A Teacher’s Notes | On his Students ❤️
This blog post is an encomium to the indomitable spirit of our students, especially in the post-pandemic times, jotted down here, from my own, personal observations.
First and foremost, post-pandemic, it is so heartening to note that, students have become more resolute, more dynamic and more vivacious than ever before!
We could sense an abundance of vivacity and vibrancy on them. Such talented young minds and hearts, fluttering all around like butterflies – participating in Competitions, winning prizes, presenting papers in Conferences, publishing books and articles, and gladly volunteering to help others.
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| Manimaran, II MA English, Best Director Award, Indian Short Cinema Film Fest |
Initially, we had thought that the pandemic would cause a dent to their vibrancy. But we were quite mistaken at that!
The love, the commitment, and the determination shown by our students today is indeed, heart-warming and awe-inspiring.
Yes! Kids today are so mature, so focused, and they are so sure of their priorities – on what they want to do with their lives.
Two months ago, I received a lovely mail from a II UG student of English Literature, that reads -
Respected Sir,
I am S.K.Vishnu Prasath from II BA English…. I presented this research paper in SDNB Vaishnav College for Women, Chrompet. With all my courage, I send you this paper. Due to the restriction on the submission date, I was able to refer to hardly six sources….”
I was simply delighted to receive this mail, as it was from a II year UG student, who didn’t quite have to present a paper at all, but out of his own interest had presented a paper.
So I promptly wrote back to him, saying,
Dear Vishnu Prasath,
Greetings.
Felt so happy to go through your paper. It looks highly impressive, and well-structured.
Congratulations on presenting your Paper at SDNB Vaishnav College. We are so proud of you.
Keep up the good work, Vishnu Prasath.
Please do meet me sometime this coming week during the Coffee break time, 10.20 to 10.45 am in the SRO.
Would be so glad to meet you.
Keep up the spirit, Vishnu.
Best wishes,
Dr.
Rufus
The very next day, he promptly showed up at the Records Office, at 10.20 am, and I congratulated him on his paper presentation. I then gifted him a beautiful diary, asking him to document whatever he does, every single day, as it would enhance accountability and thereby enhance one’s academic performance! He gladly agreed. Then I asked him, out of all curiosity, ‘Well, Vishnu, what made you present this Paper?’
He replied,
‘Sir, last year, during my first year, I had come to you at the Deanery to show you my certificate. It was a certificate for bagging the first place in Dumb Charades competition.
At that time, you told me just one thing. You said, ‘Vishnu, this is great. Congrats! We would be still more happier, if you can present papers in Conferences and show us those certificates. That would make us still more happier.
That’s because presenting a paper requires a lot of reading and research. It requires one to organize their thoughts and ideas into a coherent formulation. It also adds value to society. Your thoughts and your ideas can contribute to knowledge and thus transform society for the better’.
I carried this thought in my heart from thence on, and set out in right earnest to work towards it. That’s how this paper happened, sir,
he said proudly.
How sweet!
You may want
to read Vishnu’s creative vibes HERE in our past blog post.
The second quality, is that lovely spirit of gratitude on them, that’s such a great delight to all of us their teachers.
Every other day, this past one month, we have had a bevy of these kids making a beeline to our cubicles to bid farewell to us their teachers.
And students who are pursuing their Programmes abroad, writing to us with a grateful heart, on how MCC has shaped them.
Just giving us all a little sample of the hundreds of such notes we, their teachers receive from them. Beautiful values that they caught all by themselves here at MCC!
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| One of the cutest messages of gratitude we had received this year from one of our past kids! |
No, we didn’t teach them anytime to write back to us. They do it quite spontaneously, and straight from their hearts!
As they say, some lovely values are caught! not taught!
They come looking for us, and once they spot us – they have such a great joy on them, and sometimes over a cuppa coffee, and at other times over a cuppa tea, we discuss!
Some write to us their sweet cards, some give their sweet messages on Whatsapp, and some others send us their emails.
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| What a sweet note of gratitude from a III UG kid! |
This nobility is something that makes our kids today so special, by all means.
Again, no one taught them that!
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| Yet another lovely note of gratitude from a final year PG kid! |
No one advised them on that!
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| A cute and lovely note of gratitude from a final year PG kid! |
A student from II year UG in English, brought us all, a lovely box of chocolates, and a gift tagged along, saying, ‘Sir, this is from my first salary, that I received from my part-time work’.
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| from a II year UG kid - to all his teachers |
How sweet! Goes without saying that, gratitude indeed is the most powerful catalyst for a person’s success, peace, prosperity and happiness in life!
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| A lovely note of gratitude - from a final PG kid |
Thirdly, their lovely attitude – of taking good suggestions and reprimands from their teacher in the right perspective!
I remember a month ago, when I had gently reprimanded a student for submitting her assignment late, and on yet another occasion, when I took a student to task for bunking her classes!
To my sweet surprise, I found both these kids taking my reprimand cheerfully, in the right spirit, and bouncing back with double vigour and soon started proving their vibrancy in classes. They’re now the super-best in their respective classes.
And almost every other day, we get to hear about our students – shining in all walks of life, achieving the seemingly impossible, making the bestest mark, carving the cutest niche - for themselves, and making us all proud!
So yes! One thing I garner and gather from our kids today as a takeaway for us teachers is that -
As their teacher, I guess we need to pep up our interactions with our kids.
