Teachers- Retrospect and Prospect
The job of a teacher is more taxing than that of a software programmer of any factory worker. As society in general and probing students in particular get more demanding it is loves labour- mental and physical lost. More and more teachers today find themselves at the crossroad of history than before. The word ‘Emotional Labour’ coined by famour sociologist A. Hochshild aptly suits to the community of teachers. It is an undeniable fact that the job of a teacher is more exhausting than the physical labour of an average industrial worker or the mental labour of a software professional. The general notion about teachers circulates like that they are a respected lot and they have something to rejoice and be content. The fact strangely runs contrary to this perception. It has been observed that their sufferings galore and of late, they are falling prey to what we can call –The new age pain or, throes of modernization.
A couple of years ago such sorry state of affairs was not common, and barring a few stray incidents the teachers were revered by all and sundry- students and parents, clerks and administrator, and a veritable section of the society. Education was not a costly affair as it was highly susbsidised by the govt. Tuition- fees were abysmally low, thereby not causing a big dent in the pocket of the parents. The add-on frills too, were absent. Acquiring wisdom and knowledge was always given precedence over acquiring wealth and prosperity- in unequivocal terms. A person’s place in the society was decided not by the amount of wealth he amassed, but by the depth of knowledge he acquired over the years. Strange it may appear, the mood was not one of interdependence, but was of dependence, dependence of students to inherit pearls of wisdom from their teachers. The sense of gratitude was manifested by the respect students and parents used to heap upon the teachers. In many cases a teacher of the neighboring school was accorded a place higher than the parents (sounds unbelievable!) who took upon the responsibility of guiding the course of development of the students and shaping their destiny. The advice and counseling of even a dhoti- clad teacher carried more weight than the village headman in the matters of social importance. The society at no point of time came to believe that teachers could be “paid” for the services they rendered. On the opposite, the general perception was that the services of teachers are priceless and no monetary remuneration is enough to compensate their selfless service. Teachers too on their part, happened to maintain a personal relationship with almost all their students and it was near impossible for an earring student to commit a mischief and escape the watchful eyes of teachers. There were no customary ‘Parents- Teacher Meet’, but surely, teachers were careful enough to meet parents occasionally and discuss even the slightest negative trait developing in a student threadbare. There was a human touch in this relationship, bereft of crass commercialization.
That was then, the great past. Today schools are getting privatized with a vengeance and fever of competition is catching up even an ordinary man. Armed with burgeoning purchasing power, the neo-rich parents have ensured that as conscious consumer of the services rendered by the school they mustn’t be treated anything less than a king in any respect. After all they pay munificently for what they demand! Students are overburdened by thick syllabus and mounting aspirations of their parents in equal proportion. Propelled by the killer instinct they crave to realize everything in a short span of time. Result- a fairly high mortality rate of expectations and unrealistic ambition resulting in depression and frustration. Plagued by a continuous stream of failure, often they turn escapist. Since there are only a few shock absorbers in the systems to cushion their anger born out of frustration, on many occasions they transfer their emotional stress upon the person who stands at the blackboard. They tease him, agonize him and make fun of him as and when they smell the slightest opportunity. It is sad but true that today’s neo-rich offsprings of wealthy businessman and others want every bit of value of the money they spend and sometimes these to say, student profile has changed to a great manner. Teachers are increasingly perceived similar to other ‘Commodities’, akin to ‘pay and use’ concept where you pay and pick a use’ concept where you pay and pick a commodity for use. No longer is a teacher supposed to be fountainhead of knowledge and values. On the other hand, he/she is seen as a service provider where an untold, tacit interdependence exist between the two- I pay you money, you pay me knowledge back! The mentality is to make fast buck. The fast food culture has unfortunately percolated down to education system also. This new breed is more insecure regarding what future may hold and unfold for him, uncertain to the point that there would be no more tomorrows.
All said and done, it is high time teachers should come out of time warp and see the writings on the wall. The wheel of time cannot be put to its backward course of movement. The days of Eklavya and Drona Cannot be brought back- to say the least. But surely things can be shaped better if someone is able to see the problem in true perspective with an open mind. Like hotels, airlines consultancy etc. teaching too is a service industry- the quicker we realize it the better.
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