When I try to remember my student days way back in Kharagpur and even in Delhi, all I can recollect is an image of a quite boy who would not perhaps ask that many questions in middle of the class but surely would not miss a single class and would be all ears with 100 per cent attention. I always had that appetite for accumulating more and more knowledge. May be some of the faculties where not that good in their delivery but I always believed that even those had so much to offer to me. I was more an admirer of their passion for the subject rather than their flawless presentations with literal arabesque. I am still all ears but perhaps only to people who do not talk gibberish.
Back in those engineering days, one thing intrigued me a lot. In a batch of more than 100 people, half came for the class usually, most placing themselves in the backbenches so that they could nap to make up for the night out they did playing Counter Strike or watching some Korean movies as they had already exhausted the English and Hindi ones, others where busy discussing the hall politics and other jazz, and thus only a handful front benches gave a damn to what the teacher was trying to sell. And it is hard to believe that the teacher had no clue of what was going on in the class. Perhaps he preferred the numbers physically present rather than the ones who were present mentally as well. I wondered, even with all this, how does he get the motivation for the lecture. From where all this energy erupted within him?
I got the answer to that very recently when I got the opportunity to be on the other side of the bench. Not that this was the first time but since I had a larger quantum to deal with this time, it gave me the opportunity to understand the dynamics of the other side. I was given the job to deal with Public Policy and Personnel Administration. Perhaps nobody's favorite chapters but then I took it as a challenge. And there were two different batches at two different places. One small and other relatively large. Prima Facie, I thought it would be more fun to deal with the larger one as it would motivate me more. But I was proved wrong pretty soon.
The smaller one proved to be way way better and I had the best time teaching there. Those students were very keen and very responsive. And it was their body language that kept me going. I felt that they played a big role in bringing out the best in me. I felt full of energy during those three hours everyday as if on Red Bull throughout. I felt happy and convinced that I had done a fair job at the end. It was not that the other batch was not attentive but there some things did bother me a lot. There were some faces which were apparently pressurized to take up this venture and clearly had no inclination towards the subject. Apparently their cellphones were much more interesting than what I had to offer. They made faces apparently as if they were ready to vomit on my face. I wondered why they came to the class at all.
It's not that I have a number fetish and people leaving the class would turn me down or something. I always believed that one should never be pressurized to learn. It should come from within. And there is no point making someone stay against their will. The only thing that bothered me was that their behavior somehow impacted mine. And I suddenly realized that I was not apparently at my best and that too because of some people who are not interested at the first place. Why was I letting them to manipulate me? And this is precisely when i got the answer to that question. Among the mediocre crowd, there were a bunch of people who listened with all the attention, who nodded along when a significant point came across and I could feel that all this is making sense to them. And then suddenly, I was only seeing these people and ergo pulled myself up again.
So at the end, I feel happy for having helped them in whatsoever little way I could. Especially those who came up to me at the end, have to admit, that meant a lot to me. May be I disappointed few who like the gyan to be delivered with a pinch of laughter. But I felt it was more important to utilize every second for their benefit. Always there for you guys, all the best!
Back in those engineering days, one thing intrigued me a lot. In a batch of more than 100 people, half came for the class usually, most placing themselves in the backbenches so that they could nap to make up for the night out they did playing Counter Strike or watching some Korean movies as they had already exhausted the English and Hindi ones, others where busy discussing the hall politics and other jazz, and thus only a handful front benches gave a damn to what the teacher was trying to sell. And it is hard to believe that the teacher had no clue of what was going on in the class. Perhaps he preferred the numbers physically present rather than the ones who were present mentally as well. I wondered, even with all this, how does he get the motivation for the lecture. From where all this energy erupted within him?
I got the answer to that very recently when I got the opportunity to be on the other side of the bench. Not that this was the first time but since I had a larger quantum to deal with this time, it gave me the opportunity to understand the dynamics of the other side. I was given the job to deal with Public Policy and Personnel Administration. Perhaps nobody's favorite chapters but then I took it as a challenge. And there were two different batches at two different places. One small and other relatively large. Prima Facie, I thought it would be more fun to deal with the larger one as it would motivate me more. But I was proved wrong pretty soon.
The smaller one proved to be way way better and I had the best time teaching there. Those students were very keen and very responsive. And it was their body language that kept me going. I felt that they played a big role in bringing out the best in me. I felt full of energy during those three hours everyday as if on Red Bull throughout. I felt happy and convinced that I had done a fair job at the end. It was not that the other batch was not attentive but there some things did bother me a lot. There were some faces which were apparently pressurized to take up this venture and clearly had no inclination towards the subject. Apparently their cellphones were much more interesting than what I had to offer. They made faces apparently as if they were ready to vomit on my face. I wondered why they came to the class at all.
It's not that I have a number fetish and people leaving the class would turn me down or something. I always believed that one should never be pressurized to learn. It should come from within. And there is no point making someone stay against their will. The only thing that bothered me was that their behavior somehow impacted mine. And I suddenly realized that I was not apparently at my best and that too because of some people who are not interested at the first place. Why was I letting them to manipulate me? And this is precisely when i got the answer to that question. Among the mediocre crowd, there were a bunch of people who listened with all the attention, who nodded along when a significant point came across and I could feel that all this is making sense to them. And then suddenly, I was only seeing these people and ergo pulled myself up again.
So at the end, I feel happy for having helped them in whatsoever little way I could. Especially those who came up to me at the end, have to admit, that meant a lot to me. May be I disappointed few who like the gyan to be delivered with a pinch of laughter. But I felt it was more important to utilize every second for their benefit. Always there for you guys, all the best!
2 comments:
glad to have you as our teacher..:)thank you.
ahhh "Back in those engineering days"
good old days :)
Thanks to your 100% complete notes we knew we can peacefully sleep in the class and discuss all kinda jazz. So in a way its your fault that we did all that shit instead of paying attention. :P
P.s Still grateful for your notes and very happy that you are doing what you like
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