Teaching and its attendant JOY

View Larger Map


Part 1

(I will use the term guys for all of you (including girls) just out of habit. It does not imply any discriminatory stance. People everywhere sounded too impersonal)

Firstly I’d like to thank ALL OF YOU - the students of my alma mater MES KK as I’d like to fondly call it for enduring my hour long drivel.

I felt as if I was on stage in BMC and you people, my friends pulling my leg when on stage (in med college.).
Though I do completely and whole heartedly apologize for playing mind games with you guys (the 'jittery prof' at the start of the talk.)
The next part of the fat gizmo freak whose 18 going on 23 is closer to me.

What makes you so special that you find mention in my blog is that it was my first 'trial by fire'(speaking to an unknown non medical audience).

I wholly enjoyed the experience as I indeed didn’t expect you to be so aggressive at the outset.
Frankly, we NEED JUST THAT.

We are 'youngsters’ and if we lack the aggression that tears up incompetent teachers to learn on our own, believe me we are not going anywhere.

Coming to the talk per se, the points noteworthy of mention were:


(Good news first, keeps it up):

You are well informed (not bookish)
You are more mature than you get credit for (but integrity, I’ll not comment on, due to lack of prolonged exposure)
Most if not all know how to shred opposition (BEST POINT)
Most, if not all still have a very alive and active child in you (KEEP IT ALIVE)
You are consistent (rare quality, keep it up)

(Bad news, if at all)
Hell man! it sounds so clichéd!! Lots of scope for improvement (the world is a sick bitch, you are way too naïve)
No takers for basic sciences and teaching(don’t stare, I know parental, peer and economic pressures are too great)
You are not decided about what to do in life (judging by the few responses I got for profession of choice, so set your goals and then hunt 'em down)


Some observations-

1) I heard someone say "I’m not going to listen to some Greek and Latin...” while on the way to the Audi.
Well, I hope I have not spoken in Greek or Latin except in some unavoidable circumstance.

2) Your zoology teacher seemed too old fashioned, is he??
We had teachers like

anand
(English, he used to have noisy discussions on grisham and cook and co...),

Sreenivas sharma
(the bhishma pitamah of kannada,
The guy can literally act every page of the textbook,
He can speak to you in your language, literally,
Extremely humorous for his age and almost 15years+ jokes only
He was the chairman of the textbook we studied-we found out later only)

Veena, shesadri iyengar-for Sanskrit both taught at the 17+ age level.

Anandi people called her goddess for weird reasons; she was just a cool buddy for most of us.

3) College is an acquired taste- most, if not all, would never sit through that Audi talk.
Being the most talkative nut in class IN THE FIRST BENCH, I had average 97% attendance and just had fun.
Frankly we couldn’t live off college, its funny teachers and the attractions in class being the main reason.
The damn thing helped coz we studied the same thing twice.

The defining points are however,

HAVE FUN ALWAYS (within safe limits and never get in trouble)

SUCCESS IS A RELATIVE AND RETROSPECTIVE DFINITION, STRIVE TOWARDS IT HOWEVER.

DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO, NEVER LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO OTHERWISE.


All the best and see yo around sometime.

Ciao





Part 2


The importance of being contemporary in teaching:

This is a rant sparked of by some of the statements made in my presence in college.
Visual aids and the works are what students expect of teachers when they walk into class.
Teachers expect the students to be pliable".
But frankly we need not be, then where is the answer to such diverse hurdles that plague our teacher-student relationships at the PU level?

The answer lies in: BEING EVOLUTIONARY

Most of the teachers expect us to be ram and laxman, prophets, apostles in most of the cases.

But this my dearest of teachers is the most unworthy of thoughts that can enter your mind
Because it’s just professional suicide. Being a notorious guy in class, I need no other example but myself.
Restraint was one of my shortcomings in PU College. But if I was pliable to the extent that was really expected of me then I don’t think I would have spoken to the college students on stage that day,
Because today, I’d be an engineer (after my parents initial wishes).

I was taught aggression within restraint.
Thanks to you, also, I have mastered the art of repartee. Leaving no worthy comment unanswered.
Developing a healthy professional attitude, living with difference of thought and opinion and the also the abilities of compromise and convincing, I honed in college.

It was not taught. It was learned however, because you expected me to be PLIABLE WHICH I WAS NOT (BLATANTLY, SOMETIMES).



What the student expects of the teacher is a little understanding and a little bit of modern outlook
(I’m not gonna prescribe teachers turning up in bling and chav styles) and the ability to make a mental connection.

This mental connection is the key to a beautiful relationship that a teacher-students’ can be.

It is this connection which leaves no gap between the mental ages of the teacher and the student.

And of course this mental connection makes classes into fora of thought in each stream for that period not some didactic lecture and notes time although each has its own specific importance.

Evolving is not bad both for teachers and students, especially, as they learn the older school of thought and can use it as a yardstick to compare and contrast and if found worthy to use it as a compass.


Hoping for better times in teaching.

for all of us , in all ways..