Class act

Swaty Prakash
03 March 2013, 03:14 PM IST

Last week, my five-year-old storehouse of wisdom confessed that she has changed her aspirations from being a veterinarian to a teacher. When asked why, she said, rather nonchalantly, that doctors need to study a lot. Quite offended by her observation, I retorted, "But teachers need to study a lot too."

"Ah, but I will be a nursery teacher," she argued.

Her statement got me thinking.

It reminded me of the days when self-professed career counselors in the family and beyond would disapprove of my choice of profession (journalism) and shake their heads in disapproval. "Teaching is what you should do," they would suggest, leaving me fuming and cringing at the thought of doing what in our country almost any woman is always advised to choose. Back then, I considered teaching beneath my knowledge and skills.

But it happened. A decade later, I was to be in a class with a bunch of 30-35 students almost daring me to make them study. I remember my first day in probably one of the most infamous classes in school. I remember how I looked my best and practiced my best smile, expecting 35 pairs of eyes on me, wishing me when I would introduce myself to them. It would be a cakewalk, I figured.

I entered a classroom saturated with chaos. There were no greetings, no smiles. In fact, no one even acknowledged my presence.

That day, I realized two things. One, that it was much easier when I interviewed a murderer in jail during my reporting days, and two that I could shout really loud. Unfortunately, no one except me realized this. To them, I did not exist and my shouts were lost in their pandemonium.

Insulted and ignored, I stormed out of the classroom. Back in the staffroom, I was in tears telling my best friend that maybe I just shouldn't be here.

My friend, who also happens to be one of the most respected teachers in school, decided to sort things out. She went to the classroom to speak to the students who still hadn't realized that they had literally driven their new teacher out of their class.

In her 15-minute long tête-à-tête with the students, she screamed at them, scolded them and made them feel ashamed of their actions. The result: I received a poem beginning with "Roses are red, sky is blue, oh our teacher..... " undersigned by almost the entire class, and I too started believing that maybe, I had won them over.

The effect stayed for the next two classes but slowly they were back to doing what they were best at — being disobedient and uninterested. It took me three months to realize that no job in the world can be as personal as that of a teacher. I learned that to win them over, I needed more than knowledge of my subject or a shrill loud voice, I needed to be me. A much better me.

My students are still unruly in class but now, when I shout at them, they smile warmly and tell me, "Ma'am, you teach really well but you don't scold well!!"

When I asked this friend, how does she manage to get her students to study, she gave me the magic mantra: "Simple. Just make them love you and every thing else will follow."

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Class act

Dengan url

http://osteoporosista.blogspot.com/2013/03/class-act.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Class act

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Class act

sebagai sumbernya