Teachers, Ladder & The Kicks

Dear Thyagarajan,
We learnt a lot from our teachers not what they taught us as all was prescribed in the syllabus but how they taught us. I have one of my old post on the subject which I will post as I am now motivated to do so.
We had many teachers with found memories. One of them was expecting Namskar with folded hands every time we crossed ways outside school. If you do from a distance he would say 'you could have sent it by post', if you do it when reach close he would say 'you scared me'. We would try to avoid him.
I posted one blog 'The incorrigible dropout' where Jitu embarrassed the Principal by prostrating in his feet in a crowded market.
There are many good and bad memories, mostly good.

 

We used to say'Eni, Thoni and Vadyar'-Ladder, boat and and the teacher enable others to cross or climb, being themselves in the same place.

Every year Sep 5th comes and departs.We scribble something and totally forget about it.
Shrimat Bhagavatham speaks of 24 teachers including a bird, hunter, wasp and a courtesan among others having influenced the Avadhutha, Dattathreya.A detailed account of what he learnt from each of them has been narrated therein.
There is no dearth of Gurus in India-many of them self proclaiming.
The word guru means one who removes darkness.

Whoever be the Guru, ancient or modern, whatso ever be the number of books we read,we cannot find solutions to all our problems. The same solution may not work to the same problem in a different occasion or different persons.How we apply Guru's teaching to the given situation is the vital aspect .
Many teachers are versatile in their subjects, but only a few have got the knack of creating a LEARNING ATMOSPHERE by making the students, not only listeners but active participants and absorbers..
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If we think aloud,learning is an ever lasting process.We are always learners in one form or other.
1. We learn from our children. They become our teachers.
2.We learn from our mistakes.Mistakes become masters.
3.All our anger & agonies,beatings & burnings,challenges & churns,cries and cracks,toils and turmoils,twists & turns make us mellow down & season us a lot.
4. From good persons we know how to be,and from the so called wicked we know how not to be.
5. When we listen to music,it soothens our hearts & music becomes our preceptor.
6.When we hear the mazhalai or babblings of children, we forget the pressing problems. then children become our masters.
7.The sun,the rain,the mountains ,the rivers & trees- all are teaching the lesson of PAROPAKARA ,without uttering a single word by their mere routine.
8. The recent incidents of deaths due to rape and suicide resulting out of failure to get a medical seat are indirect teachers creating awareness of social responsibility
9.Above all,"SILENCE" itself is the greatest GURU-MAUNA GURU.It is meditation in SILENCE that brought into our Bharat so many great thinkers,luminaries & Acharyas whom we revere most.
The list is endless.
Let us bow with reverence,not only to human teachers,but also to NATURE and above all to every small bit and piece of experience in our life.
Let us learn,learn,learn.................and continue to learn for ever.
jayasala42

 

Sir we learn a lot from each other in this forum. So happy teacher's day to you and everyone here who is teaching us something as you have mentioned in your post

 

Here it is !

IN MEMORY OF MY TEACHER -TRUST DEFICIT

Dropping all pretentions of modesty, I may say that I was a bright student and therefore, a favorite of most of the teachers. Shatriji, as our Hindi Teacher was fondly called, had special liking for me. He liked my hand writing, my way of expression and most importantly my being an obedient pupil. In his opinion I could do no wrongs. I did my home work without fail, read in advance the chapter coming for next tutorial in the class and my books and notes were properly kept in neat and clean condition. In his eyes, I was the ideal student. He would give my example in every other class. He knew my father and would always praise me.
Every day before the Hindi class, it was my duty to collect Home work note books from each student and place them on the table before Shatriji came .On that fateful day, I had somehow missed to do my home work and as such did not bring the note book. All the note books except mine were on the table before Shastriji came. As a routine he called that all student who have not brought their home work to stand up. As a punishment all such students stood on the bench throughout the period. Surprisingly I was the lone student on that day who had not done his home work and stood up. Shashtriji was aghast when he saw me standing.
There was something in his eyes, perhaps tears, and he asked me the reason. I got scared and lied by saying that I had done my home work but forgot to bring the book. There was little sign of belief on his face. He knew my house was not far off and asked me to go and get it as fast as I could. I just stood there stone faced. I fell short of speaking another lie that there was no body at home for the day but could not gather the courage to do so.
“So you lied to me?” were his words before his long handed broad palm slap landed on my face. There was another and another and another till my face became chilly read, tears flowing down and head hung in humiliation. He commenced explaining the chapter scheduled for the day. He would read a few lines, explain, look at me and come rushing and slap me again and again. That 40 minutes period seemed eternity. I could not even hear the bell indicating the end of the period and thus ending my ordeal. Shastriji taught us till class eight but I had lost his trust. In fact I had humiliated him.
I could not fully grasp the implication of my doings but looking back I feel I failed not because I did not do the home work but because I was not worthy of his trust, or at least that is how he must have taken it. I had lied. I could have told him the truth that I did not do the home work rather than lying that I had forgotten the book at home. He would have understood and forgiven me with small punishment of standing on the bench like others.

It takes ages to gain trust but seconds to lose it.

 

What a horrible experience!As a teacher he should have known the psychology of a child that children have a tendency to hide the truth to escape punishment.He had been ego centric on that day.
jayasala42