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Why is teaching an ‘uncool’ choice?

When Bernard Shaw said ‘those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach,’ he sealed the fate of all teachers. This statement of his has been floating around for years, and now in its modern avatar sounds something like this – why aren’t you studying? What will you do with your life? Do you want to become a teacher? And it is this sentiment that has percolated so deep into our system that when I started working as a teacher a well-meaning colleague asked me, “Why did you become a teacher? You could have been anything you wanted.”
And this is the basic problem with why we feel that teaching cannot, should not be a sought after profession. It is the profession we opt for when we have ‘no choice’, when all other options seem bleak, when we’re looking for a convenient job, or for something where we can pass time and earn some money. And who thinks this way? A large part of society, and as a result a large part of the teaching community.
So why is teaching so ‘uncool’? When I tell people that I am a teacher, here are the 3 most standard reactions that I get– First, it’s an easy job.
Second, wow you get so many holidays
Third, lucky you, you get off work so early and have so much free time
I’d like to discuss these reactions.

Teaching is an easy job. Really?

It really amuses me when people think teaching is an easy job. Imagine a class of thirty kids, which is a conservative number considering some classes have above 50. So let’s say there are 30 kids – some have amazing grasping power, some no concentration at all, there are a few kids in the classroom who would rather be in the field, then there are some who are trying to understand but it’s taking them longer. Yet that chapter or concept has to be taught and the children have to be graded as per the academic systems put in place by the school. And if the kids don’t do well then of course we are ready to say that there was something wrong in the way the lesson was taught. But to be honest with you, teaching is definitely the easiest part of a teacher’s job.
What else do teachers do apart from teach? We make a difference in the lives of students. We explain to a child who hasn’t done well that it is not the end of the world. We motivate a child who has done well to excel further. We crawl under desks to find the sharpener that a 5-year-old has lost probably for the third time in the day. We encourage students to dream big, to make choices with confidence and to accept the consequences of their choices. We celebrate victories and teach children to accept failures and learn from them. We inculcate values in them. We work towards keeping them safe. We call your children our kids, and to a large extent allow adults to outsource parenting to us. We often hear statements like, “Bye mom, ma’am is waiting,” as our brats rush out of the classroom. We stretch our students to enable them to explore and determine their own potential. And let’s not forget that none of this falls under our job description or is included in our appointment letters. Do we still think teaching is an easy job!

Teachers get so many holidays. Do they?

Oh how we’re grudged our holidays! Summer break, Winter break, Puja break, mid-term break, government holidays – it seems like we’re never working. Do you know we also get medical leave? But we cannot afford to get sick. If a teacher doesn’t show up for class, the class doesn’t move forward. So when the doctor says mandatory one-week bed rest, we’re at work on day 3. We cannot take off for lunch on a working day, or say we’re stepping out and will be back in an hour. If our own children have Sports Day and our school has a Parent Teachers Meet, guess where we’re going to be? When school closes those who teach senior classes come in to offer extra assistance to older kids so that our kids can perform better during exams. Vacations are also used to prepare lesson plans, finish corrections, assess projects in order to lighten the load when the term starts. And yes, strange as it may sound to some, we too have friends and family. And we do enjoy travelling. We work and then earn our rest, even though we’re supposedly doing an easy job.

Teachers are lucky to get off work so early and have so much free time. Do they?

Of course we get over early! We, on an average, clock in around 6 hours a day, as opposed to the person working in the office who spends around 9-10 hours away. But what is it that we do after school? Netflix and coffee! Apart from lugging back home corrections and developing lesson plans which we cannot finish in school because the free periods in our time tables are few and far between, we also find ways to supplement our incomes. There are teachers who go after working hours to tutorial centers, to residences, or work from their residence to bridge the income gap between what a teacher’s salary can afford and the life we want to provide for our families and ourselves. Think back to your tuition classes, some of which have ended even at 9 pm. Think back to those frantic phone calls where you’ve requested ma’am or sir to please spare extra time as the exams were around the corner and you needed revision. Think back to when you’ve requested for a Saturday evening or a Sunday morning class because that’s when you’re free. But we accommodate your requests, because teaching is not simply an easy job, it’s a responsibility.

So, what do we do about this? 

What can we do about this situation? What can we do to start getting society to acknowledge the commitment and effort made by teachers? What can we do to get teachers to realize the invaluable contribution they make in our lives? We can start by not saying or supporting statements like – you better study and get good grades otherwise you won’t be able to do anything in life and you’ll land up being a teacher. We can stop questioning people’s choices to be teachers. Instead of telling someone there’s no money in teaching we can allow him or her to find ways and means to follow a career they’re passionate about. We can say thank you to the teachers who have worked with us and let them know that they’ve definitely played an important role in our lives and helped us become who we are.
And there’s so much that we teachers get back in return. Most of the times, I won’t dare say all the times, the children are happy to see us! I remember my kids waiting to walk with me to the bus every afternoon because the little chat at the end of the day was important. Or in my first year as a teacher a nine-year-old offered me his free pizza coupon as a birthday gift. And no matter how deep the dark circles are or how frizzy the hair is, there’s always some kid who will come by and say, “Ma’am, you look so beautiful.” A young man I taught when he was a young boy still sends me the most heartwarming Teacher’s Day messages. And as if to reassure me that I am popular with my students, one of the brats has informed me that if I were to die my funeral would be well attended.

A few years ago I attended a Christmas Eve party and as we sat around the bonfire we introduced ourselves. Someone was an engineer, someone was a banker, another was a lawyer. When it was my turn I said, “I’m a teacher.” For a fraction of a second there was silence, then a guest recalled a teacher from his school days, then someone else shared an anecdote – some inspiring, some comical. And as I sat back soaking in the warmth of the bonfire enjoying the discussion, I thought, even a few decades later we remember those who taught us. Our teachers continue to live on in our stories. How cool is that!

Curious Times is celebrating Ed Leaders journeys. Here is Richa, who has reimagined teaching and learning through Word Munchers. Richa Wahi, the founder of Word Munchers, has a post graduate degree in Teaching and Practice of Creative Writing from Cardiff University, a post-graduate diploma in Advertising and Marketing from Xavier’s Institute of communication and a post-graduate certificate in copywriting from Mudra Institute of Communication. She received grants from the prestigious Charles Wallace India Trust and British Council’s Hammond Trust while pursuing her higher education in Cardiff.
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