It will be annual diary time for teachers soon. There will
be records to fill up; lists of textbooks and duties, method of teaching,
detailed syllabi, workshops attended, special efforts for bright students, remedial
measures to improve the weak and of course, most important of all, what
inspired the teacher most during the session.
Inspiration!
The challenge is of acknowledgment. There are indeed two
levels at which the school operates, much like the Hindu system of
consciousness levels. The surface is represented by its public interface. There
is the school diary, website, speeches made on official functions, the school
magazine, assembly addresses by school heads. One hears of the school being a
tree of knowledge, a centre for learning, the nursery that nurtures leaders and
aims at an all-round development. There is another level however, at which
young lives singe and burn in the cauldron called school life. It is not
obvious to the eye but there are daily glimpses in student aggression, in
creative graffiti, in groupism, in exclusion of others, in bullying and risky
behaviour. As a teacher, you would wish for a horizon where these two worlds
converged.
It has to start with the question of what schools are trying
to do. The staff, the resources, the CBSE, the related paraphernalia; do we
have a system that focuses on empowering a student or eliminating him at
various levels? Do we celebrate or crush differences? Are we building young
people who are force multipliers or are we churning out force dividers?
At the moment, there is a focus on a version of discipline
based on a strong sense of shame. The measuring scale has been marking only one
unit: test scores. There is an ocean of untapped original talent that has been drying
up for lack of attention and recognition. While we could be learning from
students who have things to say, we line them up for scrutiny under glasses
tinted with pre conceived notions. And the outcome is legions of young who
leave schools feeling an odd mix of grief and relief.
CCE! The “continuous and comprehensive evaluation of
students that covers all aspects of their development” may correct that by
forcing teachers to look at their students more closely. We keep bemoaning
their lack of attention in class. It is we in fact who need to pay them more
attention.
For attention gives life and vitality.
No comments:
Post a Comment