The Accidental Teacher, Vidhan Dubey’s Story
The theory around the ‘Butterfly Effect’ suggests, one smallest flap of a wing can eventually cause a hurricane halfway across the world. For Vidhan Dubey, his desire to become a teacher followed a similar pattern. Teaching was never a childhood ambition or a carefully planned career choice for him. It was something he discovered along the way, slowly and through experiences that taught him more than any textbook ever could. Today, Vidhan works as an Assistant Teacher in a primary school in Chhattisgarh. But his journey to the classroom did not begin with certainty. It began with curiosity. What he did not realise then was that this curiosity would slowly turn into responsibility, and one day, into purpose.
After completing Class 12, Vidhan did what many students do, he moved forward without a clear picture of where he would eventually land. Teaching was never something he thought about. In fact, the idea of becoming a teacher felt heavy to him, important, but intimidating. He often wondered if he would be able to carry the responsibility that came with shaping young minds. Yet, as time passed, people who he came across began to shape his thinking. Mentors who believed in learning through practice, fellow students who shared doubts and dreams, and educators who treated teaching as a responsibility rather than a position slowly influenced him. Without realising, Vidhan started seeing education profession differently.
His formal entry into the field came through DIET Pendra in Chhattisgarh, where he completed two years of teacher training. Studying at a government institute gave him exposure to the realities of the education system. He learned about rules, structures, and policies; but more importantly, he learned how those policies play out in real classrooms. It was here that Vidhan began understanding that teaching requires patience, adaptability, and an ability to listen closely to children’s needs. During one of his early classroom observations, he noticed a teacher patiently explaining the same concept repeatedly until every child understood. That moment quietly changed how he looked at teaching not as instruction, but as care. He recalls our Project Coordinator Ritesh Kumar saying, “You don’t need to have all the answers to be a good teacher. You just need to be willing to learn.” That line stayed with him.
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During this time, Vidhan came across the Sterlite EdIndia Foundations work, and the focus on practical classroom challenges resonated with him. He was also selected as a Student Ambassador, which helped him not only to develop confidence but also helped him develop leadership skills, which could have learned through many years of experience. Through the process of working with teachers, participating in numerous initiatives and taking on added responsibilities, Vidhan developed as a leader by gaining new experiences and building confidence from those experiences. What stood out to him most was how the mentors created space for questions, reflection, and mistakes reminding him that learning does not always need perfection, sometimes it needs courage.
His association with the foundation deepened when he trained as a Digital Teacher. He learned how to use technology purposefully in education and to keep learners’ interests at the forefront. He also learned how to use technology to teach children about values such as empathy, curiosity, and sensitivity to their reality, a positive use of AI in Education. Through ground-level survey experience, understanding children’s backgrounds, learning levels and the obstacles they face, taught him differently about all classrooms. Vidhan realised that no two classrooms are the same, and no single method works for every child.
In 2021, Vidhan enrolled in the D.El.Ed. programme, marking an important point in his educational journey. He got to learn about the changes taking place in India’s education system that would affect students and teachers, like the National Education Policy, Foundational Literacy & Numeracy and NIPUN Bharat. With exposure and support through Sterlite EdIndia Foundation, Vidhan engaged closely with these changes and began understanding how national reforms translate into everyday teaching practices.
Vidhan’s journey so far has helped him in his professional development and personal growth. As a result, he has better communication skills and found opportunities to learn how to communicate effectively in interviews and professional settings. Mock tests conducted during this time by EdIndia Foundation also helped him prepare for competitive exams like CTET and CG-TET.
Watching his father be a teacher, it is no surprise that he had such a profound influence on his life. His father often reminds him that, “unless one interacts with the outside world and remains curious to learn, true learning is not possible”. Vidhan grew up seeing how his father kept in touch with former students long after they graduated, not because he was their teacher, but because he cared about them. This has affected how he perceives in his capacity as an educator. This ideology continues to be an essential influence in his teaching philosophy.
Today, Vidhan does not think of himself as someone who chose Teaching, but rather he believes teaching chose him through various experiences, people, and reflections. Although Vidhan’s journey is not extraordinary, and it is not very unique, it is still quite authentic, and it is a solid representation of someone who has steadily been developing along a path of meaningfulness. It reminds us that sometimes, the most meaningful journeys are not the loudest ones but the ones that grow quietly.
Learn more about EdIndia program, an exceptional teacher education and training initiative designed for both pre-service and in-service educators.
