerful observations and
thoughts,” says Blud.
She has been selected amongst lakhs of teachers across the
country, who submitted their ideas for the award. She will be going to New
Delhi on August 15 for the Award Ceremony on August 17, where she will be
receiving the prestigious award at the hands of the Human Resource Development
Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal.
Daughter of Amioto and Monica Rodrigues from Vasco Da Gama, Blud
completed her schooling at St Theresa Girls High School, Vasco and graduated
specialising in microbiology at St Xavier College, Mapusa. She further pursued
BEd in English and Science and stood second in PES College of Education,
Farmagudi. She completed Post Graduation in Guidance and Counselling and stood
first at Goa University. Previously, she taught at Regina Mundi High School,
Vasco, Mother of Mercy English High School, Vasco and is currently teaching at
Ravindra Kelekar Dnyanmandir, Margao since 2012. Her main subject is English in
higher classes and EVS for class 5 but she has taught other subjects too.
Besides
her educational qualification, Blud herself is involved in different art forms.
She mastered almost all forms of Western Classical Dancing and won a silver
medal at a national level dance competition in Odisha. She enjoys singing and
is a part of the Parthilia Felicidade Choir Group. Her hobbies include flower
making, drawing, dancing, writing poems, craft and reading popular psychology
Children. She also enjoys writing poems and has written a number of scripts for
elocution competition and some plays at school.
