For someone whose dream career was definitely not being a “teacher,” slipping into the shoes of a government school teacher was even more a far cry from her idyllic fairy tale world of living in freedom with her only soul companion—books. Jayanthi recalls, “My inner soul as a little girl was awakened by a disciplined reading habit that was formed in my school years at Breeks, in Ooty. The solid foundation that was laid at Breeks helped me adapt quickly to build upon my strengths, and there has been no looking back ever since. I have travelled a long way in my evolution as a teacher, considering the half century milestone I am at,” she laughs.
For someone whose dream career was definitely not being a “teacher,” slipping into the shoes of a government school teacher was even more a far cry from her idyllic fairy tale world of living in freedom with her only soul companion—books. Jayanthi recalls, “My inner soul as a little girl was awakened by a disciplined reading habit that was formed in my school years at Breeks, in Ooty. The solid foundation that was laid at Breeks helped me adapt quickly to build upon my strengths, and there has been no looking back ever since. I have travelled a long way in my evolution as a teacher, considering the half century milestone I am at,” she laughs.
Jayanthi was forced to study the State board syllabus when she moved to Bethlehem Girls Higher Secondary School. “Learning by rote and a grade-based environment in the new school, stifled the freedom of thought and writing in me. I found the syllabus difficult and struggled to fit into the education system. Thankfully, I was able to pursue my under-graduation in English Literature at Madras University, which fueled my flight of fantasy to a great extent, keeping me sane and alive,” she admits honestly.
Even while adding on a Diploma in Airline Ticketing and Fare to her qualifications, Jayanthi remained an introvert. The demure college girl’s inner struggles to survive in the city further ignited her basic need to get back home where her heart and head belonged—the Blue Mountains. “I had no great ambition or goal in life and was content to just land up with any job. At 20, a job at Mega Micro College of Computer Studies turned the tide for me. I learnt LIFE there,” reminisces Jayanthi. After three blessed years in the job, Jayanthi was uprooted (without her permission of course) and thrust into the threshold of a career that she was clueless about. “Along with a friend of mine, I was forced to help out in starting a new school for tiny tots—a kindergarten at Chamraj Estate which was my first-ever tiny step toward 'teaching’. But the little darlings who communicated in their funny ways stole my heart,” she fondly recalls. There began a tryst with destiny.
Jayanthi’s teaching years span across a string of elite schools in her hometown of Ooty, a few of them being St. Hildas (ICSE),Woodside School (CBSE), JSS International School (IGCSE) and Laidlaw School and Junior College (ICSE). “Little did I know then that a forced profession was turning into a passion! I treasure to this day every moment I had with my students. But then came another gale of wind that blew me apart—being posted in a government school which I frankly detested. I felt government schools did not provide quality education. Period. No self-growth for the student or teacher! The “big banner” trap in those days was “getting a government job.” I never wished for one and ended up wailing like a kid on her first day at school when I stepped into the threshold of my first government school job in Dharmapuri. But what ensued, taught me things beyond my small English mindset. Children in government schools do not have a normal stable life or proper family backgrounds; no proper homes, no parents, no decent food, scanty tattered clothes with ropes used as belts to keep their pants up,” says Jayanthi, heaving a sigh.
Jayanthi’s crystal glass world splintered, only to have her eyes open wide to her “purpose” in life. “I knew right there, that I was put in there for a purpose. The Headmaster and staff of Eachampatti Panchayat Union Middle School were a helpful bunch of colleagues, always willing to lend a helping hand to this novice. My best three years as a teacher was spent right there! I focused on providing for the basics—creating a clean environment at school, providing clothing and stationery and even getting a bore-well dug with the help of my husband Ramu, who had been luckily transferred to Dharmapuri at that point in time, as the A.D.Panchayats.
When Jayanthi was once again transferred back to Ooty, the bemoaning and protests of her students as well as their parents, in Dharmapuri, ripped her heart and soul. “Thereon was a spate of pathetic working conditions that even today marks the life of a government school teacher—not enough students strength in schools, teachers working in a deplorable school environment without basic facilities or access to educational tools and the bane of transfers to different schools in short periods of time. The stress of not knowing if you will go to the same school for work the next morning is a huge demotivation for any government school teacher. I have been in four different government schools in a short period,” she confesses.
