A Family of Teachers

Growing up in a family of teachers has its pros and cons. I grew up learning to respect the profession. And as I grew up, I learnt that teaching is actually not a profession. It is a passion. I've had the luck to be taught by and be surrounded by some amazing teachers who've not only shaped my life but also stood by me during some of the most difficult times in my life. Some of them are from school (LDSS), some from other educational institutions, some from my workplaces, and some are, well, family. 

The biggest con of belonging to such a family is that I can never bring myself to complain about teachers wholeheartedly. Everytime I try, I am reminded that they're human too. I've witnessed their struggles. They have feelings, shortcomings and problems and flaws like every other human being. And yet, every single day, they wake up with the knowledge that the  shaping of very young minds is dependent on what they do, how they speak, what message they send out and how well they educate. Educate, not just teach their own subject. Such a huge responsibility! 

But, the pros outdo the con. I grew up in an environment that encouraged learning all the time, from events, from failures, from life, from each other. I still joke about the fact that every natural disaster or miracle is a chance for my mother to start teaching the Geography of things. But the truth of the matter is, she does see the opportunity to learn something from a mistimed rainfall. And the teacher in her ensures that she shares the knowledge. 

My octogenarian grandmother learnt how to use social media and won't stop cribbing until she has made us clarify the process over and over till she's understood it correctly. My sixty year old mother got her Masters degree in Geography in her fifties and her Bachelor of Education in her forties (her centre was my college, and I was in second year). My aunt, in her fifties, has learnt how to run a school, how to train teachers, how to make chocolates at home and how to create beautiful jewellery over the past two years. And I've watched them in awe.

Through this pandemic and working from home, I've seen my mother learning a whole new way of teaching, new software, new ways of marking attendance and interacting with students. She stays up night after night to ensure her quality of teaching doesn't suffer in the hands of a virtual medium or because she is not tech-savvy. I've seen my aunt learning new ways to keep the children of our primary school engaged and constantly trying to figure out new ways to close the gap. School events have been conducted online and she has learnt to edit videos to ensure no child is left behind, that everyone gets a chance to perform, just the way it would happen if school were open. I've seen my grandmother learn to accept that the digital medium is the new normal. 

The thing is, these three women are very similar when it comes to being a teacher. They have immense love for their students and they'd go to any extent to make sure that their students are treated right, educated right and taught right. And I realise, that it all comes from the motto of Kidyzone - "educate with love". They've all had their roots in this very idea that my great -grandmother very passionately believed in. They've carried it with them over the past 45 years and continue to do so. 

This Teacher's Day, I wanted to celebrate every single teacher associated with Kidyzone English Medium School who continue to educate with love. I want to assure them that once the pandemic is over, and life goes back on track, Kidyzone will have survived this crisis. 

If you want to help me do that, there's a link below this post. Donate, if you can. Share, please. And spread the word. 

I'm sure it would mean a lot to every teacher in the world to see a school get back on it's feet and not succumb to the huge economic setback COVID–19 has brought about. 

Happy Teacher's Day!

Link to fundraiser - www.ketto.org/fundraiser/kidyzone/