Pushed into a Corner

Increasing reports about students committing suicide indicate that there is something seriously wrong either in the education system or teaching methods or in the mental makeup of todayrsquos students It could even be a combination of all three While we tend to get carried away by the sheer tragedy of such reports we are apt to forget how teachers who are habitually blamed for this by the media society and parents react or feel IllustrationAmit Bandre Teaching is not everyonersquos cup of tea It demands a lot of stamina oceans of patience and a sense of humour coupled with a grasp of child psychology All this in addition to knowledge of the subject of course But the days when students would look up to their teachers with respect are no more Now students feel and exhibit contempt anger and even hatred for their teachers Change is a must Swati Popat Vats Pic Abhinav Kocharekar This indicates a paradigm shift in the relationship between teacher and student which has become fluid and even weakened along with the numerous walls that modernization has broken down Students are no longer intimidated by teachers and increasingly vocal parents mean that teachers too are under pressure Students can see this Moreover with classroom sizes increasing it is simply not possible for teachers to note behaviour changes in individual students or indeed get their attention with a public address system With good intentions Principal Farrukh Waris of Burhani College does not believe in sparing the rod for the childrsquos benefit PICDatta Kumbhar Swati Popat Vats President of Podar Education Network says ldquoParents are very rude to teachers and I donrsquot think it is an easy job being a teacher It is also very important that the teacher is respected Previously a teacher was treated like a goddess Parents and schools would always listen to her But today schools dismiss a teacher whenever they want parents come up and say lsquoI am paying your salary do what my child wants you to dorsquordquo Last thoughts Professor Farhat Khan PicDatta Khumbhar Signal When you talk about a child committing suicide two people should have seen it coming a parent and a teacher The fact that both of them didnrsquot see it coming tells us that something is clearly wrong If a teacher is blamed for a childrsquos suicide it is something that one can never recover from It weighs on a teacherrsquos mind forever that lsquoI caused something like thisrsquo Even though she may not have caused it ultimately what society feels is going to impact the teachers It is going to affect their emotions their psychology and how they will cope with it In this case some teachers end up taking their frustration out on other students some may go into depression or some may quit their jobsrdquo Vats explains Team work Dr Zirak Marker wants to focus on teacherstudent collaboration Pic Datta Kumbhar Mortification She further adds ldquoHumiliation is something that adolescents canrsquot take They are in a developing stage and being insulted especially in front of their peers is something they canrsquot handle So they will they will answer back they will insult you and this aggravates the situation if you start making it a tennis match With adolescents suicide is a spurofthemoment decision In a fit of anger you may take something and break it and later you may regret breaking it But here since it is a suicide there is no chance given to them to rethink their decision Suicide is something which is very final which most adolescents donrsquot knowrdquo Societal Vats explained that a school is like a mini community Everybody is very concerned about what others think of them In a classroom students are very aware about what other students think of them teachers are very aware of what students as well as other teachersrsquo think of them So it does impact the psychology of the teacher and student when gossip and allegations go around Vats says ldquoTeachers have not been able to change with the changing scenario of the classroom It is a time for awakening So many suicides are happening what are we doing Are we just discussing it in the media or are we trying to find solutions Teachers need to be trained to identify problems with children Parental grooming is also required They need to be counselled and guided There should be a uniform discipline management policy in schools across classrooms This is a mustrdquo Endurance Recalling an incident with one of her students principal Farrukh Waris of Burhani College Mazgaon says ldquoWe are walking a tightrope As teachers we have a very strong value system of dos and donrsquots and hurting another person is not an option Teachers have a very difficult existence A girl student failed in five subjects out of seven in her first semester exam Unfortunately three days later she met with an accident and she could not attend the greater part of the second semester But she did come back for the exams of the second semester teachers accepted her projects without deadlines provided notes and handouts Now she and her mother threatened us and said lsquoIf you do not promote her to the second year of commerce she will kill herselfrsquo How can I promote the child if she does not even attempt to give her first semester exam Giving that understanding and support to students has a flip side and that flip side is very hurtful Students are misusing the position they enjoy by threatening something as extreme as suicide and they are well aware of it ldquoThere was another episode where the brother of one of our students wanted to sit for an exam as a dummy in place of the student who was out of town When I did not allow it he said lsquoIrsquoll shoot you Irsquoll gun yoursquo I wasnrsquot scared by the threat I guess I am far too old to be scared nowrdquo she says with a twinkle in her eye Requirement Dr Farhat Khan history professor at Burhani College feels that each teacher has to be a counsellor as well Though it is not mandatory it is understood that the teacher should be accessible to a student anywhere and everywhere not just in the classroom She says ldquoThe entire approach as far as the teacherstudent relationship is concerned has changed I have had not only students but also parents threatening me They tell me lsquomera beta apni jaan le lenga agar apne kuch kiya nahinrsquo My son will take his life if you donrsquot do anything about it They even come up and say lsquoI will go to the trusteersquo or lsquothe next time you will hear from my lawyerrsquo It is very tricky managing students Now teachers are no longer teachers they are supposed to be facilitators We are stern where we have to be but humiliating students and taking them for granted is not acceptable and will lead them to take drastic steps Once a watchman stopped a student from entering the college because he didnrsquot have an identity card We were later told that he had gulped down tablets Change is setting in among teachers but parents also need counselling There are no bad children but there are bad parentsrdquo Allegations Mamta Mehrotra a single working mother in Mumbai feels that if a child commits suicide and blames it on the teacher through a suicide note the parents may agree to it as they are going through something traumatic and it is easy to blame a third party Though it is not a blame game but when a teacher is blamed for a childrsquos suicide it is wrong she says Mehrotra says ldquoEach child deals with an emotional trauma differently Some may be calm and glide through the rough patch while others just donrsquot know how to deal with it In India with each class having 40 or so children it is very difficult for teachers to provide them attention They wonrsquot have the time to go to their students and ask them lsquolet me know if you have a problemrsquordquo Source Mehrotra feels that there are expectations from both parents and teachers and when the child is under stress he may not know where to turn for help She says ldquoThe older generation is much stronger and better because they were disciplined in schools Today the kids are more emotionally vulnerable They are offended by inanities and then they end up taking extreme steps Hence because it is so hard to understand the mentality of kids these days teachers are afraid of being tough with them They donrsquot know how a student would react and they are afraid of disciplining a child I have seen parents overdo things compensating for not having enough time for their kids The love and the quality time are replaced by material possessions In the end the buck stops with parents I stand by teachers and I feel the change has to start with counselling of the child teachers and parentsrdquo Modifications Child and adult psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Zirak Marker believes ldquoTeachers are not afraid but they are definitely more alert about what to say to children They have to be more cautious as kids today are more fragile Instead of reprimanding a child in front of the entire class a teacher should rather have a oneonone session and try to understand the behavioural pattern Teachers are overworked and are under enormous stress In that environment it is very hard to spot the troubled childrdquo Marker stresses on the fact that a child and a teacher should work as a team ldquoI donrsquot blame the teachers but the whole system has to be changed Mental health and strength should be given utmost priority Counselling sessions are a must not only for children and teachers but also for parentsrdquou00a0