A GREAT TEACHER EAT APPLES !
WHICH TEACHER WOULD YOU LIKE TO THANK?
When a survey was
conducted in American schools last year asking question to students: what
makes a teacher great? The responses were surprising and pretty
unconventional. The kindergarten children wrote: A great teacher is one who
eats apples. Hilarious it seemed at first go for the researchers to interpret
but then later they discovered because teachers have taught them in class that
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. But does that mean healthy teachers?
Yes, because they thought their teachers are too grumpy at times and lack the
energy and fun while in class. Child is most precious responsibility and should
be handled joyfully but in Indian schools most often the teacher student ration
is 1:35 or even more leaving the teachers’ temperament frustrated and chaotic.
Despite these problems, a teacher need to keep learning a joyful process,
something that keeps them motivated to turn up in classroom enthusiastically every
day. As a teacher you got to be fun, funny, energetic, creative and insightful.
If this sounds like qualities of being 18 year old, then you got to be 18 years
old all your life if you are a teacher! It is a privilege of being a teenager.
What’s the problem?
Once in my substitution period in first class
for the first time (and believe me I was too nervous to face them than my senior
lot), I asked them: Do you know why you come to school every day? These confident
ones who were reciting hundreds of rhymes to me until now kept thinking. Then a
smart boy said: “because everyone else comes.” Then another girl got up and
said: “because parents go to their work, so they send us to school.” Then the Barbie-hair
girl said: “because our adults went and assumed we should also go.” I laughed
my heart out with those answers and for the first time got a sneak peek into a
child’s mind. Until then I thought we are smarter than them. It was my moment
of revelation. We couldn’t even explain our kids why we are sending them to
school. Just a bag, bottle, Tiffin and homework, that’s all they are doing, that’s
all they know. Interestingly, they think we don’t know how to handle them so,
we send them to school. Of course it’s not true but what’s the point if we
couldn’t make these young minds understand this?
Well, then it means that the right people to ask about how a
teacher should be are the students and not any highly educated people in a
meeting reaching a consensus about the teaching methods and guidelines based on
some vague ideas that they still think hold true. The students want their teacher
to be “Chill”. It is an offensive term to any teacher but is true since
teachers are too grave in class while giving information. In fact there is just
informational teaching these days and no inspirational teaching!
A
teacher needs to deliver the content but in an inspirational way to arouse
curiosity in his/her class to prepare them for more learning than mugging up. Over
70 % students from class VI to VIII said something really unexpected: A Great
teacher should learn to teach! Yes, not the formal lesson plans we make in an
ideal manner on paper especially for inspection days in a school but the real
teaching where the process of learning and discovery of answer to a question is
reached together with the students. A great teacher is not in the classroom.
He is everywhere from playground to library inspiring his/her students to seek
for more and more.
As an experiment, on
Teacher’s day, I had put up on a big white board: Which teacher would you like
to thank? The students started coming in and saw around that except a marker,
nobody was around, especially no teacher. They started writing down. Each one
of them wrote the names of their teachers or mothers as their greatest teacher.
Quite a few of them haven’t mentioned the name of any teacher from their
present or past few classes. That is something to notice. A student remembers and
acknowledges contribution of his kindergarten teacher yet than the latest one. So,
children do keep memory banks, and they don’t lie to themselves.
So, how is it that a
few teachers are liked more than the others? Probably these were the ones who
made them interested in learning, and thus pursue that subject passionately.
Others just impart information making them passive listeners and an imposed one
too!
Following are few Points
to ponder if you are a teacher yourself:
1.
Beginning with the desks they sit on, the
attention needs to be paid. The basic skeletal and muscular comfort of students
must be taken care of. This will keep them healthy and attentive all the time.
2. Discipline is the biggest and most unresolved issue with the
teachers. If you go to attend a program and it doesn’t interest you, would you
still sit quietly or find a room to talk? Now you know why they never remain
disciplined in your class. If a child feels interested in your subject and way
of teaching then he wouldn’t like to miss a single class. In fact, you would
agree that most often our favourite subjects in school were the ones which were
taught by our favourite teachers.
