Like all little girls, I too have admired teachers, when I was in school. In real life, I tried being a teacher, when I volunteered in a Government school near my house for a while. I was to teach English for Class V in a Tamil medium school. It was a combined class, so the total number of children in the class was about 50 or sometimes it would be 30, depending on the number of absentees. I went there for a couple of hours in the morning, from 10 am to 12noon. That was when I realised what an exhausting job, teaching is. By the end of one hour, on most days, I could feel my throat getting dry, and my hands dry with chalk powder. I felt like sitting down sometimes. But I had to stand for the children to remain attentive or atleast active.
Teaching is usually a profession taken by many married women as it is considered convenient and most 'appropriate'. This actually translates into being easy as the timing was fixed and holidays were a bonus. I actually resisted joining a 'Montessori Teacher Training' course that was right next to my house for quite some time. It was the course chosen by many young, educated mothers who wanted to work part time. I am glad I didn't take that course too......as adult education sometimes catches on and I find myself wanting to take every other 'part time course' that is offered. Anyway, coming back to teaching, I realised that only if you have real passion for the profession can you continue doing it for a long time.
During the three months that I volunteered, I realised that my throat went hoarse after about 2 hours of talking and shouting..Well, shouting was part of the teaching as these were active 10 -year-olds who had to be outshouted sometimes just to make myself clear. I also realised the difference between teaching, say a bunch of 20 well behaved kids and teaching a motley group of 40 kids in a class. Also, if you don't prepare for the class, even if it is a basic English class, the kids can outsmart you and make you feel quite lost.
Yesterday was Teachers Day and it is right that we should celebrate this day every year. I congratulate all the teachers for being dedicated to their profession and contributing so much to the growth of young minds. It is after all my teachers who have made me like 'English' to start with. I wish educational institutions also realise this and pay their teachers well because it is afterall quite an underpaid job.
Teaching is usually a profession taken by many married women as it is considered convenient and most 'appropriate'. This actually translates into being easy as the timing was fixed and holidays were a bonus. I actually resisted joining a 'Montessori Teacher Training' course that was right next to my house for quite some time. It was the course chosen by many young, educated mothers who wanted to work part time. I am glad I didn't take that course too......as adult education sometimes catches on and I find myself wanting to take every other 'part time course' that is offered. Anyway, coming back to teaching, I realised that only if you have real passion for the profession can you continue doing it for a long time.
During the three months that I volunteered, I realised that my throat went hoarse after about 2 hours of talking and shouting..Well, shouting was part of the teaching as these were active 10 -year-olds who had to be outshouted sometimes just to make myself clear. I also realised the difference between teaching, say a bunch of 20 well behaved kids and teaching a motley group of 40 kids in a class. Also, if you don't prepare for the class, even if it is a basic English class, the kids can outsmart you and make you feel quite lost.
Yesterday was Teachers Day and it is right that we should celebrate this day every year. I congratulate all the teachers for being dedicated to their profession and contributing so much to the growth of young minds. It is after all my teachers who have made me like 'English' to start with. I wish educational institutions also realise this and pay their teachers well because it is afterall quite an underpaid job.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to know your thoughts on this ... Thank you for taking the time.