Suman Belliappa

My teaching journey spans over 14 years, primarily working with primary learners, and has been one of continuous learning and growth. I began my journey teaching children across Grades 1–5 and, over the years, have had the opportunity to explore different areas of education including language, technology, creativity, entrepreneurship, digital citizenship, and experiential learning. At Army Public School, Bangalore, I designed additional learning content, supported teachers in integrating technology into their classrooms, guided young entrepreneurs as they developed their own business ideas, and encouraged aspiring young writers to bring their imagination to life. At 21K School, I began as an English facilitator in the primary section and later moved into academic leadership as the Academic Coordinator for Grades 3–5. In my current role, I work closely with educators, learners, and parents, supporting curriculum and content planning, facilitator development, classroom observations, learner engagement, and the creation of meaningful learning experiences. My experiences beyond education—in technology, entrepreneurship, business, marketing, and customer experience—have also shaped the way I approach teaching and learning. They have taught me the value of adaptability, creativity, problem-solving, and understanding people. I believe that education should nurture curious, confident, creative, and resilient learners, and that teachers must remain learners themselves. For me, education is an ongoing journey of questioning, experimenting, reflecting, and finding better ways to help children make meaningful connections with the world around them.

If someone had told me when I was studying Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics that I would eventually find myself working in education, working with children and teachers, and thinking about curriculum and learning every day, I probably wouldn't have believed them.

My career has taken a rather interesting route. I started with technology and even had the opportunity to intern at ISRO. I then moved through different worlds—design, entrepreneurship, marketing, customer experience and digital media—before finding my way back to the classroom. For a long time, these experiences felt like separate chapters of my life. Today, I realise they were all preparing me for the way I work as an educator.

Running a business taught me to listen to people and understand what they need. Working in customer experience taught me that the little things matter. Technology taught me to keep asking, “What else is possible?” And entrepreneurship taught me that not every idea works the first time—and that is perfectly okay. You try, learn, change direction and try again.

Children have taught me perhaps the most important lesson of all: learning rarely happens exactly the way we plan it.

A question from a child can take a lesson somewhere you never expected. An activity that looks wonderful on paper may fall completely flat. A quiet learner may surprise you with an idea that changes the direction of a conversation. Over the years, I have learned to leave some room for these moments.

That is probably why I enjoy designing learning experiences so much. I don't want learning to be something children simply move through because it is on the timetable. I want them to have something to wonder about, something to make, something to question, something to figure out—or sometimes, something to get wrong and try again.

My journey has also taken me from teaching children to supporting teachers and leading academic teams. That transition has changed my understanding of education. I have come to see that the experience of a learner is influenced by so much more than what happens in one classroom. It is shaped by the teacher who believes in them, the parent who partners with the school, the team that supports the teacher, and the culture that allows everyone to keep learning.

So, why do I teach?

Perhaps because I have never really stopped being curious myself. I enjoy learning something new, questioning something I thought I knew, finding a different way of doing things, and watching an idea grow into something real.

And perhaps that is what I hope to pass on to children—not a collection of answers, but the confidence to stay curious, to ask better questions, to try things, to make mistakes, and to discover that there is almost always another way of looking at something.

After all these years, I still feel that I am learning too. And I think that is one of the best reasons to be an educator.