Sometimes there happen fireworks
in the mind that take you up to the dazzling embers in the sky one moment and
the next bring you down like a diffused damp cracker. These fireworks are of
thoughts and more thoughts. I have had a chain of such pyrotechnic thoughts display
lately. But I am pretty clueless of putting them into words at this point but
since I enjoy it and it gives a kind of perspective to my intellect and
emotions, I will attempt it nevertheless.
To begin with, my daughter
started her new and mainstream school recently and as expected she and most of
her peers in different sections were plunged into a roaring sea of insecurity
and weeping sense of loss. The initial couple of days in school were utterly chaotic
and overwhelming to say the least. And honestly it is still quite clamorous
after two weeks. Howling kids dragged by determined parents isn’t entirely
uncommon. But all the parents present there, immediately noticed that one
particular class out of the four had settled rather well and with ease by the
third day. Luckily, my daughter belongs to this class. So what was their
secret? Of course the kids in this class are no more mature, independent or
grown up than the rest. And there are no magic tricks. Then obviously it is
most definitely the teachers’ credit. These two particular teachers could
manage to calm and comfort their disconsolate wards rather effectively and make
them listen as well. And it dawned on me that they are exemplary human resource
managers with tremendous skills. It takes paramount patience, practice, trust
and a gentle authority to rein in a class full of absolute rookie toddler students.
So then I wondered why is the profession of
teaching always underscored? Let’s admit it we never look upon teachers as professionals
in the same esteemed category as doctors, lawyers, engineers or MBA holders
when their role is no less important. Talking of their role, I am reminded of
my class XII English teacher, Sister Anita. We live in the Wikipedia age today where
every iota of information is at our fingertips or command of our voice. But eighteen
years ago, my world was not so savvy or informed. I was still flipping the
dictionary and atlas, so back then when Sister Anita introduced us to the
amazing compilation called Roget’s Thesaurus, I was simply astounded. I might
sound oh so obtuse but I didn’t even know that such a thing existed. However, in
my modest convent schooling of Jamnagar, Sister Anita and the thesaurus made a
huge impact on me. She introduced me to the vastness, richness, preciseness and
beauty of language. It motivated me to write differently with better
vocabulary. And her appreciation of my every attempt was very gratifying and
encouraging.
When I look back at my teachers,
there are some who really mattered for their attitude and approach and they did
make a difference. When I look ahead at my kids’ teachers, I am ever so
concerned about how they will mould and influence the kids. We are constantly
harping about how the children spend more time in proximity with their teachers
than with us and how the teachers can ignite their minds with encouragement,
guidance and enthusiasm. Of course all teachers, like in any profession, aren’t
in the same calibre. Some are especially skilled and equipped at their job and
we do admire them in our conversations feeling relieved that our kids are under
their aegis. Yet, despite its significance teaching is not the champion of
professions. I have forever heard parents coaxing their children to become
tennis players or surgeons or anything but never by exception, especially in
the upper middle class, have I heard any parent provide teaching as a preferred
career option. It is the last resort for anybody, if nothing works out get your
B.Ed and become a teacher. No wonder there is such a dearth of qualified and
capable teachers because the experienced ones are retiring without a matching
influx of competent younger ones. And it is not about money alone, it is much
more about mindset. It is not elite enough for us.
We do not admire the fact that
teaching as a profession requires intelligence and a very special mental aptitude
and attitude to be able to deal with dozens of very different minds. They are
the fountain heads through which springs of knowledge might sprout up and once
up they might channel it into infinite possibilities. It is not about honoring
or deifying the teachers, it is about giving them their due prestige as
professionals. Realize it or not but proficient teachers do a lot of value
addition not to corporate houses or products but real and living people.
Well, this was just one of my
thought sparks which in the course of elaboration does make me respect the
teachers more. But when I think of a profession which is incessantly physically
demanding, emotionally draining and mentally challenging, there’s none other
than Motherhood. It is absolutely one of its kinds. Hope to lengthen on it soon. Till then hats
off to teachers and salutations to mothers.
