Being Teacher 

My mother is a teacher. Although, she is now leading a retired life but the art of teaching still has not abated her.  Doing household chores is mundane for her and she still plans to pursue her lifelong passion of teaching. “A mother is a child’s first teacher”, it is said. So, in my case this stands doubly true. Having a few “teaching” genes and seeing life of a teacher at close quarters, I have developed immense respect for teachers. All teachers, kindergarten to college professors, deserve a pat on the back. For me, they have picked up the noblest of professions.  In being a teacher they enlighten a life. In being a teacher they bridge the gap between dreams and reality. In being a teacher they are an inspiration to someone.

A teacher can do worlds of good to his student.  A student can rise from nothingness and achieve great heights of success if he is blessed with a great teacher.  From learning the basics of a subject to starting to construct his future, teacher plays a pivotal role in every stage of his student’s life. As Philip Wylie rightly says “One good teacher in a lifetime may sometimes change delinquent into a solid citizen”.

I have been a teacher for some time now. Being a volunteer at an NGO “The Candle Project” I am expected to teach English to some of the less fortunate kids of our society. I may not be a teacher by profession but the students of my class make me feel no less than a college professor. The respect my pupils has for me is reflected in their mannerism. Obeying my instructions, mutual respect for classmates, and a desire to learn is now drilled in their persona. On my part, I always enter my class with a sense of responsibility. Never in the past 20 months have I felt that responsibility as a burden. I enjoy my class. Those 4 hours are probably the most beautiful hours of my week. That feeling when I am able to solve a problem for someone from my class can just not be put in words. Right form teaching my kids niche of English grammar to explaining the mysteries of extra-terrestrial life,everything is discussed.  It is the heart to heart connection between me and my students that makes me wait for my class all through the week.

I treat my class as a social laboratory .Each week there is a different experiment to be performed. My students and I being the subjects. At times the experiment is about how to communicate well, while at other times it is about how well silence can be maintained within the four walls of the classroom. At the end,it is not only the kids who learn  but I too benefit  from the process by learning something new each time.

Like every other teacher I  want my students to learn their subjects well and have good grades. But I expect something else from my students as well. I want them to develop the ability to make good use of the space between the ears. I want them to grow into individuals who can think. Ability to think rationally takes you distance. We might have had a proper schooling, but if we are not rational we haven’t achieved much in life.  I want them to learn how to handle the small keys of life. The keys that open big doors of opportunity. Being a passionate about sports, “Never say die” is part of my psyche and I want my pupils to follow the suit. I want my kids to learn to stand for themselves and to have faith in their dreams. Also I want them to never stop learning, because the day you stop learning is the day to stop to grow.

In achieving my desired goals I try all sorts of things. I try to be soft. I try to be strict.  I sometimes be funny, I sometimes become all serious.  I am still learning the algebra of being a perfect teacher. I still don’t know what the exact formula of being a good teacher is. 1+1=2, is what I have learnt so far as I pursue to master dx/dt.

At the end of it all,if a kid remembers me  for the  grammar I taught  her, if a kid remembers me for the time I consoled him when he was all in tears , kid remembers me for the time I made them laugh and they remember me  for time we spent together in the class,I will then believe then that I did my part. I would be a happy and content man that day.

Prakhar Sachdeo