The worry box changed my classroom
A shoebox with a slot. Children post worries; we open it at circle time. Half the 'behaviour problems' in my class were just unposted worries…
read the rest →Small chairs, big work
A+ ⭐
My holiday homework (it's about my job) —
I chose Grade 1 on purpose. Everyone said take seniors, the syllabus is 'real' there. But nothing is more real than the week a child stops memorising sounds and starts READING — you can see the exact moment on their face. I've had front-row seats to that moment 312 times, and it has never once gotten old.
My classroom runs on routines kids helped write, a job chart with 24 jobs (line leader is the Supreme Court), and phonics so well-drilled it works even mid-giggle. Parents get a note home every Friday; children get one too, because they're people.
Ten years, three schools, one flood year teaching under a tarpaulin — and I still iron my chart paper. If your school needs a primary teacher who believes small chairs hold the most important work in the building, let's talk.
— Priya ma'am ✏Colours I teach with
Early literacy & phonicsJolly Phonics certified · 312 readers and counting
my superpowerFoundational numeracyJolly Phonics certified · 312 readers and counting
my superpowerClassroom managementJolly Phonics certified · 312 readers and counting
my superpowerEVS & wonder walksJolly Phonics certified · 312 readers and counting
my superpowerArt, music & movementJolly Phonics certified · 312 readers and counting
my superpowerParent partnershipJolly Phonics certified · 312 readers and counting
my superpowerCircle time, every time
Six-year-olds don't learn in rows. They learn in circles, on floors, mid-giggle.
the daily circle · sit anywhere, wonder loudly
Priya's view: A six-year-old asks 300 questions a day. School is usually where that number starts falling. My whole job — the reading corners, the bean plants, the clapping games — is to keep that number high while quietly teaching them to read, write, and reason.
- Wonder — every lesson opens with a question a 7-year-old would actually ask.
- Try — hands first. Count real buttons, grow real beans, spell with real bodies.
- Share — everyone's answer gets air time. Wrong answers are plot twists.
- Cheer — we clap for effort, in rhythm, because rhythm is also maths.
Where I learned to teach
2012 — 2016
B.El.Ed (Elementary Education)
Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi UniversityFirst division · gold medal, teaching practice2018
Jolly Phonics & Grammar Certification
Jolly Learning, official trainingTrainer-level certificate2021
Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education
IGNOUGrade A2023
Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (NIPUN)
NCERT training programmeDistrict resource personGold stars, earned
First aid & child safety (paediatric)renewed every year, used twice, both fine
Storytelling for educatorsrenewed every year, used twice, both fine
Inclusive classrooms foundationrenewed every year, used twice, both fine
Abacus & Vedic maths for juniorsrenewed every year, used twice, both fine
Built block by block
A2019 — PRESENT
PRT & Grade Coordinator (Grades 1–2)
Neerja Modi School, Jaipur
Coordinate 8 sections of the two most important grades in the building. Built the school's phonics programme from scratch — reading-readiness scores went from 61% to 93%. The reading tent was my idea. So was the worry box.
ps: the bean plants are on their 6th generationA2016 — 2019
Primary Teacher (Grade 3)
Maharani Gayatri Devi School, Jaipur
Grade 3 is where readers become writers. Ran the young authors' month — 44 laminated books by 44 eight-year-olds, one library catalogue entry each. Two are still checked out.
ps: the bean plants are on their 6th generationA2016
Student Teacher
MCD School, Kalkaji, Delhi
Teaching practice year. 52 children, one blackboard, no chart paper budget. Learned more about differentiation in eight months than in any lecture hall. Still my proudest classroom.
ps: the bean plants are on their 6th generationTimes grown-ups noticed
Best Primary Teacher — city round2024EducationWorld teacher awards
93% reading-readiness, Grade 1 cohort2024EducationWorld teacher awards
District Resource Person, NIPUN Bharat2024EducationWorld teacher awards
'The Worry Box' featured in Teacher Plus2024EducationWorld teacher awards
Wet paint! (always)
Replace these placeholders with real classroom photos in the admin panel.
Reading tent — occupancy: always full
100 days of school — we counted everything
Bean plant week 3 — drama levels: high
Young authors' month — 44 books
Maths with buttons, bottle caps & feet
Annual day — 26 butterflies, 1 cocoon (me)
Things I've learned from 6-year-olds
How I know the exact day a child becomes a reader
There's a tell: they stop reading TO you and start reading AT you — bossily, with feeling. Here's how we get there by December…
read the rest →In defence of the wiggle
Six-year-olds are supposed to move. Build the wiggle into the lesson and it becomes learning; fight it and it becomes 'behaviour'…
read the rest →What the grown-ups say
My son cried during summer holidays because there was no school. I checked his temperature. He just missed Priya ma'am.
Ananya's & Vihaan's motherParent, Grade 2Her Grade 1 corridor is the quietest during dispersal and the loudest during class. That's exactly the right way around.
PrincipalParent, Grade 2I was scared of maths. Ma'am taught me with buttons. Now I do sums for FUN which my brother says is weird.
Advika, age 7Parent, Grade 2Adopt this teacher
permission slip — for principals
NEXT INTAKE: APRIL 2027 · DEMO CLASS OFFERED — GIVE ME YOUR WIGGLIEST SECTION
Current schoolNeerja Modi School, Jaipur
Current rolePRT & Grade Coordinator
Open toPRT (any primary grade) · primary coordinator · FLN trainer · curriculum writing
Expected salary₹6–9 LPA
Willing to relocateYes — Jaipur, Delhi NCR, Udaipur
Notice period60 days (never mid-term — the children come first)
Principal, Neerja Modi SchoolCurrent employer · Shared on request
Primary Head, MGD School2016–19 · Shared on request
Write to ma'am
Current address52, Civil Lines, Jaipur 302006, Rajasthan
Phone / WhatsApp+919444444444
Note for recruitersRecruiting? Visit at 8:10 AM — morning circle. If you leave without smiling, I'll withdraw my application myself.