On my return to education

 

What? You are teaching! Again?  
Should I say, Congratulations or commiserations?  
Is something wrong with you? Aren’t you making more money now? 
You cannot take teaching out of a teacher, can you? 

These and similar reactions greeted me when I announced to my friends and family about my decision to give up my comfortable executive position and return to classroom teaching. It made me think of the decades that I have spent in the teaching profession, the things that have changed and things that haven’t. Changes have been many – some extremely revolutionary and others a bit subtle. We moved from a blackboard and chalk classroom to Whiteboard and marker, then to Smartboard and now to online Zoom lessons. Teachers started getting called tutors, facilitators and guides and are often on a first-name basis with learners (nee-students). Governments introduced and scrapped new curricula with every change in the shade of the ruling cliques. Private schools, International schools, partnership schools, integrated schools and state (public) schools have all their ebbs and flows. Even home-schooling has made a place of its own in many countries.  One thing that has remained constant is the funny look most people give you, when they realise that teaching is your profession by choice.

It raises a question on the importance of formal education in today’s world and the relevance of a teacher in the modern classroom. Online resources like Khan Academy, Ted Talks, innumerable teachers’ videos from all corners of the world on any topic under the sun (or even beyond) – all vie for the learner’s indulgence. A person can “google” anything and everything from the smartphone and get answers in seconds. Role of a teacher has moved away from being the hallowed source of knowledge to the more modest function of directing learners’ efforts.  

So, we come back to the initial question, why re-join teaching now, when it is likely to become redundant or replaced by technology. It is not easy to answer, as there isn’t a single reason, but a combination of many. In no particular order, here are my reasons –  
  • Teachers create memories for themselves and the students – often happy ones. 
  • Students can replay, pause and fast forward video lessons, but life lessons cannot be.
  • When a student needs a morale booster, none of the smart apps will be useful. 
  • A student-teacher relationship is next to a parent-child one, and these are disintegrating very fast in today’s society. 
  • Education should focus on 3-H that is Head (Knowledge), Hand (Skills) and Heart (Attitude) – the teacher can make a massive difference to the heart.  

Here I am taking the plunge – again with the hope that it will make a difference to the world or some of my students or at least to me. 




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