Noch einmal bitte.. with a fresh perspective

'Raddiwalla' a loud usual sound on a Sunday morning made me travel back in time in my teenage. 

I used to accompany my father to raddiwalla store. We used to carry two full bags of newspapers neatly folded and pilled in perfect symmetry. At the store, as the storekeeper weighed it, I noticed my father used to pull back some of those to be read again. I happened to ask him, "If we have come all the way up here to give them away, then why are you pulling some of them back again?"

He said, "It's so interesting to read it again. I perceive a different thought." As a teenager I wonder what difference it makes reading it all over again.

Seldom did I realise, that he wanted to go over a few things once again to check if they can be perceived in another way.

A similar thought struck me when I was watching the movie 'Zindagi na milegi dobara' for a second time.

In the theatre I perceived it as, "Wow! What a way to overcome fear and celebrate its victory with true friends." Now watching it again the motivational and magical poetry caught my attention. 

ये जो गहरे सन्नाटे हैं
वक़्त ने सबको ही बाँटे हैं
थोड़ा ग़म है सबका क़िस्सा
थोड़ी धूप है सबका हिस्सा

आँख तेरी बेकार ही नम है
हर पल एक नया मौसम है
क्यूँ तू ऐसे पल खोता है?
दिल आख़िर तू क्यूँ रोता है?

As a teacher, do we miss doing this in class? Do we go through what our students want to say, keeping their perspective in mind?  

Now in the shoes of a student, let us wear a different lens to read the word READ again for simple incidences which we come across almost everyday.

R - Root cause
Before punishing students for coming late, we would want to find out the cause for turning up late and try to work on it constructively.

E - Eliminate 
Even the bright students in class are unable to perform due to fear. Can we try to eliminate their fears and help them perform better?  

A - Acclimatise 
Learn it the way I teach. Can we now try to acclimatise our teaching styles to suit their learning dynamics?

D - Dedicate 
Every teacher dreams to be remembered as the best teacher. Now let us dedicate our actions to help our students reach their dreams. 

These lenses would definitely be an eye opener for all of us. 

'Noch einmal bitte' in German means let's do it again... So does this thought to look at our students with a different perspective. 
If done, I am sure that class would then be the best ever class you have interacted with, till date. 

Prajakta Sachin Bhide 
15 Dec 2024
#vikasitshikshak #vikasitbharat