Mrs Kamala Subramaniam did her graduation from Stella Maris College, Madras whereafter she obtained her Postgraduate Degree in English from Punjab University, Chandigarh. She has also completed her Postgraduate Diploma in the Teaching of English from Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad.

Mrs Subramaniam has had a distinguished professional record. She was awarded a Professional Competency Merit Certificate in the year 1993 for the distinguished performance of her students in the CBSE class X English exam where all 43 students secured distinction. She has also conducted workshops for teachers of other schools on 'Communicative Strategies' in the classroom and on 'Creative Writing'.

She has attended a number of ELT workshops. She has also attended the Head Examiners' and Examiners' workshops conducted by the CBSE for class X English teachers. A workshop on 'Variations in Evaluation of Class X Board Paper' conducted by NCERT was also attended by her in the month of September.

Mrs Subramaniam has been a committed teacher for a long time. This is what she has to say about her calling:

"I am a highly motivated teacher with a few strengths. Though I regard English as my mother tongue (as it is as close to my heart as my mother is!) and stress that it has become an Indian language (thanks to the British legacy) students often try my patience. But I still carry on and adopt different strategies to motivate them and keep them captivated. Yes, as a teacher I feel this is very important. I remember reading a poem as a young child which clearly communicates what goes on in a child's mind while learning the language. I remember only a few lines which go like this.

So that is English - a rhyme without reason. The best way to get through to the students is by being communicative. The interactive method, combined with the drill method, I find is very effective. Very often when I teach grammar I do find myself in trouble as sometimes the rules in grammar boggle the child's mind! Then I say, 'Exceptions prove the rule'. Worksheets and assignments prove to be excellent material for practice as with time children pick up the language and speak or write it as it should be spoken or written. Whenever I find students getting bored with the text I immediately provide them with assignments which help to sustain their interest.