We need to make them feel needed, wanted and desired.
Indeed, it’s one of our most sacred and solemn duties - to encourage them, to motivate them!
Not judge them, castigate them or be harsh on them anytime!
Yes! It’s our bounden duty not to judge them at any point of time, anytime!
The moment we start judging our kids, that’s the moment our minds and hearts become narrow and shallow! That’s the moment we cease to be a teacher! We take over the ‘pre-eminent’, ‘pedestalled’, ‘ivory-towered’ position of a judge or an adjudicator!
Our calling is not to be a judge! It’s to be a teacher!
Last week, I interviewed two of our vibrant PG final year students, for more than four full hours, and at the end of it, I asked them –
‘Well, what would be your suggestions for us your teachers?’
The kids had just one cute little suggestion for us.
Said they –
Sir, we would be so glad if our teachers spend more time with us! We would be so happy if we get to interact with them - as our friends! [You may want to read that interview HERE]
How lovely and straight from the heart, on this, their only wish!
I personally feel that, the problem hence, is NOT with the student.
It’s in my attitude and in my perspective towards my student. If I can spend that little extra time with them, appreciating them, encouraging them, and never judging them on any count, and never being harsh on them, that’s when true learning happens.
That’s exactly when the student would really feel liberated, feel cherished, and feel wanted!
Two weeks ago, I remember Dr. Kavitha Nair, with SRM University, telling me about the late Dr. Vishnu Bhat, former HoD of English, MCC -
Sir, you won’t believe, we all used to spend our entire evenings at Sir’s house in Campus. Ma’am used to make us all that special chaai, and give us all snacks all through the evening. And suddenly, we get to realise that time has quite flown past us this fast, and it is around 11 in the night. My father would then come in his vehicle and pick me up from Sir’s home. Guess what? Sir used to accompany us till the main gate to bid us all adieu for the day. Such was the camaraderie we shared with our professors’,
she said with such joy on her.
On this note, just a few months ago, on one fine afternoon, I had taken along quite a few students to Dr. Nirmal Selvamony’s house, in my car, for them to have a look at Dr. Nirmal’s library, and his phenomenal collection of books and magazines, and be inspired in their academic life!
The kids – Ganesh, Brindha, Maanbu, Harini, Shannon, Pavithra, Joanna, and Anderlin - were so spell-bound and fascinated when they looked at the unending stacks of books, magazines and journals in the first floor of his house, - a floor dedicated exclusively for books, books and books.
One among them, Joanna - who came along with us to Dr. Nirmal’s house on that day, told me that, from that day on, feeling so inspired, she has been going to his library regularly and interacting with him.
Dr. V. Rajagopalan is yet another professor from our Department who is known for his impeccable personal collection of books, kept neatly stacked in glass cases.
Dr. K. Ganesh is another lovely literary soul, [my kindred spirit], who relishes a book as one would relish a cup of coffee.
The moment he buys a book or a kurta (albeit without ma’am’s knowledge) 😉 the first thing he does is, take it straight to a few of us in the department, and with the joy of a kid glowing on his face, he would then start talking on and on about the important features contained within the book. The next thing he would do is, to give it to a particular shop at T. Nagar and have the cover neatly laminated. And what an impressive array of books he has with him.
This is the benchmark!
This… the standard!
That MCC has given us!
Even today, we at the Department of English (Aided) strive and maintain these ideals given by our mighty seniors. All the professors in our Department are exceptionally talented! [Well, that’s meant and meet for another post! A post exclusively on all my lovely, adorable colleagues, right from our beloved HoD Dr. Mekala Rajan to the junior-most coffee-baktha - Prof. John!] 😊
So yes, coming back,
We are so proud that our kids today, are shining in every way, to make us all proud in their own beautiful ways! Their own unique ways!
Even two days ago, two of our students – Ganesh and Souparno were at Dr. Nirmal’s house, to interview him - all by themselves. The interview that lasted for more than four hours, was ‘a real revelation, filled with such rich insights from such a great scholar,’ said Ganesh.
Just over a month ago, four of our students interviewed our Principal Dr. P. Wilson for more than four hours, at his Office.
Our beloved Principal was so amazed at the way they interviewed him, so spontaneously at that, with such insightful, thought-provoking questions, that he promptly suggested that, the proceedings of this interview could be made part of a Panel Discussion and hosted on Founders’ Day. And it happened as well! You may want to read on it on our past post HERE.
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| Panel Discussion in Progress - Ganesh, Joanna and Souparno with Dr. Joshua Kalapatti |
So Yes! in short, our today’s kids are the best, the sweetest and the loveliest!
Finally, to end this little encomium on a memorable note –
Just a few days into this last academic year, when classes had just begun, I had one of our I MA kids coming up to me with her collection of poetry. In one of her poems, she had written a line which made me so happy, and which I’m sure will impact and inspire you as well.
I felt so happy that, I said, I’m gonna take a print-out of it, and have it displayed in the glass case on my table. For almost a year now, it’s still there on my table, inspiring others as well!
It goes like this –
To prove myself worth it all...
How lovely! Ain’t it?
So proud of you all, dear kids! Keep shining in all that you do!
Be the beautiful shining light that you are!
That’s because... your lovely little light is so unique! so phenomenal! ❤️
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