Student being a Teacher !!!

I was trying to depict my sister's experience when she was made to play the role of teacher in the same school where she studied. Dunno, how much i am successful in describing her journey by standing on her shoes. Hope you will find it interesting as i did, when i used to hear her talks daily after the job in school.



                 A  journey from a student to teacher…

       Did you ever imagine what happens when a student turns into teacher in future and that too, in same school? As you all didn’t imagine, I also never thought about that scenario. But fate played me and made me to pass through that journey, “journey from a student to a teacher in same school”. And I assure you that it’s a wonderful experience and I ‘am happy to have it.

            

       When I first stepped into my old school as a teacher, little bit of nostalgia was lingering in my mind. More than the nostalgia, I was nervous about sitting with those teachers in staffroom who were once my teacher, who knows very well about my mischievous acts as a student. But that nervousness and fear didn’t long even for 5 minutes. The moment I got into staffroom all my old school teachers seemed to be very happy on seeing me. They introduced me to those teachers who all joined after I left the school. Their interaction with me was so soft that I felt like a pet for them and very soon I was comfortable with all the teachers in staffroom.

                     So my fear of sitting on the desk as brand new teacher with my old guiding people vanished away. Next step was getting rid of the anxiety on how a teacher will be?...how to interact with students as a teacher?. My first thought when I got the appointment letter as teacher was about my mom’s saying when she used to see my behavior “such a childish behavior, when will you be mature?”. How a person like that can guide students? To my parents and my brother it was so funny like a blind man guiding the way to other people. It was a coincident that I got my first class to teach is class 4. It’s the same class through which I was introduced in Chinmaya Vidyalaya as student in 2001. As old days, students of class 4 greeted me with a “hari om”. When I heard “hari om” my mind ran back to that first day of mine in 2001 when my friends corrected me as “it’s better to say hari om than good morning”. Hari om is the tradition of Hindu and Good morning is a western tradition. So it’s appreciative that still in 2012 chinmaya vidyalaya is sticking into those roots of Hindu tradition. It just ignited my respect towards Swami Chinmayananda and the institution.

                     As it was my first class I thought of having an introduction session with students. With little fun I want to say those students as “my first victims”. But very soon I realized that the generation has changed and so the wavelength of children. My introduction session made me think that I was wrong in choosing to have that session because it  was just similar to a ragging session as in my college. They were not my victims, it was like I’ am the victim for them. First question to me from a student was not about my name but it was bout my nickname. He asked “teacher, do you have a nickname?”. I wanna just get rid off the question, so I tried to escape with a ‘no’ answer. But it didn’t seem to be a right answer because next statement from another student was “ Don’t worry teacher, we will give you a nickname very soon”. I was just shocked !!! Is this class 4? We were not like this to our teachers. Even now when I ‘am in staff room my mind still fears the pinch from Kousthubha Kumari teacher. Still I know the bitterness of Amba teacher’s scolding. Now I realized why we give the term “new generation” to these new off springs.

                    Now its five months, I’ am confident as a teacher and I love the profession. It seems more lovable when you are proud to catch a student’s lie which I used to tell at old times. When I ask for not completing the homework several excuses are there like “there was load shedding” “forgotten my book in my friend’s bag”. Further investigation as a C.B.I leads to bring the light on the truth and so, I believe that my students are now studious and obedient with little mischievous acts which every teacher can bear.  It’s sure that my student experience is a catalyst in moulding me as a teacher along with the guidance from all my companions in staffrooms and my parents.

                    Being a teacher is an amazing experience and you will love it because the tenderness and joy that comes into your mind when you mingle with children is something filled with extravaganza……..