Mr. Deepak Maunthrooa teaches English Language and English Literature to students of Form 1 to HSC. He currently works at Ebene Boys SSS. 

 

Tell us about yourself and why did you choose to become a teacher?

Did I choose to become a teacher or did the profession choose me, I won’t be able to say. After 14 years educating, coaching, teaching, counselling, supporting and encouraging students, I find that this is the career meant for me.

 

– It has become a popular view that the current generation of students are no longer interested in “learning”. Do you agree with that statement?

No, it is just that “learning” has changed and should no more be done as it used to be done some decades back. The chalk-and-talk method has phased out. Some believe that students should adapt to teaching but I believe that we Educators should adapt our teaching to some extent for the benefit of our students.

 

– What is the “Cooperative Learning by DM” facebook page?

This is a group I created on Facebook some years back after completing my PGCE at the MIE. The name itself (Cooperative Learning) is a term I encountered during one of my modules. The group regroups my actual and ex-students and it is meant to be a platform of sharing, coaching and learning, where more mature students share with the juniors. I normally post whatever I find useful for SC & HSC level and I have received much praise from those who seriously make use of the resources I put at the tips of their fingers.

I do my best to relate my lessons to what I post in that group. Whenever I plan group work and project based lessons, the students are required to use that group; those not on FaceBook are also taken into account, no worry about that.

 

– Do you think that Social Media can play a role in the education of our youth?

At a time when many parents come to school and say that their sons/daughters spend most of their time on the Net, on FaceBook, on Instagram, I have used the social media in a way to fit my teaching. We have to face it, students are using it, so why not put it at their advantage and have them use it judiciously. They need to be guided towards proper and relevant resources and means.

 

What are your thoughts about JA Programs?

I encountered the JA Programs during my spell at RCPL in 2011. The person in charge, Mrs Reekoye, took me under her wing and the JA Program flourished during the following years. Taking the lead to launch JA at Ebene SSS-Boys during my first few months there already gives an idea about what I think of the JA Programs. I just hope to have more dedicated colleagues to give me a helping hand; in the end, we are doing all these for the benefit of our students.
I have also used FaceBook to post pictures of what I normally do in JAM activities, so as to create some awareness among my students.

«Ils étaient quatre présents sur notre lieu sacré, notamment le Centre Thérapeutique Flamboyant situé à Solitude, en ce vendredi le 15 Avril 2016. Effectivement, Elodie, Pascaline, Jessica et Vincent étaient les uns aussi dynamiques et sympathiques que les autres.

 

Dans notre école de vie, ces jeunes faisant un travail qu’on qualifie de magnifique, nous ont appris comment gérer notre argent – chose qui n’était pas évident pour nous auparavant. Etant ex-toxicomanes / alcooliques, on ne se focalisait pas vraiment sur les dépenses qu’on faisait mensuellement. On s’accrochait à la substance sur laquelle on dépendait sans se soucier de la somme d’argent qu’on reçoit, des dépenses impératives, de nos besoins primordiaux, d’économiser. Ce séminaire sur la gérance d’argent nous a, en quelque sorte, ouvert les yeux. Cela nous a aidés à mieux comprendre comment on peut payer les factures, manger, boire, économiser et se divertir tout en recevant le même salaire mensuel. C’était en effet très intéressant car beaucoup d’entre nous sont pères de famille ou ont une famille qui compte sur eux pour subvenir  aux besoins de la maison.

 

Ce qui nous a aussi touchés pendant ce séminaire, c’est la façon dont les représentants de JAM se sont exprimés. Ces derniers ont fait usage de plusieurs approches différentes afin que la totalité d’entre nous capte le message. Ils ont fait des sketchs, des dessins, et même quelques calculs sur nos dépenses entre autre.

 

Eventuellement, pendant cette expérience, on a acquis des connaissances que nul ne nous aurait fait part ailleurs. Pour cela, tous les résidents et le personnel du Centre remercie le Junior Achievement  Mascareignes. Vous pouvez être fiers de vous car on appliquera et partagera ce que vous nous avez appris. Sans aucun doute, cela va grandement nous aider dans notre vie quotidienne. Notre conclusion, suivant ce séminaire, c’est que désormais, on pourra assumer nos responsabilités financièrement. »

 

Encore merci JA Mascareignes.