Some initiatives: teachers pride

In most sessions with teachers, I save time for what I like to call ”talks with teachers”. The focus is to share highlights and episodic moments in the long career span of teachers. Each teacher has so much to share that it becomes heart breaking to say’ be brief’. Teachers have so much treasure of interventions, innovative strategies emerging from hands on experiences. The attempt is to initiate a dialogue among teachers, build their own groups to share and move forward as empowered professionals.

In the present context of isolation and absence of face to face interactions brought by Covid 19, it felt like an opportune moment to revive this 10 year old blog from slumber in a new avatar as Life at school: Talks with teachers. What follow are stories shared by teachers under a session “ my successes”. Please read, respond and add.

Asha Singh

Story 1

Raghav was a child with overflow of energy. He would be the proverbial disruptive child. He was mildly challenged and unable to adapt to classroom discipline. He was unable to sit still thus not only did he lose out on classroom interactions but slowed the attention span of the class as a collective. Now the children were quite aware of the child’s persistent restlessness. They attempted to think of ways to cooperate with me.  One of the children noticed that Raghav would often say “don’t tell papa” or say” Papa will come”.

I soon realized that Raghav was fearful of his Father. In a moment of imagined miracle I asked the parents to give me a couple of photos of the father. One I pasted on his desk while the other I put on my desk facing the class. There was palpable change. There was little need to point to his photographic presence.  The only dialogue used was “papa will not be happy”.

I had also requested the children not to tease Raghav. My explanation was simple sharing of facts: “Raghav is restless and we have to all try help him to overcome his inability to participate in classroom activities.” With all joint efforts we were able to help Raghav adapt and become a constructive learner as best as he could.

(Female Teacher of Class IV)

Story 2

In an inclusive set up of an Early Childcare Centre different challenges presented

each day on account of children’s varying understanding of their surroundings. We teachers have to be on our toes with new attempts to forge bonds of attachment. Unless the activity level is regulated there is little possibility of conversation or engaging in any playful tasks.

One of the boys Mandal was in the habit of banging his head to the desk or against the wall or even on the bar of swings. It became unbearable. We had our staff meeting and discussed what can be done. Tying up the child, creating a chair and strapping at the chest all seemed like very stern and harsh measures.  All at once I chanced upon some thermacole packing material and it seemed to offer possibilities. I picked it up and had a quick huddle with my colleagues. Necessity is really the driving engine for invention. Within half an hour we had carved out a helmet and made it the most colourful headgear. Mandal was excited and in the joy of wearing this object and being noticed by other children as an object who had something special made Mandal reduce the head banging and soon it was “he used to bang his head”

(Female KG Teacher)

Story 3.

I am a teacher in a school in a small town. There are largely army families in this remote hill setup. I enjoy teaching and watch children closely. I want to know if I am making sense to them. There was a boy Ratan in class IV who was interested  as well as an involved student, ready to participate in classroom dynamics. His work was also good and he was in the top 10 of the class. However, I noticed a sudden slump in his energy level and drop in his class participation. Ratan also looked forlorn and bit distanced.  I asked him  several times what was disturbing him, however he chose to be silent. I knew he would not talk in front of the whole class and in my judgment I did not also want to tell him to stay back. Soon chance made It possible to meet him in the playground after school as I was on my way home. There were not many children as most had made their way home.

It was an opportune moment and Ratan stopped when he saw me. Not losing time I asked” now will you tell me why you have stopped liking school? “  His story left me shell shocked.

 My father was in the army and he died a few months ago. His name is on the Amar Jawan Pillar . I pass it everyday on my way to school. It is such a sharp reminder that he is gone and he will never return. I feel sad to see that pillar.

I held hid hand for some time. I was speechless and really did not know how to respond. Then somehow the words flowed , “ As you say its true that you have lost your father for ever. But with his name on the pillar the whole town has also lost him. Everyone thinks of him. That is something that should make you satisfied about your father. It does not make your loss less but it comes with pride.”

I left with a heavy heart. In the days and weeks to follow, I saw slow emergence of spark and energy come back to Ratan. I felt quite relieved and rewarded.

