On the occasion of Teachers’ day, my thoughts go back on a flash back mode like in the movies. The setting was in the late eighties and there I was, a young housewife with two tiny tots to manage, and a full-day office-goer husband. As I turned the pages of the daily during my cherished time of the morning cuppa, an advertisement met my eyes. My heart leapt and the mind said, “Why not?” The next day I attended the interview with the confidence of my convent education.
The main panelist asked me, “What is your experience in teaching?” Quoting my latest experience I replied, “Sir, a secondary school student who had been consistently failing in a subject managed to pass with only two months of my rigorous coaching.” To my surprise this seemed good enough and I was hired! I enrolled my tot to the kindergarten of the same school and off we would go daily at 7 am, pillion on the husband’s scooter. Looking back I believe that my youth coupled with enthusiasm helped me finish my chores and leave that early each day.
My new vocation was exciting as I enjoyed imparting knowledge to the curious young students of the second standard. I was their class teacher and taught them all the subjects. The class room became an arena of fun and laughter as I enjoyed every moment of the junior crowd. My tiny tot Rukma would join me shyly after her class and sit in a corner behind my chair playing with chalks. My students would try their best to have a glimpse of the dimpled kid, who unknown to her, had become the cynosure of attention. As the term progressed I identified each kid with his or her own talent or shortcoming. There was one Kiran who in his hurry to give his test sheet would forget to attempt at least one question, there was a Prafulla who would repeatedly read over her answers and feel ever so reluctant to hand over her answer sheet to me, and there was Roopa who would read the questions wrongly and give in wrong answers.
I remember that I once fell prey to a strange affliction and I lost my voice for a week. The lucky part was that it happened during the mid-term exam time when there were no classes and my work could be done in mute mode. The management had great expectations of me for the school day and suggested I train the kids in a drama. I took up the challenge and directed the play on Akbar, Birbal and ten fools. Shopping for the costumes and makeup accessories was a novel thing for me as a fresher. The rehearsal time was so much fun with goof ups galore, but the d-day saw a tremendous performance by the 7-8 year olds, making me feel proud of them. I still feel the affection that the kids showered on me. The warm moment was when one day a parent stopped me in the market area, and excitedly expressed that her son doted on me and always had praise for my lesson in Science. My day was made and I sent a silent prayer upwards. I wonder what my students are up to nowadays.
