Sumayya Sumam, a teacher at HMS AUP School, Thurakkal, near Manjeri, became a role model for many others when a video she posted on her Facebook wall last week went viral.
Her video shows her children singing the Malayalam version of Allu Arjun’s popular Pushpa song “Srivalli” while copying notes from the blackboard. For Ms. Sumam, it was a test in double concentration. For the children, it was joy in learning. And for others, it was a fine example of edutainment.
The video was shared by many, triggering a floodgate of positive responses. Many praised her saying that it was the ideal of way conducting a class, while a few flayed her for trivialising the precious class time.
What triggered the group-singing incident was an innocuous comment of two students when Minhal K.A. Backer of Class 5 hummed the tune of ‘Srivalli’ while taking notes from the blackboard. “I told Minhal it would be distraction for him if he hums while copying a note. Then to my surprise, two of my children in the class, Afrah Mehsin and Yunus, told me that I should not nip a budding talent,” said Ms. Sumam.
The entire class soon chorused the song ‘Srivalli’ even as Ms. Sumam shot their video on her phone without their notice. She was surprised by their concentration. All of them had their notes correctly copied. And they even remembered the notes.
The result of a film song in the class was amazing for Ms. Sumam. “It made them happy beyond description. With a happy mind, their readiness for learning was at its peak,” she said.
Ms. Sumam reminded the teaching community in the State of the importance of the principle of edutainment in classes. “Gone are the times when teachers believed in controlling the children with their sticks and stares. We ought to love them and employ scientific teaching methodology based on love and care,” she said.
She was encouraged and admired by her colleagues, including her Headmaster K.M.A. Salim. If Mr. Salim had proscribed her, she would have taken the video off her wall. “It is my children who went viral. They deserve it. It is the biggest motivation I could give them,” she told The Hindu.
