A MOM AT SCHOOL

 

Teachers Day is a very special day in every school. The otherwise naughty, laid back, notorious, indifferent students, are all bang on the celebrations. They hardly need any time to come up with a plan, create a script, choreograph a dance, decide interesting games, and present it in the most beautiful manner to the teachers. This makes the teachers forget all their classroom challenges, and they immerse themselves in the celebrations, rejoicing  in the love of the students, the auditorium reverberates with the laughter of the otherwise serious teachers, giving them the experience of a lifetime, which makes them look forward to the same day, next year.

This is how our children are. My observation is, they are at their best behavior when they are outside the classroom. Be it intra- murals, club competitions, school culturals, inter-school competitions, field trips, Annual Day, Sports Day, etc. I am sure that this has been your experience too. I always see them with a smile on their face. Students are my lifeline. Probably, they feel burdened with their studies, or there is pressure on them to surpass expectations, or they are going through peer pressure, or FOMO, or misplaced emotions, or a strained relationship with their friends, or distractions. It can be anything, which they see as a challenge.

 All they need at this stage of their life is, someone to whom they can talk without being judged. So, every teacher has to be a counsellor, who listens to their woes dispassionately. We may have our own challenges of preparing a lesson plan, a question paper of high standard, correction of notebooks and answer scripts, meeting so many deadlines, various documentations that are required as part of our work, and all other related work. So, many a time, we fail to smile at the children, we enter the classroom like a zombie, teach mechanically to achieve good results, and move from one class to another as a routine, without bringing any freshness or newness to our classes.

 In the midst of all this, the children feel lost. It is not anybody’s fault. It is the circumstance. Can we pause and reflect on our day in school? If our heart is filled with love and compassion, it will help us to bond with students. Then it will not be once in a year that students celebrate their teachers. Every day will be a celebration for the teacher and the student if we know how to magnetize them towards us. As much as we need to be competent, we also need to be compassionate. Let us all aspire to be a “mom” in school.

“Love is                                                 

When I feel you are mine

Without the need to own you.”    

                                             Mahatria Ra

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting