This was not a question much asked in the hundred and more years between the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, being seen as perfectly irrelevant. There was so much to learn in order to get ahead. In virtually every country worth its name, learning came to be recognised as widely necessary in order to be able to get on top of the respective industrial revolutions, and escape the tyranny of land holdings and feudalism.
Many, many people of great intellect, of varied talents and capabilities, from learned and even aristocratic families , who were already educated in India but also definitely overseas took to teaching. They saw readily, how much at an advantage they were, in response to the demands of a new world order stark, colourless, driven; immediate and complicated on the one hand. Yet fruitfully successful on the other, with promise of various levels of prosperity and usefulness as opposed to a life of intellectual void and endless peasantry. These people taught for the calling, not for money. You often heard how such and such person had asked to be paid a rupee a year. Many considered it demeaning to ask for or even accept a salary, genuinely believing that they had something to give, of themselves and freely. And so they did. The mathematician was as familiar with Yeats as he was with cricket, thumris and Impressionism. This eclectic catholicism, generated talent or appreciation or both. And translated into a passion for independence, for the freedom to apply all we knew in our way for ourselves.
As education spread, the concept of earning a monthly income and the accompanying financial independence grew. Governance, legalities and administration had also to come into existence. And then adapt and change. But as the demand for learning, for knowledge and information grew, education as we think of it now, went into overdrive, together with the idea of a literate nation. Literacy was associated with everything from national pride to patriotism, to preseumptions and the intimations of immortality. Science and medicine began to make big break-throughs, streaking ahead into a universe of pure imagination and startling discoveries. And so too did earthly infrastructure and goods & services. These brought about spaces that needed to be occupied by front-line creativity, by support and supply lines, rules and regulations and arbitration and laws and permissions and bureaucracy. Today, it would appear, everything is available to everyone everywhere. If you know how to access the net you can do anything. Best of all, you can teach yourself anything. And be a provider instead of taker, self-esteem at your fingertips. That we are limited by nothing except the lack of imagination and will.
In truth, what has strangled our Nation, is the practically insurmountable problem of discrepancies. Created by us and of us; and, in specific cases, even for us.
Despite the proliferation of information and its construct, almost impossible to contain within specifics, a pall of distances shrouds us. We are at a time of great discomfort and suffering. Our school & college education is mostly awful. The number of young people who are class XII/ inter pass, with nothing else going for them, is enormous. It limits our horizons, constantly threatening self esteem and inclusive growth. The generous education referred to above has all but disappeared. In its place is something gooey; like some unmentionable gruel; amorphous and difficult to outrun. Teaching is suspect. Tuitions fill voids, threatening institutions. Its more about patterns and breaking codes and cracking a test with high scores. Its a way out for many. For first generation educated wanting to uplift the quality of ones own home and family, from out of wretchedness and into contentment. To combat illness and disease, suddenly all around us all the time, like stalking. Success is possible. Success can mean jobs and pay and marriage and upward mobility.
Some success may be happening, whether in suicidal frenzy or quiet isolation. But in the process there is no time for consideration of what is good or bad, but rather what can or cannot be got away with. It has spawned the venal and the feral and thus let loose the beasts of endless strife. Conscience has little or no say when it comes to the logic of income and expenditure. If there is money there can be respect. Anyone not born with the mysteries of money making in their blood is of little or no significance. As a result, employees are obligated, beholden and servile. And the employers implacable in demand. Dignity is not their purview, though pass percentages are. Sometimes.
The redress lies in education. But we are far yet from such an evolution. Literacy has turned to much upon itself. Govt. institutions are too frequently a mess despite handsome salaries, perquisites and the eternal issue of security, marriage prospects and other useful advantages. Private institutions are monotonously exploitative under the garb of cost effectivity.
The government makes all sorts of well-intentioned rules and regulations in favour of the underdog but our follow through and monitoring are generally insufficient and we continue to get away with murder. It is a huge irony that the governments definition of corruption is financial, what they refer to as ill gotten gains. But the real corruption that is choking us is the corruption of attitude and of exploitation not in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh and Orrisa but in every city and town and district. If money comes it disappears. But persecution, lack of attendance, lack of application, shortcuts, under-motivation, non-adherence, non-compliance, deliberate diversion of opportunities, blackmail, laziness, lack of initiative, intolerance, impatience to get ones way, compound the disrespect of one another. It, in fact, fills our lives. We end the day and go to sleep with it and we wake with it. Filth is everywhere, on streets, around homes and places of work and worship and worse, in our minds and actions. Make-do and jugaad are everywhere too. Little or nothing is sacrosanct. Not the Constitution; not governance and politics, not the given word, not provisioning and neither treatment nor health.
So why teach? Because. Because its the only way to bring out the better creature. The only way, comprised of a million things, that can shape an individual. And so restore the integrity she once had and which startled almost all who came to know her.
Children are killing one another in classrooms and at homes. Such is their intolerance and rage at being belittled or insulted; buffeted by deprivation or want or ridicule. There is an immediacy of care and need that we are simply not seeing, too busy filling seats and growing numbers. Whether it is because we cant see it, blinded by our own needs, or because we choose to ignore it in favour of other priorities, is anybodys guess in given situations. What is critical to acknowledge is that there is virtually no Civil Society left among us. We have neither faith nor strength enough to protect the country from ourselves.
And yet the assertion is that education can make us change. Not literacy but a totality of education that permeates our very beings. For those who may disagree, they need only to look to themselves. To their own education and wisdom. To the civility of their own homes; the ethical goodness of their own blood.
Good schools in India are countable schools that build and care and give. Those who benefit from these institutions are also countable among our vast billions. Leadership is therefore thrust upon us by circumstance. Nurturing, respectful family (irrespective of money people maybe in positions of great hardship and yet are generous and kind and an example for the children to follow); nurturing respectful school; the best of tertiary options; exclusive graduate programmes, selections and promotions and then employment almost whatever you want to do Civil Services, Defence, Corporate & Tech; any profession anywhere, business, trade & commerce, science and medicine and design and film and entertainment.
But from the moment you occupy a chair you may be looked to. Looked up to also perhaps, but certainly expected to be trustworthy and to set an example and thus to lead. It may only be a small team to begin with but you will have to lead it nevertheless. How will you lead? What will your team be? What impact upon others will your team make; how will they be perceived? What is your the reliability, that others can turn to you? If you are well brought up, your work will be ethical and perceptive. Top quality will be a primary objective. Others will be proud to be associated with you; good people will come to you and want to be part of your small still anonymous team. And that is how goodess grows. None of this is wishful thinking. There are homes and schools and teachers which send out batch after batch of good people, year after year, around the country and the world.
But, they can be counted.
So then? So then teach! Teach your Math and English and languages and science and every other subject in the world if you can. But teach it so that the learning will never be forgotten. Teach it with depth. With the very potency with which it has come to be, from its origins in thought and experience and pursuance. Who thought it? How was it come upon? What really is it? What does it change? Why should there be change? Will it exclude or encompass? Will it deprive or enrich?
Know yourself before you teach: everyday, all the time. Between class and library and office and conference and meetings and the setting of a routine by balance, by time duly managed and not made treacherous. By examples that give hope; by hope that is achievable. Create the curriculum and endorse it. Teach thinking and cogitation and introspection and pursuance. Teach from wit and imagination. Hunt for stuff from the past; show up greatness; anticipate the inheritance. Not one school or one teacher or some but every school and every child and every teacher and parent always.
Stop complaining about good teachers being unavailable. Find good people instead, and help them to become great. Tap them from the inside, where they keep dreams and capabilities and talents and skills, so far back some of them, they forget what they have. The born teacher is as much a surprise as is the teacher who started with little. Make them, like soldiers are made.
Evict the tyranny of the syllabus by a simple expedient decide on content by means of understanding what learning outcomes are and need to be. Plan the year. Teach and question. Ask so the question is not a threat and answering it is not fraught with the danger of ridicule. Teach little text and more experience. And assign. And correct. And give back and ask for more. Stick at it. Suddenly you will see how much youve done.
Decompress the exams. Work through multi-test processes. Some of which is happening but far too little. Reduce numbers in classes and increase the number of teachers so that the optimum can be maintained and so that the balance of reverence and respect cannot be easily assailed ever again. Divest from ownership and administration. Empower and monitor instead. Reward and appreciate instead of castigation, humiliation and distance. Bug, irritate, quarrel, fight, demand and give. And then look at what is coming out of your hands after 12 or 15 or 16 years. Does it fill you with pride? You may forget how it was right back then but the children will never forget you. And you may be pretty safe in the knowledge that they wont let their world down.
And thus may you go peacefully to the great sleep, where, as a little girl in class VI said, there are no pockets.
Read the original post:
Why Teach? - Hill Post
- Here's What You Should Know About Stem Cell Beauty Products - Who What Wear - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- After Death Dangles Answers to the Only Important Question - The Stream - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Igniting Hope conference aims to end race-based health disparities ... - University at Buffalo - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- 10 Best Horror Anime on Crunchyroll - Screen Rant - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- 10 Flowers That Represent Freedom - AZ Animals - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Demon Slayer: What is Muzan's illness? Explained - Sportskeeda - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Enterprise's Archer Copied Picard's Star Trek: Insurrection Romance - Screen Rant - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Anemone Flowers: Meaning, Symbolism, and Proper Occasions - AZ Animals - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- The billion-dollar search for immortality - UnHerd - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Should Medicine Still Bother With Eponyms? - The New York Times - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Immortality: A Love Story - Plugged In - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Harvard morgue scandal: The history of selling body parts - The Boston Globe - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Imbibe yoga in its true spirit on the International Yoga Day - Daily Pioneer - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Everything you need to know about Nick Fury as Secret Invasion arrives - Yahoo Entertainment - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Some Interesting Facts On The Hindu Epic Ramayana - The Movie Blog - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- Will AI Become Our New Gods? - Answers In Genesis - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- There's food growing in The Woodlands. Here's how to forage for it ... - Houston Chronicle - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- One Piece: Op-Op Fruit is the source of Imus immortality - Dexerto - June 24th, 2023 [June 24th, 2023]
- King Charles III's Coronation at the Convergence of Policy ... - JURIST - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Ancient Greek healing temple in Trikala to be restored - The Greek Herald - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- The long and short of telomere rejuvenation | Opinion - Chemistry World - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Is there a solution to the puzzle that is cancer? The fundamental ... - Sciencenorway - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- The Week In Russia: Theater Of War - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- No. 788: Hi, Mom were getting ready for your big day with dirty ... - Innovate Long Island - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Star Trek: Who Is The Oldest Human? - GameRant - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Sabbaticals: A Gateway to Reimagining Health - Non Profit News - Nonprofit Quarterly - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Florence Nightingale birth anniversary: The Lady with the Lamp who founded modern nursing during Crimean War - News9 LIVE - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Defence Secretary oral statement on war in Ukraine - GOV.UK - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- TOM UTLEY: Mrs U and I are better prepared for the end. But scientists say we might live to 122! - Daily Mail - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Eddie Jones reveals NRL legend Andrew Johns was on the verge of a shock code switch in 2005 - Daily Mail - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- The debauched world of Ozzy Osbourne - biting bats to Sharon finding him in bed with the nanny - Daily Mail - February 5th, 2023 [February 5th, 2023]
- 6 Benefits of Reishi Mushroom (Plus Side Effects and Dosage) - Healthline - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Alchemy - Wikipedia - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Emily Dickinson - Poems, Quotes & Death - Biography - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Alexis Carrel - Wikipedia - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Medicine MBChB - University Of Worcester - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Republic of Florence - Wikipedia - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Taoist sexual practices - Wikipedia - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Herbal medicine - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Aubrey de Grey - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Greek language - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Gynostemma pentaphyllum - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Lingzhi (mushroom) - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- The Hayflick Limit: Why Every Human Can Live Up to 125 Years - History of Yesterday - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Downtown Lecture Series, now in 10th year, will focus on sexualities - University of Arizona News - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Scent of Wind Review: A Simple Tale of Kindness From Iran Echoes the Countrys Masters - Yahoo Entertainment - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Proxy voting rises when Congress usually flies in and out of town, analysis finds - Oil City Derrick - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Keith Simpson reviews 'Boris Johnson: The Rise and Fall of a Troublemaker at Number 10' - PoliticsHome - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Disney+ Releases Official Trailer for the Original Series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth from National Geographic - Yahoo Finance - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- True Fathers Resist the Holy Father - OnePeterFive - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Targeted-sequence of normal urothelium and tumor of patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Cheers and Jeers: Thursday - Daily Kos - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- North Korea tells officials that 350,000 people died of diseases this year - Radio Free Asia - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- New York: World War II: Inventive Report An interactive presentation of how, without real danger, the - Game News 24 - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Soma (drink) - Wikipedia - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Lavish Qin Shi Huang Tomb Built for Immortality - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Four Directions & Medicine Wheel of Native Americans - Gaia - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kanye, Selena Gomez have bipolar disorder. Why is there a stigma? - USA TODAY - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Forrest Bess Was a Fisherman by Day and Painter of Wild Visions by Night. A New Show Explores His Legacy - artnet News - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 'Star Wars': 9 Force Powers Used Only by The Jedi - We Got This Covered - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The CIA has invested in wooly mammoth resurrection technology and nobody knows why - Daily Star - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Here's why we age - Hindustan Times - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Blind mystic Baba Vanga's five predictions for 2023 - from end of births to nuclear disaster - Irish Mirror - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- President Biden Says Covid-19 Pandemic is Over in the US - Slashdot - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Immortality a possibility? This jellyfish could have the answer - Ohmymag - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Early Puberty Resulting From Excessive Smartphone Screen Time? Here's What This Study Found - Forbes - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Godard's assisted suicide - not an option everywhere - SWI swissinfo.ch - SWI swissinfo.ch in English - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- Akudaaya: Tinubu, Abacha and Shettima's Theory of Ruthless Leadership -By Festus Adedayo - Opinion Nigeria - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- On The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, a hard rains a-gonna fall - The A.V. Club - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- The longevity diet: Lots of beans and periodic fasts slow ageing - The New Daily - September 17th, 2022 [September 17th, 2022]
- The Real Effects Aloe Vera Has On Your Body - Health Digest - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Its Time To Rethink the Origins of Pain - Scientific American - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Queen Elizabeth II: Celebrities send well-wishes as world waits for update on health - The Independent - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- The Moon: Earths Eighth Continent to This Jellyfish is Immortal (Planet Earth Report) - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- This president was shot in the back, but the doctors are the ones who killed him - Salon - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- As The Royal Family Deals With Devastating Racism Accusations From Meghan Markle, 96-Year-Old Queen Elizabeth II Now Under Extensive Medical Care as... - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- To quit or not to quit: The hardest question for sporting greats - Deccan Herald - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- OND: Harvest moon, climate refugees, wall wind turbine, JWST and more - Daily Kos - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- 10 Fantasy Shows Like Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power You Should Check Out - /Film - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Jared Kushner is keeping fit because he thinks he might live forever - Business Insider - August 27th, 2022 [August 27th, 2022]