Physics

Growing up in a small town in Kerala, Southern State of India, there were a plethora of professions to look up to. I did not have to look far to find out what my future interests could be, I could just look at my parents. My father was a medical practitioner, and my mother was a teacher. I was sure I wanted to emulate their skills and practices, which is where my interests in science began. Not only was my mother an inspiration for this venture, but I also had many encouraging teachers as role models around me as well. They motivated me with care and support in all my academics. They taught me that teachers play a vital role in a child's development and learning. Especially when it comes to the field of science, a teacher's role is to nurture curiosity in their students for the world around them. I found that I wanted to give back to the educational field just as it had given to me.

When I think of teaching, I think of the Chinese proverb, “I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand”. Not only is it important to have the knowledge given to children at school, but the “doing” is important for learning and full understanding. Thus, hands-on activities are the best way for students to learn. With these activities, it brings the student and teacher closer together and makes learning more of a discussion and conversation. I listen to my students’ needs and care about what they want to address. Through my care for them, comparable to that which I have as a parent, I build a strong rapport to the point where they feel open to tell me their strengths and weaknesses. All of this helps me guide their learning and be a better teacher to them, individually. I also want them to make sure they apply the concepts I teach to the real world around them. And because I am teaching a subject like physics, it is not hard to do. Every day, all the time, people are inadvertently following the laws of physics and acting on them. In many of my practice problems and examples I tell them many inventions, appliances, tools, and buildings we live with today are made possible by applying physics principles.

School Counselor

I started teaching and quickly realized that the students needed more help than I could offer them in a classroom as a teacher. So, I decided to go back to school so I can become a school counselor. It was one of the best decisions I have made.

As the school counselor, I am responsible for scheduling, the college application process, counseling students, and I am the AP Coordinator. When I asked my principal what made me exceptional at my job the first thought that came to his mind was AP testing. I oversaw the expansion of our AP program from 600 exams to up to 1400 exams without incident. Elizabeth High School is one of the largest AP testing sites in New Jersey.