Mrs. Surekha Bhalerao
Teacher
Sitaram Abaji Bibwe
PMC School No 64B
Mrs. Surekha Bhalerao is a teacher to her core. She not only aims to see her students excel academically but also to be better human beings. Her continuous efforts to teach students in innovative ways has earned her the love and respect of all her students. Even after the students leave the schools she has taught in, they have stayed in touch with her.
Mrs. Bhalerao welcomed the Jeevan Shikshan Social and Emotional learning program as she intuitively understood the benefits it would have on her children. The sessions are conducted patiently, giving each child space to speak and participate.
Due to COVID-19, the schools have been closed since March 2020. But Mrs. Bhalerao’s 7th-grade class has not been defeated by the pandemic. Education for her children has continued through Whatsapp in an iterative process. She first posts lesson explanations through voice notes and videos where she teaches using a whiteboard. Then she responds to queries received from children. Some homework is also posted. Children do their work, take pictures, and post it back on the group. Mrs. Bhalerao has innovatively used markup tools to correct the work and send it back to her students. She ensures she responds to each and every message she gets. The class is active from 8 pm to 11.30 pm and that doesn’t restrict her in any way.
She firmly believes that a teacher can bring about monumental changes in the lives of students and shows the way herself.