Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.
- Aristotle
These words ring so true! After all the strongest childhood memories imprinted in one's minds are those that are given by our teachers. A warm smile, words of encouragement, gentle but firm reprimands and overall complete pride and belief - these are the emotions that our teachers have always given us. They believed in us more that we ever did in ourselves! So small wonder that even when one reaches heights in their careers or is accomplished in various arenas, the memory of a teacher always brings back that warm smile and gratitude. Yes, that's how important our teachers are for us!
So can you imagine how thrilled I was when I got this wonderful opportunity to teach kids in my daughter's school, as a substitute teacher! It was like a dream come true, and my only thought was if I could even do a millionth of the work that these awesome teachers were doing, and help in their noble cause, then my efforts would be totally worth it.
Yes, it did take me a little bit of juggling my time and my professional work to accommodate the classes, but having a flexible work time and most importantly an extremely understanding boss helped me cross this hurdle. So here I was all set to teach the kids 'History' - one of my favorite subjects in school. The first briefing session that I had from Mrs. Simi Sharma, the Director of the school was simply amazing. It was like she brought life into the History lesson and it did not stop with that, she explained the sensitivities and nuances that one needs to be aware of, while teaching children. It was as if she was a mother handing her precious children to me to take care of for some time...that was a huge responsibility and I could not let her down!
Armed with a detailed lesson plan, PowerPoint presentations and videos, I started my prep work. Believe me when I say, I don't think I have prepared so much for an executive level presentation in my 16 years of marketing career, as much as I did for my first class!
Being nervous was an understatement, in the car I had practiced my opening lines and smart quips, the right expressions to give and what not...but then remember the target audience was not decision makers in the corporate world, they were a far more difficult audience to please. Well, with all my relentless self doubts in my head, I strode confidently into the class. At first a few interested and curious eyes looked at me questioningly, then slowly there were whispers and the suddenly boisterous class quietened down. The home room teacher was kind enough to introduce me as the new substitute teacher and left with a firm warning to the students asking them to behave themselves. Once the teacher left, there was a big chorus of voices wishing me "Good Morning"...Wow was I transported to my school days or what! I started by introducing myself and telling them why I love History. Probably, my excitement rippled through them as they listened to me intently. This encouragement was enough for me and I was on a roll!
I have taught 6th grade and recently 9th grade as a substitute teacher for short stints, each time more nervous and skeptical. But I cannot even explain the joy that one gets while imparting education to these keen and innocent minds. They just absorb what you say and how you say, their little inquisitive minds are filled with questions and it was a pleasure every time I interacted with them in the classroom. Yes, one has to be prepared for their moods and hyper activity, after all they are children, they are supposed to be that way! The most important lesson I learnt with these kids is that they trust you and respect you and it is up to the teacher how she can influence them and aid them in their progress, while ensuring that they grow not just academically, but also as good human beings.
6th grade was fun! These kids were in the threshold of pre-teen age, just out of primary, clamoring for attention with their countless questions, some of them relevant, intelligent and some downright funny! Having them settle down after a break was a humongous task but once they got into the flow, there was no stopping these bright sparks!
9th grade was a different ballgame! The kids were now young adults or teenagers. Ashima ma'am the teacher who I was substituting, had explained in detail what I should look for and laid rest to all my apprehensions, with her calm demeanor. So when I entered class and had gone through the introductions and greetings, the kids eyed me with a little bit of suspicion and then bombarded me with questions about who I was, why I was here, etc. I tried my best to address their queries, and I once when I thought they were satisfied, I started the lessons. Surprisingly, I felt so comfortable with these kids because I could use various strategies to grab their attention, sometimes straying from the topic and talking about latest books, TV shows and relating them to History and they understood! Yes, these were the kids who were slowly realizing that their lovely idyllic days were coming to an end, as they were mentally preparing themselves for the boards next year. You could see this in various stages, with some of them already mentally geared up while some who were reluctant to give up their 'freedom'!
But one thing I could clearly gauge is that the next gen is much smarter than what we were at this age! Wow, what a feeling! After every class, I was on a high with a spring in my step and lovely memories...how much I will miss these classes and the lovely kids.
For a moment, I was envious of the joy that teachers are enveloped with day in and day out. And then I think of the tireless hours that they put in to mold our beloved children into fine citizens, gearing them to face the outside world with their encouraging words, infinite wisdom and unconditional love...is it any wonder that as adults we owe our allegiance to these role models!
