Seating in the staff room with some of my colleagues during the recess gave birth to the discussion about a student of tenth class with a remark from one of the colleagues, “Sir, what to do with Master M? He doesn’t know anything. He is not passing in any of the subjects. Learning is not taking place in his case.” The other echoed, “kuchh bhi kar lo woh nahin sudhrega.” These remarks gave me ample food for my thought. Being a senior faculty I tried to explain them what they meant to say was not coming out after their serious contemplation on the issue with the tried and tested remediation. But unfortunately the bell rang and all went to take their respective classes with the same routined way of delivering their best knowledge to the children lost in their classes. I, too, got up and called my class into the computer room to present them a lesson with power point.
I wanted to talk to my friends on the topics but due to unexplained reasons I couldn’t. Here I would like to discuss the first remark, “Sir, what to do with Master M?” This statement is an obvious indication of the frustration and the helplessness on the part of the teacher who is ignorant of the malady and the remedy. When one doesn’t know how to deal with the students in his / her academic matters; there arise many significant questions- you are in the job but do you know your job? You are a qualified subject teacher but do you know how to teach your subject? You are a professional but are you a progressive professional? You have learnt a lot to be the master but do you have still a burning desire to learn? You wish the students to excel in the subject you teach but do you really put your wish to action? You want your students to understand what you think but have you ever tried to think what they think and desire? The list of the questions is endless which we as teachers have to think and answer ourselves before relieving such hopeless remark.
The second comment, “He doesn’t know anything” is a very humdrum remark having serious implication. In a casual way we make such remarks without knowing the degrading effect on the performance and psyche of the students. Is it not the assessment of the personal performance of the teacher in particular? The teacher as an individual himself / herself makes self assessment rather unknowingly. Is it really possible that the child doesn’t know anything in general and anything in particular subject? The modern CCE (Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation) has the academic subjects as one aspect – including oral test, project, assignment/assessment giving the students many opportunities to secure marks and grades. Can Zero be the assessment marking of a student or an individual? If not, this remark seems funny in all its character. Barring the cases of severely mentally retarded case where there is total cognitive jam all the other cases of backwardness is curable though they need sincere and honest effort on the part of the stake holders. The child may have less intelligent quotient in comparison to his fellows but certainly not as stupid (excuse me; this is what they are unwittingly called by their respected teachers) as they are considered. It is just the one time labeling of the child which becomes a permanent tag with him / her courtesy guruji.
“He is not passing in any of the subjects. Learning is not taking place in his case.” Here what my friend meant was just the content material of the subject taught which the student does not understand or more blatantly, the other way round, we are not able to make him/her understand. Here I remember one statement of the teacher who taught me during my B.Ed., “… go well prepared in the classroom and before coming out ensure that your students understood what you have taught.” At that time I took it as gurumantra and am still following his one liner giving me a satisfaction as a teacher who is successful in delivering straight to the mind and heart of the students what I want. The difference is what you wanted to become and what you are – teacher by choice, by chance or a forced one. The attitude and expectation of the teacher with zeal in your profession may show you the light in such situation. A professional must be a progressive professional with some action research and lo! you got the password to make your student understand and learn what you want.
“Kuchh bhi kar lo woh nahin sudhrega.” This is not only a deprecating remark for the student enough to demotivate and deactivate the child but also your way to push him/her into a state where he/she will develop tension, frustration, and stress with other psychosomatic disorders requiring immediate counseling without which you must be ready to have a defiant student with juvenile delinquency. Does this statement not show the lament of a loser who has lost the battle without fighting? It seems we have the majority of the soldiers who surrender without fighting the foe. The reasons may be many but the important one is that we are not well equipped, well trained and well motivated. The school management, the employer and the teacher trainers have the tough challenge to equip, train, motivate and provide an ambiance to the teachers to change their outlook to be the real teachers.
Hope next time we will meet again with some more staffroom comments with love & malice to one and all… for which I beg your pardon.
No comments:
Post a Comment