Restructuring the structure of Teaching

Slap.

The teacher threw her notebook.  Bell rang and the teacher left the class.

The student was still crying.

“Come outside” I took her to a corridor so that she could open up.

“What happened?” I asked.

She didn’t speak for a while. I went back to class gave an assignment to the remaining students and returned to the corridor. I raised my eyebrows.

 “I know they have been treating me in this way because I am poor. The day I become rich I will make sure that I will take revenge” she said.  

“Bhaako chai k thyo?” I asked again

“I don’t know how to pronounce many English words as I came from government school. My English teacher had given me an assignment to mug all question answers up. I couldn’t answer it and I got slapped.” she was still crying.

Having faced corporal punishment myself from getting thrashed by  bamboo canes to getting pencil pressed in between my fingers, from doing up and down for 150 times and being barely able to walk  to getting hit with duster on knuckles, I knew how punishments tasted like. I knew the pain.

“Bring the notebook” I asked. I wrote the pronunciation of all tough words in Nepali alphabets so that she could read it out with meanings.

“Look at it during lunch if you don’t get it, ask me after the classes end.” I said

She hugged me and went away. 

That day I still didn’t have much idea on what kind of teacher should I become but I did understand what kind of teacher I shouldn’t be like. Here are 8 basic things a teacher needs to clearly understand:

     1)   Ever wondered why bouquets have multiple flowers?

When you yourself wouldn’t want to eat same food every day and wear same dress every time how valid is it to expect all of your students to be same? If all students were meant to be same why would we have so much of professions? Thus, embrace the uniqueness of each student and let them be as they are. Don’t assume the future of students because time is bigger than your assumptions.  Don’t expect a giraffe to fly and a crow to swim. Everyone has their own path and let them trod in their own ways.

"If only you used your mind on studies like you use it on guitar"

"In my 10 years of teaching, I have never seen a student as useless as you"

"Why are you wasting your parent's money?"

"You're never going to amount to anything" 

Sounds familiar?

Next time you say it, remember every individual is different. 

    2)   Get out of the bubble- mugging books won’t be enough

"Your daughter is really sharp. You must see the ways she leads. You must see how she always speaks against wrong fearlessly.You must see  how she debates. You must see how she never loses in any competitions. I can't assure you about the toppers but your daughter has a very bright future. Mark my words.You must be proud of her. "
   

      This was what my Compulsory Mathematics teacher said to my mom during parents teachers meeting in grade 10. All the parents started looking at me. Remember I had flunked in two subjects then, both mathematics. I felt really happy at that time as those words saved me from my moms punishment but today I feel way more better for he was the man who made me realize there's a world outside the books.

How can you expect your students to be creative when you impose them to write mugged up answers? Do you think an Oscar winner will be asked how much percentage did s/he secure? No.  Do you think a fashion designer whose designs sell like hot cakes will be asked if he has any gold medals? No. But aren’t they excelling?

No one has changed this world by mugging books. Don’t let formal studies judge a student’s capacity. Real world challenges are beyond the books. If they are good with studies awesome but don’t make it the only criteria.

    3)   Don’t make the students feel dumb

How can you expect your student to be confident when you thrash them every time they ask out of the box questions? Teachers are teachers and students are students for a reason. Students are trying to learn something so it’s obvious they don’t know everything and many things.

However stupid the question might be don’t kill the curiosity. If they fail help them out, if they stumble pick them up but don’t laugh at them. Don't ever compare them.  If they can’t make small mistakes in the class they are bound to make bigger errors in the future. Don’t belittle your students enrich them with knowledge and empower them.

A 45 minutes class isn’t enough for you to understand each and every student and give enough time. But again understand that you have 45 minutes and at times those 45 minutes a day is enough to change someone’s life.

   4)     Make it practical and use technology

There are very few students who have genuine interest to study. The very first day of the class is also forced. They are wailing and crying but yet they are forced to leave their home reluctantly. In this case it’s very necessary that you make learning fun.  If you are teaching about invertebrates then bring samples along.

Teach the practical implication of derivatives and anti derivatives before asking your students to mug the formula up. Use technology and if using technology isn’t feasible every time, just make it practical. One of my English teachers made English classes so much of fun. She used to bring a new activity each week, conduct brainstorming sessions, made us write poems, conducted quizzes and games which developed our interest on English and she also finished the syllabus on time. See how can one make such a theoretical stuff so practical?

   5)   It's high time that you update yourself (rather than only updating your mobile apps) 

When a dress you just bought few months ago stops looking good at you how do you think the teaching methodology you used ten years back will help you out? A great teacher isn't just a teacher he should be a learner too.  When you find pride on imposing your perspective and keeping a blind eye and deaf ears on students you become a perfect example of a bad teacher.

Make the class interactive. Don’t steal those 45 minutes from them by making the class one way traffic. Students these days have access to so much of knowledge they always come up with one thing or other. My students have taught me many things I was completely unaware about.

Thus don't just pump your information but draw their knowledge out too. Just because you have crossed the qualifying tests or met criteria set by the organization doesn’t make you perfect. There are always rooms for improvisation. Thus be humble and receptive.

   6)    Being Gabbar Singh of 21st century doesn't help

Don’t breed fear in students rather be respected because once students stop being afraid whatever you do, you can’t keep your class organized and that day will be the biggest failure of your life. Studying shouldn’t be equals to student dying.

 63.3% of the respondents in my survey had faced corporal punishment during their childhood. Thinking that being friendly with students will worsen the chaste student teacher bond  is the worst thing to do. Definitely too much of friendliness breeds contempt but the blend of discipline and friendliness makes things better.

    7)    Don’t try to be Google 

Which came first? Egg or chicken? If you don’t have the answer to this with proofs you don’t know everything.  Please don’t teach wrong things just to prove you know all. Instead you can say that you don’t have much idea on it and  teach it some other day after learning about it. If you are wrong admit it because we all know you aren’t always checking your students. :/

     8)     Be approachable and equal to all

Preferring one student over the other is the worst thing to do. If you don’t do that in your family, fearing sibling rivalry why do you do it in your class? When I was studying in grade 2 my science teacher always focused on one student, he brought her chocolates gave her stickers and smileys and was very stingy when it came to even making a smiley in other notebooks. I myself tried a lot to get that smiley. Improved my handwriting, drew lines after every answers but still  I never got one, breeding hatred towards that friend of mine.

This always creates a division so before favoring one student over other (in terms of beauty, grades, sex) be careful. Be equally approachable and fair to all.

"My BE teacher is my favorite" says Junu Kala Shrestha. "He always gives his cent percen and untill and unless all students don't understand, he explains the lessons without getting irritated. For weak students he conducts extra classes and teaches them in simpler manner. Through drawings and his own life experiences he tries to motivate all the students."

When I write this list of complaints I am not alone. I represent the voices of many other students. When I am talking about this, I don’t forget all those teachers who have made my learning life a beautiful one. Who have always believed on me, pushed me for more, who have made the classes so interesting that I never slept, who trusted on me even when I flunked, who have seen my hidden talent rather than judging me on academic grounds, who have been proud of me but then if I count 20 years of study and the number of good teachers they aren’t even handful.

I believe teaching is one of the most challenging professions as it is this  profession which breeds doctors, engineers and every other professionals. If teaching is a mere profession for you rather than a passion it's better you switch the field. The day teaching becomes your passion you will never need teacher’s day for your students to understand your value.