Superhero name: Frame Storm
Secret Identity: Sneha Ganesan
Mission: To bridge art and media, cultivate thoughtful minds who can interpret, challenge, and shape the narratives of the world.
Her Superpowers: Digital media fluency, creative conceptual teaching, social media content creation, and trained in Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi
Signature Strengths: Experiential teaching, innovative lessons, adaptability
Her learners often describe her as: creative, understanding and encouraging.
Sneha’s greatest passion for education comes from teaching and sharing information with students. Being surrounded by enthusiastic learners provides her the motivation to work in education. She is a passionate media studies teacher who currently is part of the Enrolment and Education department at a school. Growing up, teachers were influential in her life, inspiring and motivating her. This is what drove her to become an educator.
As a student, Sneha recalls having a different classroom setting as she finished her high school education in the US. She had the opportunity to learn numerous ideas through hands-on and project-based activities, which made learning easier and more enjoyable for her. Many of her teachers went out of their way to get to know their learners, making learning more meaningful for her. Their sincere interest piqued her curiosity and passion for learning. She now hopes to provide the same experience for her students by combining a structured approach with a pleasant and engaging teaching setting.
She recalls being the student around whom everyone would crowd before tests. As a student, she was patient enough to explain topics to her classmates and remove their worries, which she enjoyed doing for them. Teaching provides her with the same gratification since she strives to provide students with a meaningful learning experience.
She believes that one of the most significant superpowers of an educator is the ability to relate to others. It is simpler to engage with high school students when educators are clear about their expectations. Getting to know the students and motivating them to push themselves is part of the process. She makes it a point to provide learners with fascinating assignments that help them develop skills and get them interested in the idea they’re learning. According to her, a creative approach to lesson design helps draw students into the idea since they take ownership of discovering the various views, which keeps them engaged in learning more.
Sneha discusses some of her classroom experiences, including how using films as examples for media studies has been the most successful approach to teach even the driest concepts. Critical thinking and analytical abilities are constant in her course as they attempt to understand the numerous frames of movies. She recalls one classroom project in which they were addressing the general audience and using stereotypical beliefs depicted in films. They did audience research by interviewing learners at school to collect firsthand data and summarize their results. She enthusiastically stated that students enjoyed the process of gathering and assessing material, which helped them develop a better understanding of the topic. She highlights one of her classroom techniques, which is to spend a significant amount of time introducing new topics in the classroom. This helps learners establish an interest in learning more about the idea from the start of the class.
She recognizes that project-based learning has its drawbacks, such as learners backlogging their work, which might impair the aim of learning while having fun. There are times when students are eager to begin a project and devote their full attention to it. However, numerous subjects, the pressure to get good grades, and finding time outside of school to complete projects are just a few of the many issues that might prevent students from pursuing their projects with full enthusiasm. Sneha emphasizes the importance of teachers taking the time to get to know their students rather than becoming overwhelmed by the pressure of board exams. It is critical to grasp the subject’s purpose alongside the learners rather than focusing solely on the end results.
When asked about her favorite superhero, she thought for a moment and said that all mothers are unquestionably superheroes. After becoming a mother of two, she realized that it takes a lot to balance all elements of life; thus, she is doing her best to balance parenting while also showing up in the classroom to educate young brains. Mothers are unsung heroes, juggling their obligations while nurturing and inspiring those around them. Wishing Sneha luck as she continues to inspire young minds and empower the next generation of thinkers and creators.
TEACHERS OFF THE SCRIPT 