3. Allow your class to participate and contribute in the process
instead of you simply delivering, and they listening. I begin my class with a
prompt to gain their full attention and curiosity. Against the so-called norms
of writing the name of chapter and topic on board, I begin by drawing a sketch
or writing a quote or flashing a slide of some cartoon on TAL. In fact, once I sung
a rap of one of the poems I had to teach them, and believe me they all sung,
enjoyed, learned, and performed on the stage the other day with their musical
instruments too.
4. Like we have our days, they too have lows and highs. The moment
you ask “how are you?’ the reply “Fine” isn’t the answer. The answer is in
their expression and tone. The teacher who can read those expressions can make
the mood of the class conducive towards learning process. You should never say:
“I am going to teach …” you shall in fact say: “Let us learn together…”
5. Explanation of concept should be followed by tasks
challenging their understanding of it, and not answers marked from the book. There
is no better pleasure than the sense of achievement for them.
6. No comparison amongst your students is the key to keep
yourself available and open to all kinds of students. Even the naughtiest and low
scorers understand your intention of being unbiased, and open up to you for
suggestions.
7. I heard a latest term buzzing these days in schools. It is called
ADHD. It was explained by somebody in our school as a common problem with children these days called as some Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Please don’t fall prey to
such things as teachers and start looking for those symptoms or labeling your students on this
basis. It’s just the normal childhood, and it is just that you have forgotten
yours!
8. A teacher shall always be decently dressed. I hope I am not
making any provocative statement. I strongly feel so because not only your
proper dress code inspires them to remain clean and presentable, but also it
takes away their attention from unwanted stuff like hairstyles and fashion
statement clothes. This is very important and equally neglected aspect.
9. Teacher should well in
advance plan his/her goals of syllabus, projects, creative activities, practice
worksheets on some important topics etc. When you go to your class prepared and
well planned, you have enough time to include every aspect of teaching else you
just keep struggling with the syllabus. I give my students memory maps of
concepts rather than make them read out the pages after pages. Still, if your
class demands extra time and attention, go for it. Don’t stick to your so
called lesson plan.
10. I seriously believe that if education system leaves teachers
to teaching and let them focus on the outcomes, they will do a greater good to
students. In Indian school, a teacher is continuously filling up registers and
diaries, fees and transfer receipts, collecting money for everything happening
around and updating records manually and on computers. I know these works are
important but can be performed by anybody. A teacher needs to just focus on teaching
and improving and honing the skills of his/her students.
11. Whichever subject you teach, one of your major goals should
be to make your students interested in reading. This is one gift that you can
give them for a lifetime. The one who gets into this habit knows no boundaries
thereafter. One of your project at least should be based on reading some out- of- course book. The more you will speak and quote books from the ones you have
read, the more interested they will become.
12. Keep yourself abreast with the trend. As a teacher you should know
the relevant examples to quote and some videos to download to make your class
lively and engaged. Do keep yourself well read and researched all the time. Learning
isn’t a goal that one has achieved after becoming a teacher. It is just the way
to continuous self evolution.
13. Don’t ever speak or discuss your colleagues with your
students. It isn’t about what morals you are teaching them, but about what you
are exhibiting in your own behavior that they are picking up. So, be conscious
of any such activity at all times. There is no harm in becoming a better
individual at any stage of life. It is not just a job, but a profession which
has the greatest influence in anybody’s life for the longest period.
14.
Please make your students confident so that they
can believe in themselves and face the tide. For this you need to appreciate
them more often than criticizing them. What you want to see, that you should encourage.
If you want them to be grumpy, criticize. If you want them to be joyful,
appreciate them for their kind behaviour and honest attempt.
Although the list is
endless but somewhere one has to put a period, and pour into usual poetic musings:
Ignorance is the key to success
once my teacher said!
I looked at her in amaze
may be this was her way of critique
but then I stared unknowingly for too long
and her smile ignited everything that to me belonged.
Another thought crawled in my creepy mind
may be she is just being funny and naive
but then she bespoke
and in utter seriousness we heard
as she repeated what she earlier said:
"Ignorance is the key to success!"
they hide their fear to fall.
Don't be after success my child
it's always a perception that changes
with time and age and peers it abides.
You want to be a big man today
sadly big you know in terms of money.
There is one more big man I know
He has no money or wealth
He has just a "big" heart.
but I guess that's not enough these days.
Still, you be what you like
but don't forget to know
what you don't know yet!
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