On being a teacher

When I first came to know the thing about having an ambition in life, my first choice was that of a teacher. I had my own blackboard where I'd write the alphabet and teach my stuffed animals. I used to have an attendance register and would call out their names before starting to teach. I realize why. In that age (I am talking 4-6 years range) of course we stood in awe of the teachers in school. They were the all powerful beings in our small worlds and so I wanted to be like them.

Gradually that faded out and more serious career options came in to my life, that of being a scientist or astrophysicist. A teacher sounded so boring compared to them. I threw that old silly ambition out of my mind. Then things started to be more practical and I realized just a liking of astronomy is not enough to become an astrophysicist. I'd never have that dedication and it would require a huge amount of effort on my side to master the super difficult scientific problems of astronomy. I took a Coursera class last year on astronomy and believe me, so far it has been the toughest subject I ever tried to learn. Computer programming comes nowhere near it! Glad I never attempted to make a career out of it, that would have been devastating. Anyway, I finally settled down to a more practical career and I intend to continue this. But, life is full of surprises.

I don't really think that Bollywood movie dialogues can be quoted, but here is one that I should. In "Jab we met", when the guy was regretting that he could never be a musician anymore, Kareena reminded him that his life is not over and he is sounding as though he is already dead. That is true. Unless your life is actually over, you can't really say that oh I cannot do this anymore. Of course you can! And opportunities don't come if you are not interested, they don't fall onto your lap. You should be the one seeking it.

I was looking for volunteer options online when this one - to teach English to kids in rural Bengal struck me. I always think of "how would I find the time to do this" when I attempt something new, but here I told myself I will have to find some time. This is important. I applied for the position and got it. That was the easy part. Difficulties started AFTER that.

First was communication! They only understand Bengali, so I had to work with them to set up Skype. That took three weeks. Then was talking over Skype. That took like two days to be able to see and hear each other. Then started the actual class. The first day I took their attendance I thought of my first students - Heffa Lump, Goldie, Whitie, Brother, Winnie...it's just the same! Now the classes are going on for a month and at first even though I was appalled at their grammar the reality is slowly seeping in me. They are orphans from rural Bengal. I can't expect them to know their tenses and their spellings. It is just not possible. I have a lot to work on and so do they. I don't expect all of them to learn fluent English in probably their entire lives, neither do I expect them to write elaborate essays. All I am targeting for these kids to grow up with confidence and for that they need to know how to think, read, speak and write simple English (with correct spelling and grammar) and make the process as fun and enjoyable as I can.

What am I gaining in the process? I guess this question would always come up in any volunteer opportunity you take. What I am gaining is satisfaction. And with it experience! Some young kids halfway across the world who were writing really bad English are slowly, very slowly picking up the right grammar. They are enjoying conversations with me, telling me about their lives, what they like to eat, how they play football in the mud, even inviting me to come stay with them. These are the big things in life. The satisfaction when I see one correct sentence in their homework, when they excitedly raise their hands to answer in class or some particular student would write some more essays just to show that she loves English gives me the confidence to push them forward.

The road is long and there are so many miles to cover before I sleep!