Our Teacher Bindu has made us at eVidyaloka also proud with a good write up of an incident. This piece is there to stay in our minds.
One of the fond memories during the last academic year is a tiny achievement as a teacher.
I had this student ‘V’ who is considered “ very dull and does not know anything” by his other classmates.
Every time, I have asked him a question on rotation, I have had others day, “ Ma’am, he does not know anything”. I have dismissed their remarks off and have tried to ask some general questions to this student. Although he is very poor in comprehension, retention and recalling he was very regular to all the classes. Very shy, but appeared to copy everything from the slides that I showed.
One day, I was getting the class to understand the meaning and concept of the word “have”. I gave them couple of examples. I started from first bench and asked each of them to come out with a sentence. Some came out with things like I have a book, pencil etc some repeated what others had already told. I encouraged and praised everyone as usual.
Then it was V’s turn. All the students came out with the usual ( ma’am avanige enu baralla, he does not know anything) V, stood there shy, wanting to sit down any minute. I asked him to stand and think of anything he has and tried to simplify the concept as much as possible in Kannada.
He continued to stand, and appeared to think hard and long. After 2 long minutes he surprised me and the whole class as well. He said “ I have a brother”.
I was visibly happy and I did clap for him and got the whole class to applaud him.
It was a proud moment for me as a teacher who got a shy student to stand up, think and say something in front of his class.
I am sure that in surprising me along with the rest of his class, V had greatly and pleasantly surprised himself too.