Teaching is not easy

Teaching is not easy

They enter into the class, take an attendance. This will consume five minutes of theirs. Then they open up their note diary, and start reading. The students will have no options than to write what the teacher says. After reading each line, they translate the line into Nepali, which they claim ‘explanation’.  Now, their task is over, and they get out of their class.
One day, while observing carefully, I found that is the real task of teacher today. I don’t know if I am with maximum such teachers or if there are maximum such teachers. This made me feel that even I can take class of not just my level, but even my senior level right now. All you need to do is prepare a note, enter into the class, read the note and fill your pocket! What a simple job! And, if student fails, credit goes to the student himself, and if he passes with wonderful marks, credited will be the teacher!

Are teachers really the one who gets nowhere in their life and end up being a teacher? Else, the case would not have been seen probably because, for alternative of every faculty, there is teaching profession.  No matter if you are studying MD or you are studying law, you can always end up being a teacher someday.

A teacher has to be innovating and updated regularly. Every day, before entering into the class, he must have some idea about the topic that he is going to speak that day. He needs to get updated if there are any new updates around, for that he should be regularly looking into Internet, and then let the students note down those points which are not available in their book. Providing notes is really a silly way of earning money. I would rather name that cheating to the profession. Okay, maybe their notes are important. If so, they can provide hand outs to the student. I openly chalne~ge such teachers to provide hand outs of their notes, and explain with their mouth for at least half of their class. Completion of syllabus should not be the ultimate aim of the teacher; rather he should be able to inject the clear picture in the mind of student.
Struggle for teaching theory is seen quite often in any academic institutions considering it to be comparatively easy. But, more than numerical subjects, theoretical subjects are challenging in real. Ricardian theory probably was criticized decades back, but how is it seen today? An economics teacher must be able to get the ideas about the new updates and inform student on the basis of present analysis as well. A marketing teacher must be able to create the framework of ‘Buyer’s behavior’ into the mind of student with his explanation instead of gifting those unwanted notes. If the teacher has the ability to explain in wonderful way, notes can be created by the students at the very moment. Notes of an apple would be no use for a child when he sees Apple in real. Because, after seeing the fruit in real, he can explain it himself. This concept has to be injected within the mind of teachers.

I don’t grant teachers any right to claim student ‘irregular’ in class. Why are they irregular? That is the question that any teacher must deal with. Let Anil Shah take a class, will any students bunk the class? When the class becomes useless, students prefer not staying in the class than sitting an hour listening to some pointless thing in the class. Instead of feeling their weakness, they rather blame students. Or maybe they have felt, that could be the reason for the growing ‘Internal marks’ trend is seen these days in various faculties.

Not always are teachers right. They need to learn this, because, a wise writer collects good points for writing an academic book from other writers, internet and answer sheet of students. There are cases, when a student can make a logical point in any issue. Teacher may be guided by the limitation of book to claim ‘Color is intellectual property’, but a student is always free to surf net and make fun of the teacher for such stupid claims!

Teaching really is a challenging job. Because you could not be a successful doctor, you may probably enter into teaching job. But, please make sure you work with your full efficiency to satisfy students. And I don’t think there would be any harm if concerned authorities ban ‘Notes providing system’ in any academic institutions. You are a successful teacher only when all the students of your class praise you after your class!

I would never be a teacher doing same clerical job of providing notes from my laminated diary and consuming the entire time of the class and in the end leaving all the students to make a back biting of me! I would rather stay unemployed.

Published in The Rising Nepal's Friday Supplement of Aug 17, 2012.