Anathema of a School Teacher

"...Don't you realize the pain you bring to me...I curse you all become teachers; you will realize then..."

I just recall these words...faint enough to vanish quickly out of my mind. He was a good teacher of Hindi in our school. Not sure if he really meant it.

Some how I realized, that being a teacher doesn't always ensure a good profession; especially if you want to be perfect, desiring to make this world perfect with Green Grass all around in a bright Sun Shine. Then you have all sorts of jealousy, politics and what not anound you...all because you are a good teacher. You know it..and the worst(may be), others know it and do all sorts of things to show you the way down! I'd be sick discussing that here.

But how come the pain materialized as a curse to us kids (I mean, we were all kids that time!)...why us? We were immature to understand his pain...was it our fault! I never gave a damn to that! We were notorious kids (I for one, was the most!). We used to bunk his boring lectures (the subject being boring, not his lectures exactly!) and did all sorts of things to see him in agony...perhaps just because he was good and tolerant!

I don't know how those words came to my mind right now. As I grew, I started feeling a young teacher growing within me. I hated that! I never wanted to get into any related activity in my life. And I am very happy, I am not a teacher by profession. I saved myself to some extent.

But the teacher within me is still alive...wanting to give what he knows. I couldn't kill him. In fact circumstances, to some extent, did not allow me! I have taught many times in my life (in fact that was not me, but that invisible teacher within me!), to diferent panel of students ranging from notorious to mature.

The most terrifying seasons of my life were the ones when I was doning PhD. I felt the curse becoming true on me! The effect was so much that, I started loathing it, until I dropped the idea of finishing my PhD. It was a big decision. But those days were enough for my young teacher to grow. I had good experiences taking lectures of fresh students (for undergrad. degrees), evaluating their answer sheets, for I was a TA. Some I'll never forget...esp. the first one!