Making a Paradigm Shift in the Profile of Being a Teacher

 

 

 

Going through one of the articles meant to be uploaded in the blog, which is among the many practical activities of Semester IV in the B. Ed. life of present times, made me think about the busy schedule of this course as well as the many perks and perils of student life. Being a student is tough!! A truth that grown-ups and the society generally do not agree upon. Especially the literary world. Numerous poets have warbled about the wonders and beauty of that particular time of one’s life.

 However the film world has been genuinely concerned about the traumas and troubles faced by the students in their academic endeavors. In fact, Aamir Khan has specialized in this genre of  academic background cinema giving us many blockbuster movies that are worth multiple watches. If ‘Tare Zameen Pur’ explored the subject of ‘Learning Disabilities,’ a topic that needed to be addressed on a main stream platform, ‘3 Idiots’ discusses the deeper meaning of learning. The movie explores the realms of one’s personal ambition, parental dreams and pressure, the real purpose of learning and thus challenges the conventional system of education. We have Rani Mukherji’s ‘Hitchki’ which reiterates the famous statement made by one of the greatest teachers in cinema Mr. Miyagi from the movie, ‘The Karate Kid,’  'No such thing as a bad student, only bad teacher.’

The things we watch in the big screen certainly has its impact inside the four walls of our classrooms. None of us want to be the strict director of ICE ‘Virus,’ who drives his wards including his own son towards suicide. But we teachers of the modern times aspire to be either the kind and empathetic art teacher Ram Shankar Nikum, or the miracle worker Naina Mathur who in spite of her Tourette syndrome turns a bunch of ‘brats’ around.

 If one is alien to the glamorous world of Hollywood or Bollywood movies, we have umpteen Malayalam movies to our stack lavishly empathizing with the student crowd. One movie in particular which comes to my mind is the year 2000 release Mohan Lal movie ‘Life is Beautiful’ which portrays the mega star as a friendly experimental plus two teacher in a strict disciplined school Vinayachandran. The touching last scene of the movie with children on top of their desks looking at the world from an alternate perspective, though a re-enactment of Robin Williams in The Dead Poet’s Society, leaves a lasting impact on every movie goer’s mind. The movie explores new methods of teaching as well as approaches to the disciplinary issues of the students; thus openly criticizing the existing state of affairs. Pitched against him in a different canvas we have the towering personality of “Chacko Maash” made immortal by the veteran actor Thilakan. With his implacable rigidity he drove his only son into a tragically felonious life.

Change is constant and eventually inevitable. Waging a battle against it whether in fashion, architecture, life style, administration, parenting or anything else, is futile. To be honest it’s an unwinnable battle. All this leaves one to wonder how fast should we embrace change? Where should we draw the line?

Pondering over these questions with the multitude of theories of psychology and the various schools of philosophy whirling round my conscience I feel we need to temper our enthusiasm to join the club of the postmodern teachers which has in it the ranks of Nikums and Vinayachandrans. In our eagerness to join this new club that we have found we risk losing our identity. If we put on the costumes of an empathetic friend or an elder sibling, who will perform the roles we are designated for? The truth is that we have to maintain the professional role assigned to us and should not take up other roles which can be performed beautifully by many others.

Honestly every contemporary teacher is treading the thin line of being lenient and assertive at the same time. It is like eating kuch meetha kuch namkeen. We dread of being a traditional boring shikshak, a ‘virus’ or a ‘kaduva,’ if we are to set a dead line, assign a task, or correct our chatr sternly.

 

 

This is particularly true in the recent times of the pandemic. Many being sick and in quarantine we have to depend on online classes and video lessons to impart our content, cover the syllabus and to interact with our students. We cannot monitor the learners’ progress on the daily basis. Lapses on the part of the students are many a times genuine. But while being understanding one has to be assertive even in these testing times.

Recently I happen to be an passive listener to the conversation among some school children. While discussing on the recent exam results, one was pointing out the importance of the correct use of punctuation marks. What interested me in particular was the way they gave credit to one teacher and her scrupulous way of correction. To my surprise, they, who were hardly in their teens, referred to her with high regard. It was against the general expectation that they would loathe such a teacher.

Bacon had rightfully pointed out, ‘for natural abilities are like natural plants that need pruning by study.’ A teacher must not waver while clipping and trimming to promote the healthy growth of his wards.

The question is in the mad race to fit in the suit of being the popular empathetic teacher are we giving our wards a wrong message? Are we telling that anything and everything is acceptable? A master needs to inspire his students to be the best possible version of them than be a sloppy and slothful one. The worse that they can become.

 

Thus the eternal paradox continues in the teacher’s mind, “Am I a bad teacher?”  By extending the deadlines, by permitting a late comer in, by turning a blind eye to the irresolute are we committing a crime?  The crime of being a bad teacher. No a worse teacher!