Teaching Experience

Teaching at primary section is the most demanding and challenging task. At the post graduate level, it is a question of having sound knowledge on the subject and delivering it well. Whereas for facing KG students, no amount of preparation is good enough, you will fail and get frustrated eventually, unless you get a lucky break.

That is the reason I have more respect for primary teachers than my colleagues at the present institution.

At Lupungutu, I had to face the wrath of KG and first standard students every day. When I entered KG class on the first day, all kids got up and made some deafening noise. Later I came to know that they wished me good morning. Slowly I realized that teaching them is a kind of shouting competition. Whoever shouts more controls the class. Today I do not use mike while teaching, I developed my shouting skills back at that school.

The good thing about teaching for KG students is that you can take any subjects – English, Hindi or Maths. In any case it does not matter what is the subject. I started with English alphabets, initially they repeated after me, after five minutes they lost interest and started talking among themselves, pulling and pushing other kids. To have control, I shouted at them, it had impact in the beginning, after sometimes they waited for me to stop shouting then immediately continued their business.

I thought that mathematics might excite them, when I wrote on the board that one plus one is equal to two, they remained totally unimpressed. They gave me the look of what is wrong with you, what is so big deal if it is two or three.

The thought of facing them day after day  literally became a nightmare. But eventually I had my lucky break. One day, I told them that I am going teach songs. Then I started singing, it had the desired effect on them. Many were terrified; some even closed their ears with hands. There was a total silence. Thereafter, maintaining order and silence was very easy for me, all I had to do was singing.

Had I known about belly dancing then (now I am an expert, primary condition to become a belly dancer is that one needs to have a belly which must be as big as possible and I do have), I could have given those kids nightmare. They just got escaped. If post graduate students give me trouble in the class, I know how to bring perfect order, thanks to belly dance.