- Aristotle
These words ring so true! After all the strongest childhood memories imprinted in one's minds are those that are given by our teachers. A warm smile, words of encouragement, gentle but firm reprimands and overall complete pride and belief - these are the emotions that our teachers have always given us. They believed in us more that we ever did in ourselves! So small wonder that even when one reaches heights in their careers or is accomplished in various arenas, the memory of a teacher always brings back that warm smile and gratitude. Yes, that's how important our teachers are for us!
So can you imagine how thrilled I was when I got this wonderful opportunity to teach kids in my daughter's school, as a substitute teacher! It was like a dream come true, and my only thought was if I could even do a millionth of the work that these awesome teachers were doing, and help in their noble cause, then my efforts would be totally worth it.
Yes, it did take me a little bit of juggling my time and my professional work to accommodate the classes, but having a flexible work time and most importantly an extremely understanding boss helped me cross this hurdle. So here I was all set to teach the kids 'History' - one of my favorite subjects in school. The first briefing session that I had from Mrs. Simi Sharma, the Director of the school was simply amazing. It was like she brought life into the History lesson and it did not stop with that, she explained the sensitivities and nuances that one needs to be aware of, while teaching children. It was as if she was a mother handing her precious children to me to take care of for some time...that was a huge responsibility and I could not let her down!
Armed with a detailed lesson plan, PowerPoint presentations and videos, I started my prep work. Believe me when I say, I don't think I have prepared so much for an executive level presentation in my 16 years of marketing career, as much as I did for my first class!
Being nervous was an understatement, in the car I had practiced my opening lines and smart quips, the right expressions to give and what not...but then remember the target audience was not decision makers in the corporate world, they were a far more difficult audience to please. Well, with all my relentless self doubts in my head, I strode confidently into the class. At first a few interested and curious eyes looked at me questioningly, then slowly there were whispers and the suddenly boisterous class quietened down. The home room teacher was kind enough to introduce me as the new substitute teacher and left with a firm warning to the students asking them to behave themselves. Once the teacher left, there was a big chorus of voices wishing me "Good Morning"...Wow was I transported to my school days or what! I started by introducing myself and telling them why I love History. Probably, my excitement rippled through them as they listened to me intently. This encouragement was enough for me and I was on a roll!
I have taught 6th grade and recently 9th grade as a substitute teacher for short stints, each time more nervous and skeptical. But I cannot even explain the joy that one gets while imparting education to these keen and innocent minds. They just absorb what you say and how you say, their little inquisitive minds are filled with questions and it was a pleasure every time I interacted with them in the classroom. Yes, one has to be prepared for their moods and hyper activity, after all they are children, they are supposed to be that way! The most important lesson I learnt with these kids is that they trust you and respect you and it is up to the teacher how she can influence them and aid them in their progress, while ensuring that they grow not just academically, but also as good human beings.
6th grade was fun! These kids were in the threshold of pre-teen age, just out of primary, clamoring for attention with their countless questions, some of them relevant, intelligent and some downright funny! Having them settle down after a break was a humongous task but once they got into the flow, there was no stopping these bright sparks!
9th grade was a different ballgame! The kids were now young adults or teenagers. Ashima ma'am the teacher who I was substituting, had explained in detail what I should look for and laid rest to all my apprehensions, with her calm demeanor. So when I entered class and had gone through the introductions and greetings, the kids eyed me with a little bit of suspicion and then bombarded me with questions about who I was, why I was here, etc. I tried my best to address their queries, and I once when I thought they were satisfied, I started the lessons. Surprisingly, I felt so comfortable with these kids because I could use various strategies to grab their attention, sometimes straying from the topic and talking about latest books, TV shows and relating them to History and they understood! Yes, these were the kids who were slowly realizing that their lovely idyllic days were coming to an end, as they were mentally preparing themselves for the boards next year. You could see this in various stages, with some of them already mentally geared up while some who were reluctant to give up their 'freedom'!
But one thing I could clearly gauge is that the next gen is much smarter than what we were at this age! Wow, what a feeling! After every class, I was on a high with a spring in my step and lovely memories...how much I will miss these classes and the lovely kids.
For a moment, I was envious of the joy that teachers are enveloped with day in and day out. And then I think of the tireless hours that they put in to mold our beloved children into fine citizens, gearing them to face the outside world with their encouraging words, infinite wisdom and unconditional love...is it any wonder that as adults we owe our allegiance to these role models!