“Fixed programs, fixed syllabus, no flexibility, monotony in learning and teaching methods, memorizing things from time immemorial, everything based on scoring marks are just a few of the negatives in a government school. Irrespective of whether the student understands anything or not, lessons are supposed to go on. A teacher has to spend the allotted timetable hours, talking only about the given text in the lessons and conducting tests on the same to measure the child’s learning. We never get an opportunity to share ideas with them. And if we do, we end up with incomplete portions. I was teaching in the very same method that I hated learning from,” laments Jayanthi.
Jayanthi feels the immediate need of the hour for our education system in the country is to mould a generation that will be productive by 'thinking out of the box.' “Paving the way for application-oriented syllabus instead of memorizing theory is the only way forward. Students should have the freedom to express things in their own way. For example, the way they answer questions in an examination. Teachers should stop expecting fixed and standard answers, and allow the student to process the answer and express it in the way he has understood it. That is true learning,” she opines.
On the wide chasm existing in the perceived success rate between students of other boards (CBSE, ICSE, ISC) and state board students, Jayanthi feels sad that one does not keep in mind each student’s background. “Rome wasn't built in a day. How could you expect students with only rote memory all their life to suddenly awaken and improve their skills or communication. Where are they allowed to think out of the box? They are ill-equipped for the world outside, let alone success. The first question a teacher asks her students, almost every single day, is— “Have you learnt yesterday's lesson? Are you ready for the test?” Are they ever asked any general question or imparted general knowledge for that matter? And the saddest part is that if you choose to be the one who takes the road not travelled, however sincere your goals for the students may be, you get targeted. Another area for concern is the endless string of workshops conducted for teachers. Neither does it meet the requirements of enhancing a teacher’s skills nor does it keep a teacher up to date. Bookish knowledge alone does not make a good teacher. Being practical and teaching students to apply lessons practically is what will count in the long run.”
“I look at my students like a mother would, considering every kid as my very own. I want and will provide the best I can for them, without compromise. I believe in being just a facilitator, not a dictator. Just guiding them has worked wonders right under my nose. I like to be a friend and enjoy laughing with them. Students’ attitudes have improved when I have been thus, though I have heard people say that I am never strict or serious. I am a teacher you know, not a ring master in a wild circus,” says an amused Jayanthi. “Oh yeah, also be a cool philosopher whom they can approach for both class and life’s lessons. Also, no name calling please! If you call them by animal names, that is exactly the pack you will breed which will bark back at you,” she adds in a serious tone.
Jayanthi firmly believes that a teacher’s job is the noblest of all professions. “Though for some it may feel like a thankless one, I remind myself as to whose approval or gratitude am I looking for daily? I look at those beaming faces right in front of me daily while they are in school; their success stories ring in my ears long after they have left school—what more could a teacher wish for? Yes, every time a past student comes and hugs me, and says “Ma’am, you made a world of difference in my life,” I have won an award. The Best Teacher Award!” beams Jayanthi with pride and joy written all over her face.
Jayanthi has a word of caution for parents. “A strong parent-teacher backbone is a dynamite framework in the life of a child. We get to shape a future generation free from all the ills of society, if only we could get our balancing act right. If one of us fail, the entire system collapses. Parents these days just dump the entire responsibility of raising their child on to the teachers. The extra income or a career-high sometimes comes at the cost of losing your child. Also, I request parents to be patient with their child’s teacher because she is not only responsible for your own child, but for an entire class! We are not magicians, just human,” she smiles.
Jayanthi has held her own as a 'woman’ in what she considers is still very much a male-dominated society in India. “As much as you hear success stories of women, in any field, only that woman is privy to what she has gone through—the toil, the tears, the challenges, the prejudices and the sacrifices of course. A man can walk up to a higher official, even if he is in the right or wrong, and make his point. But for a woman to get any point across, it is a long walk to the higher authority’s cabin. And, once she gets there, nobody lends a logical ear to what she has to say. I have had to face many such situations. I have had memos and warnings, without being allowed to explain. I had even reached a saturation point where I thought of quitting my job but time and again was stopped by people around me, citing the big banner of a 'government job' as a good reason to stay on,” she laughs again. But for Jayanthi, the teacher—the beaming faces as she walks into class every day to teach English, those broken phrases forming into grammatically correct sentences, the furrowed eyebrows of worry disappearing into a face alight with a huge grin, the hearts aglow with dreams and hope of a bright future ahead—these “perks” are what helps her stay on course. Not a government job.