Everyday is a lesson unto itself in a teacher’s life. So is every class. Things keep on happening and at the end of the day, you realize what a world of knowledge and wisdom you have gained by simply being with the students and letting them have fun through meaningful activities.
This morning in standard XA, in the first period, we started with the usual presentation. Jigme has already become one of my favourites in a very short span of time indeed. He has a ready smile on his face and is exceptionally smart for one so young. He came in front without any paper or anything like the others do and once he had the class’s attention, he went off as if delivering speeches is what he has been destined for, doing so all his life! Later, I tried to add masala (spice) to his story by trying to make the story a little more dramatic.
Then it was time to recapitulate the previous lesson (
Chapter-14 of The Giver ). Yesterday we were finally done with the last two
pages of the chapter.
Here Jonas takes Gabriel to his room and gets to know of
his inherent power by easily lulling the whiner to sleep. Like us readers, Jonas is equally shocked and
surprised by the revelation of his power!
Now like most teachers, I like it very much when I have
the complete attention of the class. I like it even more when I can get the
students to join me in the reading of the lines aswellas in the sharing of
the main points of the novel. Zeroing on the opportune moment, I decided to
move on to the next chapter without any further delay or any more ado. I asked
them if they wanted me to read the next few pages. The class having concurred, I
tried out and focused on my best reading practices.
Jonas is back in the Annex. Finds the Giver in pain. Like
the helpful boy that he is, he tries to lessen the Master’s pain by daring to
have some of it himself! He is in a
foul-smelling land with the air thick with molten smoke. All around, there are
heaps of dead bodies. He hears a pitiable whisper of someone dying of thirst. Despite
his apparent pain, he pours the last drop down the dying lad’s mouth like the messiah
bringing the last ray of hope to the unenlightened!
All accomplished and done, our hero then awaits his own
death, but with both his eyes and arms open ( In reality though, Jonas has one
of his arms badly mauled)! I move my eyes around to make sure that no one is
dozing off or trying to hide a yawn under the bench!
So far so good. I find Jigme Choden, sitting on the second bench, unusually attentive
and continue reading the last two paragraphs.
Jonas finds himself back in the Annex. The Giver sitting
on the chair next to the bed, looks guilt-stricken and is gravely apologetic.
Now reflecting on the lesson gone by, what I find of
great enjoyment and value, is the spontaneous interactions with the students when,
while talking about the battlefield and warfare, the drudgery and destruction of the two World Wars cropped up in our discussions. The untold
miseries brought about by unimaginable human greed and wants, coupled with the
loss of properties and innocent lives, cast a spell on the class for a minute
or two!
As I finished praising our hero for his valour in
welcoming Death like the way he does, Tshewang could not control himself any
more and raising his hand to be permitted to ask a question, he started
directing his questions to Dawa simultaneously. Dawa then took it upon himself
to throw a question back at Tshewang. Pema did not want to lag behind , so he
also could not let go of this opportunity of asking questions in a spirit of camaraderie
and merry-making. I barged in by cracking a joke at Dawa’s expense:
"God! Dawa is so popular with the class, No? The whole
class wants to ask him a question". Someone started chuckling at the back.
Tshewang had another question lined up for Dawa: Why do you think the Giver
transmitted the painful memory to Jonas?
And we all started discussing the answer:
Ø He
was tired of having to carry all these painful memories all by himself for so
long.
Ø As
the memory of the sunburn was not that painful, Jonas urged him on for some
real painful memories.
Ø Jonas
was undoubtedly a brave boy and the Giver realized that it was time he transmitted some painful memories as he could not shield him (Jonas) against those
memories for ever.
I stole a look at my watch and knew it was time to sum up
the main points of the chapter, which I did with tremendous ease and
confidence. I asked the class then if they had enjoyed reading the chapter.
I enjoyed myself in XI Arts
today as we discussed the questions and the characters related to the story:
Simple Arithmetic by Virginia Moriconi. I also enjoyed myself when the students
in Standard XI Sc ‘A’ could answer the questions I asked them to within no
time, without so much as a hiccup. But I enjoyed myself immensely in XA . The
students were attentive, participative, hyperactive and innovative, to say the least. What
more can a teacher ask for ?
