A letter from a teacher

My beloved students,

I've posted here, parts of my letter which I wrote and read as a farewell speech to my 2012 batch XII students. These lines are common to all my beloved students who were and are in my classes. 
Teaching was never my passion. I don't want to live in this profession for long. Yet I must admit that this profession gave me the chance to be with a group of young, creative, talented, genuine group of beautiful people, who taught me life. I stayed in this profession and continue to stay till I quit, ONLY because of my passion of being with you, my precious kids. The tons and tons of things I learned with you, from you, through you, everything I dedicate to each and every one of my students. The little French that I taught you is nothing when compared to the ocean of knowledge and wisdom I received, being a teacher.

I know that we haven’t communicated much through words. I don’t know why. But that never meant that I know you less than I ought to know. I know each one by heart, your looks, movements, walk, gestures, smile, and much more. I can imitate anyone of you as much as you can imitate me. What I mean to say is, whether through silence or words, all of you have made an imprint in my heart, which will always stay.

You may ask then “why this kolavery?” May be it is my reflex as a teacher. I never analyse anything that happens inside or outside the class. I always told you to leave the issues once faced, and get back to your smile and continue life cheerfully. I am not defending my mistakes as a teacher. May be I could do this job better, taught you better, behaved better...but one thing I can tell you confidently is that, I couldn’t love you any better than this, because I love each one of you my very best.

Though it is important to reconcile with ourselves and each other, life is too precious to be wasted by picking up and reliving our mistakes. So I am only trying to celebrate together the genuine love that I gave you and same or much more that I received from you. Looking back, I remain grateful to you for accepting me as your teacher, helping me to complete 5 years in Cluny. People always say that a teacher plays an important role in a student’s life. Surely true, may be few teachers have inspired me too. But I have to tell you the fact that all my students, each and every one of them, play an important role in my life. My students are my teachers and they are the ones who made me a teacher and a better human being.

I always preferred just to be myself, instead of doing or saying things which a teacher ought to do and say. The same way I prefer to see you the way you are. At this point of our journey, I am sure that we have happily tolerated each other.

My students never use adjectives to describe me. They summarise me in one noun, that is, terror. I totally agree to that noun, a noun which doesn’t need any adjectives to describe it and somehow I like that name very much. It proves how well my students have observed me and understood me.

I don’t like counting the number of my falls and failures as a teacher or yours as a student. I just want to thank God for all the precious years which I spent with you and seek His blessings on all of us although our lives.

A teacher has to say bye to her students year after year. That is a part of her profession. Her emotions are rarely seen or known. She stands brave and cool and so do I. My tears turn to prayers and my fears turn to wishes.

No batch has replaced another one, no face replaced another. Each one walks away from a teacher’s life.

I don’t know if the best teacher is the one who’s the most popular...or is it someone who touched your life personally, or corrected you for your good or pushed you to fly to a height which you never imagined to reach or said a prayer which you never heard? My three favourite teachers are, one, who loved me without looking at my marks, another one who tried to make me convince that I can do better, and the third, the one who said that I have a smiling face. I can’t tell you what these three people meant to me and what impact their attitude has made in my life. The first teacher helps me love myself even in my failures, second teacher pushes me to do things which I don’t believe that I can do, and the third teacher reminds me to smile even in worst situations.

So, being a teacher, I do all these three things. I love you no matter what, I push you to a height which you don’t seem to reach and I find something good in each of my students and all these make me a terror!! I may never be anyone’s favourite teacher. But even when I would’ve failed to be sweet in my expressions, if you’ve understood the purpose and love behind my words and actions, I count it as a blessing.

Thank you so much for being my students, for all your love and affection and moreover tolerance, which makes me happy even if I’m called a terror!!

Easter Thoughts...

Easter signifies resurrection. Easter Season is a beautiful cycle of meaningful life-changing events. 

It starts with Ash Wednesday on which we burn the palm leaves which we preserve in our houses since the previous year's Palm Sunday. On that day, we put the sign of the cross on our forehead. We burn our sins in the Divine Fire of God's Love and repent for them and start a penance through the forty days of lent.

We walk the Way of the Cross once in a week to realise the agony of the painful death that Christ took upon himself to redeem mankind from the bondage of sins.

The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday, which is celebrated in memory of Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem as its King. On that day, we receive the palm leaf, blessed in the church, which will be burned to ash on the next Ash Wednesday.

With Palm Sunday starts the Holy Week of Passion. That Thursday is called Maundy Thursday on which we remember the last feast which Jesus shared with His twelve disciples, where He washed their feet, through which He taught them to Love and Serve the mankind.

Next day is Good Friday, the commemoration of Christ's death on the cross. After the Holy Saturday, a day of waiting before Easter, the glorious day of Easter breaks. The long awaited day of reward for all the sufferings and sacrifices, it comes to bring a New Life and New Hope to Mankind through the celebration of the mysterious resurrection of Christ from the grave. 

The Bible very clearly says that Jesus was born, lived and died to save the Mankind from their sins. Though only Christians follow Jesus' life and teachings, His Salvation and Blessing are free for any human being to attain.

It is very interesting to watch the nature during this time. This is the starting of Springtime, the blossoming of many trees which looks barren throughout the year. 

It is a good time to refresh our lives too. God wants His children always to be happy and fresh in spirit. He is ever willing to bless us with a fulfilling life and overflowing cup of joy which we don't enjoy because of our polluted mind and spirit. It is human to be trapped in the vicious ways of the world and collect negativity in our being. This negativity becomes our own enemy at the end and only God's Love and Power can redeem and cleanse us from its bondages. 

