An Acclamation

“The weakest among us has a gift however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him and which worthily used will be a gift also to his race” Ruskin

“And you will have to teach ‘Insight learning,” said the Psychology lecturer. He was young and lean,  with intelligence written in his amble, talk and conduct. He was one of our favourites, his lectures were one of those few lectures which one yearned to be in, leading to a  rejuvenated feel especially after a tiresome lecture of Philosophy. It was an assignment in Psychology for the students pursuing Bachelors in Education at the reputed Comprehensive College of Education in Hyderabad. On reaching home I contemplated on the topic  wondering how I would put across the lecture to a class of  hundred and above. I loved Psychology as a subject, learning it was easy but to teach the topic required a strategy. I remembered the day my teachers in the senior college arranged a seminar and called us spontaneously to teach. I went confident , but could not teach, I fooled around with the chalk for a long time,looking at my teachers sheepishly ,I saw them conversing too, I felt it was  most definitely about    my helplessness. I asked my friends in the rear about their talk, they said they spoke about the dazzling pendant I had worn around my neck.

I told my father the whole incident exclaiming I would never be able to teach . My father was meticulous , efficient and organised . He rose high in his profession due to these qualities, he was  a freelancer and was a part of all India radio for his talks on farming and storage of grains  in Telugu, which were scripted through translation of his talks in English.

My father asked me to  read the topic deeply, refer books, divide the topic according to its importance and above all plan my lesson. He then told me to go to a secluded spot like our terrace to  confer the lecture in an imaginary class. On coming back , he asked me to teach him the same topic, surprisingly I enjoyed teaching him and this time the teaching was far better and more interactive. He raised questions  related and I answered with ease. The next day I was all ready for the lecture. I carried a few teaching aids and my father  pumped me with oodles of faith and confidence as any other parent.

As I stood in front of the hundred odd students  and my  Psychology teacher I felt a little shaky, I began slowly in a clear voice and found myself to be at ease, I enjoyed teaching every bit, I carried my smile as my father had told and I found every one listening intently. I used the teaching aids , and involved everyone to interact, and many a times  saw my teacher’s encouraging looks. At the end of the lesson, my teacher appreciated me  and asked the students to clarify their doubts, there were a few questions, but there was one student who stood up and said “ I have no doubts for clarification, she has taught it very well”. Being young the appreciation gratified me the most.

A new zeal and enthusiasm surged within me towards the profession of teaching.  I  have thanked my father relentlessly  for teaching me the art of scheduling and accomplishing , emphasizing on the ardour God has endowed us with and a never dying faith in God . He was forever there to hearten us whether it was with my research topic or a novelty in the habitual teaching. He believed in the philosophy of “keeping things ready for next use”.He wanted us to venture into new forte just as he did and never let life go by without living it  the utmost.

 Robin Sharma’s saying “we are endowed with the capacity for genius.Perhaps you have not taken time to discover what your personal gifts are then honed them to the level where you are considered brilliant” reminds me of the strengths my dad bestowed within me.

This is a tribute to my late father who left us on the 13^th of April 2009.