I Loved Going Back To Teaching After A Gap Of 18 Years

I started teaching immediately after completing my studies. After finishing my master degree in Physics, I started as a senior secondary Physics teacher at a school. What started as a means for time to pass and a steady income source soon became a passion.

I loved interacting and talking to children. They were so energetic and full of curiosity, I felt overwhelmed to answer their non-ending queries. Apart from just their teacher, a special bond formed between me and the students. Slowly, I became involved with their day to day life and persona.

Many a time it happened students came to me with their problems. Sometimes it was related to studies, other times more personal stuff, like a tiff with their friend or a problem at home. I tried to solve it whenever I could. My fellow teachers remarked that I was getting too much involved with the students and I should maintain a formal distance between us.

But I wanted a friendly and informal relationship between me and the students. And this approach helped me. Most of the students listened to whatever I told them and abided by the discipline without any shouting or punishment.

Like all good things, my time with students also ended too soon when I got married and had to move to another city with my husband. My students cried their hearts out! Sadly, I had to bid them farewell.

A new life starts

After marriage, I got busy and forgot everything about my career and teaching. Later, I satisfied my teaching urges by participating in my daughters' studies.

After a gap of almost 18 years, I decided to take up teaching once again. Luckily, I got accepted as a middle school Mathematics teacher. Though I had some idea how teaching has changed in recent years, nothing could prepare me for my first day!

Learning shock!

I just prepared a lesson and a few questions and reached the school. When I was teaching previously, all the teacher did was bring a textbook in the class, read from it, explain, and solve a few questions. That's it.

But when I reached the school, I met the head of Mathematics and he asked whether I had a PowerPoint presentation or some videos to use in the class! I was so shocked and impaled by my ignorance that I couldn't utter a word!

He understood everything by looking at my face. Fortunately, he was very supportive and encouraged me to go into the class and teach as I had planned. He told me to worry about everything else later.

But now I was suffering from low self-esteem and couldn't recollect what I had planned to teach. Luckily, I have always been generously bestowed in the confidence area. Whatever is the situation, I never lose confidence in my abilities and in God.

With this confidence(or overconfidence), I reached the class. The strength was only half the usual because of Covid protocols. Half of the class was physically present while the other half was at home learning online. Since it was my first week, I had been given only physical teaching. Another teacher was taking the online classes (thank god for small mercies!).

I wondered what I'd do after getting in the class, but as soon as I reached and stood in front of the students, it seemed as if I had never left. My natural instinct took over and I conducted a successful class.

Getting hang of everything

The next few days went in a blur, with me learning new technology used to teach. With online learning, it was all the more challenging. I had to understand everything related to the online learning portal. It's working, scheduling of class, giving online assignments then correcting them online and returning back.

It looked like a never-ending loop. As soon as I learnt one thing, another sprung up. But I was determined to make this work. My co-teachers were very supportive. They helped me a lot. Even when I shied away from asking something lest I appear dimwit, they understood and helped me.

The students were supportive too. In the class when I got stuck somewhere they were more than happy to show me the right way. They were already using the portal for a long time, hence knew everything about it. But not even once, they showed any arrogance or superiority over me.

Slowly, I started getting hang of everything. My decision to form a friendly and informal bond with students prevailed here too. Every day before starting class I used to talk for a while to them. All the children were so full of energy and eager to talk. They had so much to say!

A new challenge

Just when I thought that everything was sorted and I had understood all the procedures and working, I was made the Mathematics Laboratory in-charge.

Yes, this school had a fully equipped Maths Lab. I was really surprised when I learnt about it. But it was an amazing lab full of props and mathematical equipment to help students understand the difficult concept with ease.

I spent two days to fully explore the lab and then conducted a few experiments with small groups of students. It was an instant hit between students and their parents. They were very happy to use the lab and prove difficult mathematical theorems with super ease.

My litmus test

I started to enjoy my time in school. In a few months, the time arrived for annual exams. It was my exam too along with the students. I was wondering whether I'll succeed or fail.

As usual, few students performed well, others average and a few of them performed badly. But the real surprise came at the parents meeting when I got to know parents reactions based on the student's previous performance. Since I joined in between of academic year, I had no knowledge of the student's marks in previous exams.

But I was pleasantly surprised to know that most of the students had performed better. Some of them had shown a remarkable jump of 60% in marks.

My students and parents wanted me to be their teacher next year as well. This was my biggest reward! I never expected so much love and appreciation from them given that I was teaching after so long.

Coming back to teaching proved to be one of my best decision. I loved it from the core of my heart and plan to keep teaching for the rest of my life.