Rashmi Bansal's BLog on Teachers
Dilip Barad
Author, Entrepreneur and Motivational Speaker. Published four best sellers: 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish', 'Connect the Dots', 'I Have a Dream' and 'Poor Little Rich Slum'.
(As most of you are or going to be teachers, here is something interesting . . . Hope you will enjoy reading!)
The Teacher’s New Clothes (Source: http://youthcurry.blogspot.in/2013/04/the-teachers-new-clothes.html)
Everyone agrees that there is
something wrong with India’s education system. But sometimes, it takes an
outside view to understand just how low we have fallen.
In 2007, Brown University student Thane Richards came to India as an exchange
student. Thane spent 7 months at St Stephen’s College, one of
India’s crown jewels in education. While he had rich and varied
experiences outside the classroom, the value addition inside the classroom was
close to nothing.
In Thane’s own words:
In one economic history class the professor would enter the room, take
attendance, open his notebook, and begin reading. He would read his notes word
for word while we, his students, copied these notes word for word until the
bell sounded… If it were not for the fact that attendance counted towards
my marks, I would have never showed up at all.
This was not an isolated incident but typical of the teaching pattern. Another
pattern was classes being cancelled because teachers failed to show up. The
students worked out a system to inform each other about which professor is
bunking today, via sms.
Similar stories can be heard from students across colleges and universities in
India. Everyone clamours to get into the ‘best’ institutions but
it’s got nothing to do with the quality of education. It’s for the
right branding and the company of highly driven, intelligent and interesting
peers.
Occasionally, individual professors rise above the system. Driven by passion,
motivated by some deep internal reservoir, they stimulate, challenge and
nurture young minds. They give knowledge and they give of themselves.
Every one of us has had teachers like this. Just one or two of them but they
have made all the difference.
Maybe they are born with the right temperament and attitude. The question is
– can we create more?
First of all – and let me be blunt about it – a teacher must be a
psychologically sound person. Far too many teachers I have seen and experienced
have terrible issues related to self-esteem, anger management and deep
insecurity. No doubt such issues are common and therefore would be seen in any
industry.
However I single out teaching because, teachers are in supreme position, a
position of power. A teacher rules over his or her class of 30, 60 or 100 students.
There is no question (in the Indian system) of who must listen to whom. And
that’s where the problem starts.
You are not happy within yourself – what do you do? Take it out in class.
The children cannot protest. They cannot ‘quit’. All they can do is
switch off. And let out their frustration by giggling and making jokes behind
your back.
The lower you rank in students’ eyes as a human being, the worse you are
as a teacher – no matter how proficient you may be in your subject.
This, I think, applies more strongly in school, when children are young and
more impressionable. But it stands good at university level as well. Apart from
sound academic knowledge, a professor must have a desire to share that knowledge. With young
bodies warming the benches - even if they are looking sullen, sleepy and bored.
The professor with low self esteem will see such faces and see a giant problem.
He will say to himself, “These useless young people today – they
are not interested. Why should I put in efforts!”
This professor will do the bare minimum and justify this as the ‘right
approach’.
But a professor with high self esteem will see the class as a challenge and an
opportunity. He will think, “I know these are all bright young minds. If
I put in my best effort and teach them well, they will get interested in my
subject.”
Right intention achieves right results. The proactive professor’s classes
are always full, and full of energy. These are the ‘living legends’
on every campus.
The professors who go the distance in the classroom are also - invariably - the
ones available to students, outside the classroom. A student can walk up to
such a teacher with a personal issue or an academic issue and get a patient
hearing. And some sound advice.
I do not know how and when the entire education system will get fixed. But if
we can create more procative and self-motivated teachers, it will start getting
fixed - from within.
I would go so far as to call such teachers as ‘entrepreneurs’
because with the same limited resources and raw material to work with, they are
able to ‘solve’ a problem. Which is, how to transfer both knowledge
and wisdom to young people.
The least we can do is to celebrate such teacher-entrepreneurs. If you have
experienced such a teacher, who has altered your mind and spirit, do write in
with the details as follows:
- name of teacher/ professor & school/ college
- period you were taught
- what was different or unique about him/ her in the classroom
- what impact he/ she made outside the classroom
- any specific personal experience or encounter which impacted you for life
- a picture of this teacher if possible (either alone or with you or with
entire class)
- is he/ she still in service
- contact email id/ facebook page of the teacher (so that more past students
can be in touch).
You can email the information to rash...@yahoo.com
and I promise to feature them in this space over the next few days.