Teaching -Then and Now .!!

We are on the eve of another teachers day .I am convinced that I am  aging and that is because I don’t seem to remember my first teachers day as a teacher !! .Its a tough ask if you have been in the profession for 35 years  .But at a macro level ,Teachers Day brings back a collective picture that has not changed –and that is of children taking over as teachers on Teachers Day !!The Headboy /Headgirl takes over as the Principal and gets to sit on the chair which most look up  at with awe .Then there is a small cultural show put up by the kids and one of my favourites was when some students tried imitating their teachers .I remember the very talented mimic Padamjeet Sehrawat (now a celebrity cricket commentator)bringing the house down with laughter and deafening applause as he imitated teacher after teacher .And of course the titles that the kids gave to their teacher .Amazingly appropriate .!!I simply loved each moment of it as I sat in the students gallery !!It was normally topped up with a sumptuous meal .

Much has changed in these 35 years .I think the quality of teaching has deteriorated .And  there are some reasons  for it.There is too much of legislation about what to do and what not to do .There is a amazing amount of paperwork -the CCE system has converted a teacher to a lower divisional clerk who has to maintain a plethora of complicated files which come under the scrutiny of a "inspector".!!.Business people and industrialists control schools who have never worked at ground zero level .If you are independent in your thinking you are termed "frustrated ". You cant use harsh words (psychological damage),and you are taught too much by phoney experts as to how to teach .I remember I did not have a Bed Degree till after having taught for 10 years and I did my Bed so that I became eligible to become a Principal !!Till now  I don’t understand the complex and high sounding words –ex pedagogy ,cognitive skills ,Pavlov Theory ,Maslow Theory etc -,and yet I think I was a reasonably good teacher .I still feel that a teacher must be allowed a free hand to teach in his/her own way  and spill out his/her  passion .The only thing one needs to observe in a interview when recruiting a teacher is whether a person  will be committed to his/her  job or not ,and whether he/she has a presence in class .Teachers are after all role models for the kids .One can mould ones personality in a particular way only when one is in school .Once you grow up then you cant have role models of your age because you will always consider them as your contemporaries .And once you go past lets say beyond 40 –you are too old to change .The real models must be your classmates who do extraordinary things in class or your teachers .When I sit in interviews ,I don’t look at the knowledge that someone is displaying.I look out whether the person will be able to influence a child with his/her  passion and personality .Unfortunately ,passion can never be found in persons who are constantly straight jacketed and who are overfed with instructions .It just kills the originality .Good teachers will seldom be “yes” persons .You will find them a bit eccentric because they do things differently .I knew  a  contemporary who gave negative marks in English !!For example you could get -35 in English !!And we had a damn good Principal who allowed him to do that .Bottom line –recognize what good teachers are all about ,don’t interfere in their work ,and please don’t treat them like babus .Unfortunately all the above seem to be missing these days .

Of course much has changed .The challenge to the teachers is from the internet .Kids are better prepared bcoz they now have access to knowledge at the click of a button  .Previously the repository of all knowledge was the teacher .The centre of gravity of learning was the teacher .If you wanted any information –it had to be via the teacher .The teacher was much sought after .But all that has now changed .And because children are quicker in grasping facts and retaining them (just like they can run and jump more than a aging teacher ),they tend not to rely too much on the teacher .Even we google to find out what a particular disease is all about and what is the cure for it –we sometimes don’t go to a doctor!!What the teacher must do is to constantly keep updating themselves about their knowledge base and also adapt to and adopt technology .Otherwise their image will continue to get a beating .

But all said and done –if you are a good  human being and you have a presence and you have a sufficient knowledge base –you will always be a valuable teacher .You cant beat the internet in knowledge .But you can beat it in the way you talk ,the way you smile ,the way you respond to a tragedy,the way you respond to success ,the way you stand up for a cause .The internet can never beat you to it .And that is what makes the teaching profession such a durable profession .And here is a lovely little poem about why a teacher is so valuable .You all must have read it somewhere .But it is worth reading it again especially since tommorow is Teachers Day .I quote from what a child wrote to his teacher

“When you thought I wasn't looking, you displayed my first report, and I wanted to do another.

When you thought I wasn't looking, you fed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, you gave me a sticker, and I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking, you put your arm around me, and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt--but that it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, you smiled, and it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn't looking, you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking--I looked...and

Wanted to say Thanks for all those things you did when you thought I wasn't looking.”

Yes teaching is not about teaching Maths ,History ,Science or other subjects .Its also about teaching how to live life .In todays world teachers tend to teach subjects  .But  sometimes the uneducated are the greatest of teachers .My maternal grandmother was one of them .Happy Teachers Day .!!God bless .