On Teaching : Not a Game and yet a Game

In my school days there was a strange thing that I wouldn’t be able to learn anything until I feign teaching an invisible audience. I loved the game. I would act like my favorite teacher. But imagine teaching real students and I would run ten miles away. But I didn’t. Am I a warrior? No, I am a poor teacher. No, in fact I am just a tutor. But then teaching is teaching whether you teach a student or two hundred.

Is it a pleasurable task? Yes, no , well sometimes yes and sometimes NO. I would say, choosing your students is important. If you are a tutor choose the very dull students. Bright and inquisitive students will not let you live and earn. And most important is to understand the “student psychology”. Yes! Recall the moments from your student life and you exactly know what students want from you. They want you to teach in a funny, informal way as if you are their friends. To take examples from real life. To laugh with them on their silly jokes (believe me a teacher has to be a good actor). To ignore their silly mistakes. Now even if they don’t think about this, you got to teach them through different mediums, for example, a video, a movie clip, photos, stories. It will give them good impression, a key to remember the original text or context, and a good change from text books. Most of the times you have to come down to their level to understand what they want and how they can get the most from you.

The best part of teaching is you come to know what you lack. Although its not as pleasing as it is when it is just a game, you can make it pleasing by thinking yourself a student, learning with them and making learn a fun.