(Male Teacher: Class IV)

Story 4

Individual attention and a bit of customized interactions positively impact children who sometimes lag behind.  Many teachers reported ,

            “ I made Stuti sit next to me and guided her, called her after school and

               made her do extra work”

            “ Rahul used to stutter and all the children would laugh. We did some 

                rhythmic reading  and slowly Rahul gained confidence and would stand

                in front of the class and recite poems. “

            “ Ankita was not familiar with English. She belonged to a Bangla speaking

               family with a EWS admission.

(Male and Female Teachers of upper primary teachers)

Story 5

I teach in an Army School in a small town. Children of the Jawans are from different parts of the country. Their home language is often not the language of the school. At times when new children come we are unable to understand what they are saying. We always learn a few essential words of the home language like, “can you hear,?” or “ eat your food” Understand , play,, home and such words. It helps children to make a smooth transition with the teacher playfully trying to make connection. There was one child who would stand at the door and keep calling “Ikri Ikri” in a melancholic cry. The word did not match any of the words I had noted. So I asked the Father when he came to drop Bindiya. The father laughed and said,

My family has recently joined from the village . Bidiya was going to the village school and she was allowed to sit in the class with her Baby Goat Ikri. She is missing that companionship. She will be ok.

Once I knew this I was able to talk to Bindiya about her pet goat. As told me innumerable stories of her antics with Ikri she became more and more relaxed and cheerful. She felt good that someone connected to her life at the village.

(Primary school female teacher class II)

Compiled by Asha Singh

My Childhood Memories

When I was in kindergarten, I remember that my classroom was in the form of a hut, separated from the main building. It was decorated with colorful characters, numbers, murals; painted in vibrant colors that were exciting. Those tiny chairs in red, blue, yellow and green gave us choices to make each day. I never sat at the same place for more than four hours. The cupboards were full of paper of various textures, crayons, tiny decorative items, pasting liquids and a handful of books for us.

There were pegs to hang our bags and bottles. To this, I remember that I possessed that bag I used for the next six years. It was a cute little one in the shape of a face, black in color with yellow eyes and red lips. Contradicting to the pampering I got once I entered school and uptil now at some rare occasions, I was never once dropped to kindergarten by my father. I used to travel by the school bus, which in my conscious memories used to drop me outside a Church on the main road.

The walk back home, in the glaring sun of the summers, and the same warmth of the winters, was enjoyable, as on the way I would confront new experiences each day. My grandfather would be waiting for me eagerly near the Church to escort me back home. Sometimes, he would redivert his route to take me to the market as he wanted my inquisitiveness to keep growing. Not everyday, but whenever I went to the market with him, I was always discovering things I had not even dreamt of confronting until being old enough.

- Mrinalini

Something about school

All children have many comments on their school, Some critical as well as some appreciative. They tallk of their friends, their subjets, events and episodes. What is most intriguing is their sharp commentary on the dynamics between the various levels of people and childhood perceptions of school organizations, rules and interpersonal e fact that children interactions. Let me share one incident. I was at school with class VII children and they kept signalling "arrangement " I tried to make sense of this word which did not seem to fit in my dialogues with them about their favourite teacher. On showing some curiosity they said " Mam ! please stay on next period is " arrangement class" and its usually time pass." But what is arrangement class!! Oh mam when teacher is absent usually there is arrangement class. Oh! so the children were talking about substitution. I was awe struck by the fact that children pick up the relevant language, the nuances of school operations and comprehend the cynamics of everyday control.

Do the school adults understand children's sensitivity to everday matters?

This may seem ordinary information but in a similar vein of interpretation its interesting what children dream of ijn an ideal school... wait for the next post.

Starting off is always difficult

School is universal!!!! As kids we all have to go to school.
Some of us love it for very special reasons......Do we want to know what we think of school as kids??
We watch many many happenings. I wonder if teachers ever know how much meanings we can make of schooling... life at school... lets dialogue from the and discover schooling from the eyes of children!!!