Others may tell us that we are sinners and there is no hope of God's blessings. It is not true. Jesus loves sinners and wants to give them Everlasting Life. He brings hope for the poor and the downtrodden. He will give Life in all its Abundance to those who come to Him with a repentant heart. He waits to cleanse the sinner with His Holy Blood and dress him with the New Robe of Salvation.

We planted a Chembaka sapling in front of our house on the road side. The ground was so rocky and we couldn't dig too deep. We were discouraged by our neighbours, yet we planted it. They continued to tell us that there is no place for the roots to spread, the pit should've been very deep etc. There was nothing positive that we heard after planting it. We continued watering it and removed the worms which attacked it. Three days back, after two years of waiting, we got a saffron coloured flower. We have let it float in a small bowl, on our altar. Its fragrance continues to fill our hall for the third day. It speaks volumes to me. When planted where you have to be planted, God is able to bring forth flowers, in His time. 

There is an appointed time for everything under Heaven. Waiting in joyful hope will never go in vain. God loves and blesses His children who wait on Him with a heart of thanksgiving and praise. 

No matter what our present situation is, there is a sure possibility of a perfect transformation in our lives. May Easter make His children resurrect as His New Creation.

Save Our Schools! Save Our Students!

After the Chennai teacher’s killing, I waited a while before writing this article to see how the Indian Society reacts to the teachers’ community. Finally I understood that a teacher is an unresponsive person blamed by everyone, for all the misfortunes that happen in a child’s life.

A teacher is expected to mould the children to perfect human beings, teaching them the lessons, moral, ethical and social values. The character, behaviour, discipline, etc. of all the students are in the teacher’s hands. What parents cannot do for a single child at home, the teacher is expected to do for all the students.

May be in the Indian traditional System of Education, where parents never intervened between the teacher and the taught, there was hope and possibility of the students being trained by the teacher in all spheres of life. Their noble relation was not spoiled by the microscopic judgemental attitude of the public and psychologists. Now, you tie up the teachers’ hands and ask them to mould your children.

Being a teacher, I ask myself now, is it really worth losing my life being a responsible teacher? I wish that teacher had never corrected the boy who murdered her. I wonder if I should call Mrs Uma Maheshwari, who left behind two motherless girls, a fool or a martyr!

Did we hear such crimes happening 30 years back, when we did our schooling, though, in many schools teachers walked into the class with a cane and corrected the students? With just three exams per year, most of the people of our generation are doing well in different fields (They didn’t become birds of the same feather, which flew in the same direction) and I must say that they are emotionally much more stable than this pampered GeNext!

Today, the teacher and the taught are separated by the walls of confusion, pressures and interventions of all kinds, not being able to bond together. All promotion, the crowded class rooms, the very many things which each child has to chat about, and above all, tuitions, are some of the reasons for the students being disconnected from the class and the teacher.

With all the psychologists and experts in the field, none could find an answer nor even understand the problem that the children face. And to everyone’s surprise the suicide rate and crime rate is increasing day by day.

We have lost many years now, by assuming various possibilities and probabilities as reasons for the child’s misbehaviour. Face the fact before it is too late. Unlimited hours of freedom on the phone, TV, internet, etc. will only lead to unlimited problems. You spoil your children in too many ways, letting them have their way, and then take them to doctors and psychologists. When they are depressed enough and lose their interest in everything, you need a person to repair them and to be blamed, and the teacher is always targeted.

After reading about this horrible incident, none of us wants to risk our lives by correcting and disciplining our students. We stand helpless in front of the new demand on us, to train up the children to handle stress!

Give me a break here. A child has died or committed suicide or killed a teacher, because he/ she lacked love and support even at home or in society. As much as there are bad teachers, there are bad parents too. Their busy lives, broken marriages, lack of love, etc. affect their child. We, teachers, never disclose the sad stories that our students confide in us about their homes. Can we ever enter the homes and save our students who are ill-treated by corporal punishment, verbal and in some cases, even sexual abuse by the parent? When the public targets us, please remember that you cannot save the children just by stoning the teachers.

If you want a child to be saved, all the people in his/her life should share the responsibility to support the child with love, understanding and acceptance. The adults should live an exemplary life, based on values and morals, for the kids to follow. All must realise the necessity of correcting a child and to mould him/her as a well-behaved, balanced personality.

Treat children as children, not as future achievers and money makers. Stop pressurising them to bring home super grades for your gratification. Instead, leave them to dream their dreams and pursue them with confidence and enthusiasm. Stop imagining that they are flying in the sky even before you teach them to be grounded in gratitude and love. If we stop the mutual blame game and make sure that we impart values in the children, most of these problems can be solved.

My alma mater, Baker Memorial School, functioned in perfect discipline without a cane or any type of corporal punishment. I remember with gratitude all my wonderful teachers who gave us value-based education and spiritual foundation. My school’s motto “Love Never Fails” is surely the backbone of my success in life.

I encourage the parents and educational managements to stop sandwiching the children from both sides and thereby making criminals out of them. Shouldn’t we reduce their stress more than teaching them to handle the stress that we create in their lives?

The Need of the Hour is to stand in unison with one noble goal, to mould our children into good, strong, responsible and stable human beings by giving them love and corrections in equal measure. A spoiled child will have nothing to look back and thank his parents and teachers for!