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One among them
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Teachers who are as young as their students find it easy to strike a rapport. MANGALA RAMAMOORTHY finds out
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PHOTO: K.GOPINATHAN
BETTER BONDS Young students find it easy to strike rapport with teachers of their own age
Today is Teacher's Day. Let's take this opportunity to reiterate the fact that teachers do play a crucial role in shaping a person's life. A bad one is enough to de-motivate the student from even coming to the class. But, at the same time, a good teacher can become a student's guide and help build his/her career. For most of us, a teacher is someone older with a world of experience, who's more like a father or a mother figure. But now, a lot of younger teachers are redefining the student-teacher relationship.
Being just out of academics, they bring along freshness and an attitude to match with it. A. Swetha, 24, lecturer of Mass Communication at St. Francis Degree College for Women joined the college after completing her PG. She feels that being young helps her bond with her students better and break the ice easily. "My rapport with my students is that of a friend. When the students know that the teacher also thinks and speaks like them, they automatically become comfortable," she says. Agrees Artan Kumar, 33, HOD, C. Malla Reddy Institute of Management, who's got into the profession over five year ago. He teaches students at post graduation level, who are well into their early 20s. "At that level you cannot afford to be too strict with them. It's important for teachers to respect the students as much and understand their emotions. And a teacher with less age difference is definitely in a better position to build the chemistry and communicate the necessary details." His best way of interacting with his students is by sharing personal experiences, both ups and downs. "This way the student relate to you better and wouldn't mind opening up. I have people who come and share their personal problems as well," he adds.
For a student, a young teacher is a reason to be happy about. "We can discuss a lot more than just academics. She can understand the lingo we use. And if the teachers are friendly, classes become a lot more interactive as well. It's no longer just about imparting education," says Preeti Ragunath, who's doing mass communication first year at St. Francis.
The new breed of teachers is lot more flexible and is not bogged down by older notions of teaching that prevail in the profession. They make themselves accessible to students - a move that is welcomed by students. "We are also susceptible to making mistakes and, even more, because we are not too experienced. The fact that even the students are as inexperienced puts you at ease," explains Swetha. Rajni Choudhary, who teaches economics at VVK College, accepts that there will be initial hiccups while handling students who are just a couple of years younger to you. "You don't know where's the limit between being friendly and over doing it."
The only issue that concerns both teachers and students alike is maintaining the right balance between friendliness and discipline. "If you are young and too friendly, students end up taking the teachers very lightly as well. It's not always possible to be nice," feels Rajni.
Adds Preeti, "But if the teacher is not able to handle the students well then everything will be a mess. And ultimately academics will take a beating."
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