Back to school after the pandemic- A responsible teacher expresses his joy
Dear students! Many months have rolled by since I last saw you all! The fearful Corona ‘Devi’ kept all of us under her wraps all these days.
Precious gems, the unique joy of seeing all of you in school can't be gained in any other way.
Online classes can never replace the joy derived by joy of seeing the bright eyes of my students.....that compatibility and intimacy between the teacher and the taught makes every teacher think deeply and it increases our responsibility. Without the student, where is the value and respect for the teacher!
Teaching is not converting bookish information into brainy information. I realise that conducting a class is nothing but inculcating the good qualities of the teacher in the student. On these lines, I want to share some of my thoughts, vows and proposed initiatives with you. I request you to honour me by listening to them.
I felt very happy knowing that some students, who normally used to roam about without a focus, took up service activities to help many people during this pandemic period.
I got rid of the wrong notion that only the high-scoring students are great. Many of you rendered excellent service and clarified to people like me that the very word ‘student’ means ‘a responsible budding citizen’.
Oh budding flowers! Let us pray to God that the worst situation experienced during Corona should never be experienced again. During the pandemic we learnt the importance of ‘effective works during critical times’.
I welcome you to shoulder that the same sense of responsibility on yourselves throughout your life.
Now, as a teacher, I have taken a vow that you should never feel the academic burden. I shall adopt interesting methods in our classes. Henceforth my skill lies in finding out your unique talents, rather than assessing you only based on your marks.
Hereafter, when you come to school after your illness, instead of asking you curtly ‘where is the leave letter?’ I will first enquire, ‘Are you well now? Do you take proper food, rest and exercise?’ and only then will I remind you about the leave letter. No doubt, managing the class is important, but more important is your mental health, friendship with me and parental care from me!
Dear Students! When you created some havoc in the class using your mobile phone, when your attention get diverted to cricket, websites, movies, etc., I learnt one thing. Henceforth lessons taught in my class shall not be the one that reaches only your ears. I am planning to take classes to involve all your senses of knowledge like eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin, etc. through good expressions, practical demonstrations and such other means to make you understand the subject well.
From now onwards, classes will be a two way process. Come, let us together make learning and teaching a beautifully combined action. Hope you remember that the excellent Vedic chanting- Om, Sahana vavatu sahanau bhunaktu Saha veeryam karavavahai....
You love cricket. If you are the ‘striking batsman’ waiting to hit the ball, I am the ‘non-striking batsman’ waiting at the other end to score for you and to run with you! While standing in front of you, I have resolved to somehow enliven our class.
During class if you are the passive listener the lessons are like lullabies and you naturally feel bored. Whereas if we learn together, we can convert the entire syllabus into an enriching learning experience.
Now onwards, to encourage your love for outdoor activities in your adolescence, I shall allow you to play more rather than making you go through mental stress. Do you know that now a days, in order to help you do homework, I am also doing ‘homework’?
I feel sad when you do not feel comfortable with me and have hesitation in communicating openly with me.
If you maintain a distance from me, my mind ponders over possible deficiencies in myself and in my teaching abilities.
Dear student, the relationship between us is like that of milk and fire. Fire heats up the vessel, whereas milk boils inside the hot vessel! If you have to be attentive in class, have real fun on the playground and channelize your energy levels. If you do not physically jump around the playground, your mind will jump in our classroom.
The very thought, ‘you have come to learn with trust in me’ provides me with new energy. Dear brother, can I ever express my joy in words when I see you using properly the library and good websites?
Outside of our institution if I see you in a temple, I immediately pray for you: ‘God, make my students great’.
Forgetting that you are a grown-up, I scold you at times and you remain gracefully calm, do you know how proud I feel at that time? You are a potentially powerful seed to take root and grow on the soil called Teacher. When the seed takes root, tell me, will the soil feel pain thinking that the seed is pounding upon it?
Dear one, I am able to see that if I have a clear hold over the lessons I teach, you behave respectfully with me!
If among my boys and girls, one of them becomes the ‘topper’ and his / her name appears in the ‘paper’, I do not think I have to feel great about myself on their achievement. I want to see total growth in you as well as among all other students.
Henceforth, I will stand before you strong in my grasp of the syllabus and with patience. Will not these traits capture your attention? Teaching you the subject without kindling your interest, is like feeding honey to a sleeping baby! Will it be of much benefit?
If you encounter a problem, you run in search of various people and things to solve it. At that moment, if you do not remember me as a friend in need – I feel sad for not having earned your confidence.
Hereafter, all my effort will be to show that ‘learning is joyful’ to those students who are forgetful, who lack thinking skills, who have low self-esteem, who feel that studying is boring, who are tension-ridden, who have exam-fear, etc.
The pathetic situation of our education is glorifying a set of students as ‘outstanding’ and discarding the rest to 'stand outside’. Henceforth I shall not allow this condition even in the vicinity of my class.
Come dear one! Enough of your focus on ‘marks’ and that of teachers like us on ‘remarks’. From now on, your attention and my effort should be to reach the stage of ‘We Are Remarkable’ on a war-footing. As your teacher I shall raise you to that level.
In order to follow the above guidelines is the greatest labour of love of teachers. Myself and my fellow teachers who are interested in your welfare shall strive to work towards that transformation during the whole year.
To achieve that, Oh Lord, please bless us!
Swami Vimurtananda
11 February, 2021
Ramakrishna Math, Thanjavur