Sunday, June 10, 2012

Kadda Education


It is my first experience at a Daham School, I have never been to such when I was a child as my mother wanted to bring up Malli and Myself in a more secluded domestic domain. I don’t have hard feelings on Ammi either, since her deeds were virtuous. She thought Malli and Myself will start some young age romance and spoil our education. It is wrong to assume that all the students who go to Daham schools end up finding partners which are not even permanent. Since two of us went to a boys’ and a girls’ schools she might have thought that sudden exposure to opposite sex would corrupt ourselves. However, my first day at a Daham School was not so bad. This is not my first experience of teaching since I did some classes free of charge for a young girl and two boys. Amongst them the two boys engraved very nice memories. Children are genuine and the youngest of these two boys was the most genuine child I ever saw. Their mother said that they did not have any other topic after coming from my classes other than talking about “Akka.” Akka mokadda ayye ada ara hina yanna kiwwe? Ayya what did akki say today which made us laugh? Aunty went on with what she overheard whenever she came to pick her two baby monkeys. Anyway the two brothers who were fed up with going to English classes liked English after coming to my class. Undeniably English is the most unpopular subject amongst most of the students and I do know why. The first reason is the teachers who do the subject are sometimes very boring and they do not know how to attract the students. Also they do not pay individual attention to students, so a predominant number in the class do not understand what she says. After so much of drifting I am going to recall my first day at the Daham school. There was one girl in the grade six class. She did not understand what I taught. I knew it. I asked her colleagues to help her. They did not know the correct way to help her to catch the lessons. They wrote everything what I wrote in the board on her book with gorgeous color pens. Then I asked them to read the letters to her and convinced that she herself must write on her book. Finally I started a grammar lesson, the boring part of English. But I have to do it at least to teach the basics. So I knew this girl would not understand. I personally went to many. Taught them individually. I went to her and taught her also. The most senior teacher in the staff saw me teaching her and came to me. Me lamaya kohomath wada karanne ne. Usually, she is not good at studies. She is a retired teacher. Her 40 or 45 years of teaching have not taught her the lesson that a teacher need not to have stereotypes about children. She is 70. I think she needs more maturity to understand the realities of Sri Lankan education and economic system to educate students from backward classes. The teaching went on. But I know she did not understand the lesson properly. Teacherge nama mokadda? Teacher labana satiyeth methanama wadi wenna oni. Teacher what is your name? Please sit here in the next week also. I just nodded my head. Then she gave her red pen to correct the books of others. Finally whilst I was ready to leave the most moving incident occurred. She came to me and worshipped me. I was surprised. Because I still believe that I am also a kid and I did not like kids worshipping me even when my nephew Sharon worshiped Avanthi nanda. It is my duty to psychologically prepare myself to face these kinds of future veneration and comprehend that I am now 24. (-16 days) Anyway I feel I am matured. This maturity in teaching methods might have intrinsically passed over to me since my paternal grandma was a very understanding teacher. Apart from that my two nandas were good teachers. But none of them have taught me and I did not know even an iota of their teaching techniques. It is Nazim sir and Kamani aunty who taught me English. All the classes proceeded without any verbal harassment coming on my way neither on other students’ way.  They were better than Disapamok. We know Disapamok the great Achariya who lived in Thaksala, trained kings yet punished them whenever they committed wrong. I was never punished. I was also trained to be a Queen. Only kind words were required. I know that girl did not understand my lesson. But at least she will not hate English and teachers from today.  

3 comments:

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  2. "I think she needs more maturity to understand the realities of Sri Lankan education and economic system to educate students from backward classes". WELL SAID.
    me too have 2 experiences with the mentioned immaturity, which overly turned my life path.
    When I was in grade 1, I couldn't read sinhala akuru. after teacher's 2 or 3 harsh tries, she gave me up as a very weak child. All thanks to Upeksha, I am in the place where I am in now. She practised me to read, no eatings in intervals, as you sat next to that girl and tought.
    And you also may remember grade 5 teacher who came after Padhma mis. Thanks to her warnings to never question a teacher, I never questioned any teacher after her, shut my mouth and only listened in class rooms. so still I don't have a habit of questioning tutors.
    It is nice to hear that our generation has begun to change the traditional teaching method. Good Luck Avanthi Teacher!

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  3. thanks kalpani. i think what chandima miss did was wrong. we have been brought up with this culture not to question any teacher or parents. that is why we lack rational inquiry in lectures. whenever we go against their view our teachers and parents think we are stubborn. this is why i am at loggerheads with my parents all the time. whenever i disagree them they think i am aggressive.

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