| acceptance speech swaraj chopra memorial award for best teacher: 2001-02 |
| Good Morning, Respected Principal Mr. M. I. Hussain, Vice-Principal Dr. S Pathak, Headmistress Mrs. Santosh Mattoo, Mr. Chopra, Colleagues and Dear Children. As I stand here and accept this Swaraj Chopra Memorial Award, I remember my dear colleague, Mrs. Swaraj Chopra with great reverence and affection. She was hardworking, dedicated and above all a wonderful person. I had the privilege of working with this great friend and teacher and learning many things from her.I thank Mr. Chopra and his family for being with us this morning. It is a profound honour to receive this award. And humbling too. I am fully aware of the very high caliber - the talent, determination, and dedication - of the teachers of DPS. I have been selected from an exceptional group of people. My heartfelt thanks to all of you for recognizing my work and service. And my thanks too to the awards committee - to Mr. Hussain, our Honourable Principal for his great vision which has taken DPS Mathura Road to heights never reached before and Mrs. Mattoo who has led the Junior School remarkably with her sincere effort and dedication. The Best Teacher Award is an unexpected and thrilling achievement coming as it does 30 years after I made the momentous decision of joining DPS. My choice turned out to be a very good one indeed, for not only did DPS form me and support me in an admirable way, it helped me forge an especially close and lasting bond with my exceptional students. I have believed that the future of the world is in my classroom today, a future with the potential for good or bad. I must be vigilant every day, lest I lose one fragile opportunity to improve tomorrow. I have a word of advice for my young colleagues and children � We have lots of heroes today - sportsmen, supermodels, media personalities. They come, they have their 15 minutes of fame, and they go. But the influence of good teachers stays with us. They are the people who really shape our lives. Therefore, remember the eternal truth � The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am extremely thrilled to be a part of this great institution called DPS, I am honoured to be associated with the Mathura Road branch and above all, I am proud to be a Teacher. I touch the future. I teach. Thank you all. krishna wangneo |
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