It was indeed a curious quirk of fate that I was suddenly pushed in the role of a teacher three years ago. The time since then has been a dream run, despite the break of 11 months now. Once a teacher, always a teacher. That is how it has been for me. The love and adulation of students and teachers has kept me going through the worst phase of my life.
Thanks a lot - all of you.
Everyone, in his or her childhood dreams of being a teacher. The teacher is power personified. Everything that she or he does is a model to follow. We try to talk like them, walk like them and even plan to dress like them. A teacher who does not care for us is despised too. But coming down from that pedestal takes time. A teacher is held in high esteem till she or he does something drastic.
But is there a recipe for success for a teacher? No, none at all. Each one has to find his or her way. We have been all affected in some way or the other with teachers whom we have held in high esteem. The moment I was offered the job of Principal of BSP Senior Secondary School, Sector-10 (SSS-10), Bhilai, the images of Bhatnagar Ma'am, Raghavan Sir and Sister Christopher flashed in my mind. They remain my models even today and on this auspicious day - Teachers' Day, I pay my respects to them for making me what I am.
In my two plus years in school, I came across some exceptional, some good and some ordinary teachers. The distribution of teachers too follows a normal pattern, statistically speaking. They are, like other segments in our society, similar in nature. As happens in all fields, very few have the knack for teaching and a smaller percentage of them are really good at their jobs.
For a teacher to be good, she or he has to connect with the young ones. They have to be not only very good in their subjects, but also be highly sensitive and approachable. Unfortunately, I found many teachers drawing a wall around them making it difficult for students to come closer to them. The child needs them and they cannot afford to be keeping them away.
Though I had never dreamt of working in a school, when the opportunity came my way, I did not have a planned reaction. My room would be open to students all the time, though I would insist them to come during recess or before / after school. The students would bring all sorts of problems and complaints. These would include complaints against teachers. This obviously created a mistrust amongst some teachers towards me. But not even once did I convey the complaints to teachers or take action against them based on what the students had to say, unless the complaint was of a serious nature. Let me confess, 99 per cent of the complaints would not be heeded to. You listen to them and they would walk back satisfied. That is what is required. Sometimes their small apprehensions become big in their minds and they did not an avenue to express themselves.
Even after being away from school for almost a year now, I have been part of it thanks largely to the connectivity that still exists between me and the students and teachers. So thanks a lot once again and may you all excel. That is a small wish for what you have all given me.
