The dictionary states the meaning of ‘altruism‘ as unselfish regard or devotion to the welfare of others .
If that be so , there can be no better champion of altruism than a teacher .
A teacher is ‘born’ for the sake of children.
Its very difficult to pinpoint the moment when her / his altruistic journey begins.
There is no course or syllabus that can totally equip the teacher with the much needed ‘ child facing techniques’. There are hundreds of theories that she/he rote learns but none prepares them for dealing with the most spontaneous , pure and intelligent of the species – the child.
All theories fly out of the window when the teacher is left alone in a class full of expectant and dynamic energies.
There is no single glove that fits all hands , there is no single trick that works the magic.
Gauging , innocent , mysterious eyes watch every single move of the teacher (no mother in law in any Hindi serial can beat this 🙂 )
She is ‘one’ and the class is ‘ many’. And the teacher is devoted to all.
The teacher does not give up.
Emotions are at the heart of what teachers do and why they do it. Educators take up teaching with dreams of changing the odds for disadvantaged children, inspiring a love for learning or developing critical thinkers.
Maths and Language are taught through books but there are no periods for teaching ‘thank you ‘ ‘please’ and ‘ May I ?’.
Those are not a part of the teacher’s penned down role and responsibilities , but it’s a given.
Teaching is an emotional practise but no teacher training college has a curriculum that helps them build these competencies.
The teacher takes it up very very bravely and goes ‘beyond the curriculum’.
She still does not give up.
A teacher is required to be omnipresent . The Prime Minister of a nation can manage to take a trip overseas but the teacher finds it impossible to leave the class even for a minute . Tired muscles and aching feet – a smiling child is all they need !
The school bell rings but it doesn’t cut off the teacher’s umblical cord. She carries the children in her heart and mind (and these days the phone 🙂 as well )
Her family is the audience to a hundred tales of children in her class. Their antics , their concerns , their behaviour is passed around more than the casserole at the dining table . Her students squeeze into her ‘family time ‘ so very neatly.
There are so many rules in the school almanac that talk about how to deal with children.
But there is no rule in the Parent Handbook that talks about ‘How to treat your child’s teacher?’.
She faces parental disappointments , their anxieties and fears like a champ.
She still doesn’t give up
Literacy is a given goal but she takes great effort in cultivating emotional literacy as well. She diligently makes progress notes, tracks family history and studies children’s behaviour in the playfield, library and all arenas out of the classroom as well. Does she need to do that ?
I guess not but still does so , for some strange reason.
There are many who dare to mock and call her ‘just a teacher . The pay cheque at the end of the month never spirals her to the HNI segment , nor entitles her to enjoy a bank’s wealth management services.
She still does not give up.
Children graduate to the next class and eventually storm the world and make their own niche place. Some come back with an occasional thank you note and some do not. She knows that years later , she may just be reduced to a middle spot in the class photograph .
She still does not give up.
Rules and policies change more often than the text books and many a times they clam and choke her.
She still does not give up. She is doggedly loyal to her children.
All she remembers is that those 20 or 30 or 40 cherubic faces in her class are dependent on her . And that gives her a motive.
No pay slip , no promotion and no appointment letter drives her. What drives her is that she feels ‘good about doing good ‘. She gets a helpers high . It is the children who energise her.
She neglects her health and willingly sacrifices her ‘me time ‘ for her class children.
She dares to nurture those ‘not borne from her womb’
Can there be a better example of altruism ?
On this Children’ s Day , let us salute these altruism unsung heroes and send out a cheer for them.
Muse n Life 