Teacher's Day

As September 5^th comes every year, all of us remember some of our favorite teachers. 

I remember my early days in Chennai, when we had just then moved to the new state and everything was new to me! I had to walk to school in a full skirt wearing slippers and a single plait and the syllabus was all new to me! Just because of my teachers, I could cope really fast and could score more than 90% in all the subjects. The warmth they had given me, the encouragement, all paved way for the confidence and I thank them for all that they have done. We all loved our class teacher, Jalaja teacher who was very different from the other teachers. She was very friendly with all of us and gave us the freedom. Now I think, hardly at the age of 21-23, what maturity she had to handle us, the subject plans (she taught us English and social science), the inspections, the other regular processes, etc... We could rely on her for anything and she had never hurt a student! We all grew up and moved on to the higher classes/other schools and teacher was still teaching the VI and VII, yet the impact she created in us was truly brilliant.

I joined another school, finished schooling and moved on to college and graduated. It was always lingering in my mind that I should become a teacher like my Jalaja teacher. I took tuitions at home for some time and then got a job and moved out of the city. The job gave me wonderful exposure and much more in life. Once I had come to Chennai for a long weekend and saw one of my other teachers in a local bus. I recognized her as my biology teacher in my X STD, though I had hated the subject in school and had not so much liking to her. We both sat next to each other and she asked about my studies and felt very happy for me that I am working now in IT.

Ma’am was much the same, even after 8 years with more gray hairs. Clad in a very simple sari and a pony tail. Seems like, she had joined a Government school for better benefits and that she was coming back from school, 40Kms away from the city. She stays in the school for the week and comes home for the weekend. She has 2 kids who are in college, now.

The bitter reality stung me!

Not all teachers get employed in Govt. schools to get all those benefits which are definitely better than the private schools. One is the waiting period and the other being the transfers. So they take up the job in nearby private schools. Most of the private schools do not pay the teachers well. Many of them work for a meager sum of Rs.2000-Rs.4000 for all that they do to shape a kid’s future! We are not what we are, without our teachers. I agree, that we would have met few bad ones, still we did meet many good ones, who were very sincere. We would have learnt that sincerity and punctuality from them. If this is the state in the cities, imagine about the small towns and villages.

 In our country, we don’t mind paying 5000/- for a cricket match ticket, but we don’t raise our voice against the less pay given to the teachers. Our country has to change a lot, and do something without any argument, at least to the teachers. Its not enough to celebrate teacher's day with Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna's and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's photographs!

The KG teachers are especially the ladders. They help the children in their every move and stay back to help the other newcomers!Imagine the teacher's everyday routine! Stand up for almost 6 hrs, teach kids, sometimes console the kids as a mom, be a friend to them and clarify their queries, prepare the subject plans, correct the note books, answer sheets, set up question papers, give the project work, tackle some hyper-active students who test the teacher’s knowledge from time to time with the questions taken from the internet! Its law that teachers can’t beat the students how much ever they irritate! Back home, they have the day’s work to be done, to be a mother/father at home, to fulfill those duties. Some teachers even take tuitions at home both in early mornings and after school to make both ends meet.  

Its teachers, who have to work hard when it’s time for cultural programs/sports-day in schools. Be it some music or dance, the teacher is the brain behind! Some students even imitate the teachers on Sept5th as part of teacher’s day function and the teachers have to take it lightly!

Teaching is a noble profession as the teachers alone can shape a kid’s future. So many times, we have heard our moms cry, how to manage you at home for a whole day?! Let your school re-open fast, I will thank your teacher for her patience.

Only if the returns are decent, can we expect more of the youngsters to take up teaching as a profession and every Teacher’s day will be more meaningful to celebrate.