Being a Teacher

It’s a universal truth that a doctor wants his child to become a doctor...

an engineer wants his child to become an engineer…

a businessman wants his child to become a CEO…

             

but…a TEACHER also wants his child to become one of them, as well!

Nobody wants to become a teacher BY CHOICE…

Very sad, but that’s the truth…

Today, after about a decade and a half years of my experience as a school teacher, I feel immensely proud that my mother, who was also a teacher for almost three decades, encouraged me and gave me the liberty to pursue my passion as my profession which provides me with ample opportunities not only to help my students excel in the academics but also help them become better human beings.

Recently, I came across the following occurrence which reaffirmed my faith and conviction that eventually I did make the RIGHT CHOICE.

-Shalini Singh Hamilton

The dinner guests were seated around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ”What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become only a teacher?”

     To stress his point he said to another guest, ”You’re a teacher, Mrs. Sharma. Be          honest. What do you make?”    

   

Teacher, Mrs. Sharma, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, ”You want to know what I make?”

(She paused for a second, then began….)  

“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honour winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents    can’t make them sit for 5 minutes without an I-pod, game cube or       movie rental.

You want to know what I make?

(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table….)

                                                            

I make kids wonder.                                                                              

I make them question.

I make them apologise and mean it.

I make them have respect for others and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them how to write and then I make them write.

Keyboarding isn’t everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in Mathematics.

They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about India while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the talents they are endowed with, work hard, and follow their hearts, they will succeed in life.

(Mrs. Sharma paused one last time and then continued….)

Then when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make.        

            

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL YOUR LIVES, EDUCATING KIDS AND PREPARING THEM TO BECOME CEO’s, DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS…….

What do you make Mr. CEO?”

This is my first job ever. As a fresher, I feel, I took the right decision when I took up teaching as my profession. The above mentioned episode makes me realise my role in making responsible citizens out of the young children whom I deal with everyday. Teaching profession gives me the scope to push mine as well as students’ boundaries in our endeavour to become better individuals.

-Aarti Kansil