EDUCATORS

 EDUCATORS

Annually, 5^th September is ‘Teachers’ day, as a mark of respect to the memory of Dr. S. Rdhakrishnan,-a former teacher-turned President of India Thank God it does not have the status of a Holiday, as it would imply ‘staying off’ learning on his day. Though students try to honour their teachers, how many do deserve such an honour? Infrequently, we notice a genuine teacher as most others take delight in being called a teacher. They do not make any semblance of impression on learners. Leaving aside such ineffective ‘teachers’, there are some magnificent infective ones, who hold aloft the flag of dignity of the profession.  Such teachers deserve being duly recognized. Precious little is being done to showcase such sparkling examples among teachers.  Yet, by way of wages, substantial improvement has come about and there can be no grouse on that score. Much of the malady witnessed of the profession owes itself to the ‘practice’ of political interference to the process of Education at all levels. Nothing better can emerge under such dispensation.   

A couple of decades ago, when TV telecast was purely, Government-owned, time slots were provided for education. When the ‘business’ had private players ‘stepping in’, some channels offered to provide viewers, the opportunity of learning English for ‘communication’. I do not know if any viewer ever improved his/ her English speaking / communication. It is likely that some viewers were benefitted by those visual training efforts.

Honestly, they [the educators] were trying their best to ‘impart’ something to learners among viewers. Sincerely, I pity those educators, for, they had no means of ascertaining -if or not someone learnt something. But, they had to put on the appearance of seriousness, besides on and off ‘displaying’ classroom-like interruptions/ interjections like ‘repeat what I said?’ and saying “no, listen to me again” for items like framing a question. As for instance, in Coaching English, "வீட்டுக்குப்போகலாமா?" [Shall we go home?] The educator would make us believe that the member on the audience said something wrong by response and would reiterate I REPEAT in English, go home comes only at the end and we do not use the word House, as home is a place of affection and house -a building; for framing questions, Shall we/ can we/ may we are used and at the end interrogation mark is [?] placed. 

The TV educator explains   “திரும்பவும் சொல்றேன் " வீட்டுக்கு  [home] கடைசில தான் வரும் , நீங்க house ங்கற வார்த்தையை சொல்லக்கூடாது அது HOME ஏன்னா இங்கிலீஷ பொறுத்தவரை  HOUSE என்பது கட்டிடம் , home என்பது நமது அன்பான உறவினர்களுடன் வசிக்கும் இடம். மேலும் கேள்வியாக வரும் பொழுது SHALL WE அல்லது CAN WE அல்லது MAY WE என்று தொடங்கி ? இல் முடியும். அடுத்த கிளாஸ் ல பார்ப்போமா/? -வணக்கம் என்பார் முன்னால் நிறைய பேர் இருப்பதாக கற்பனை செய்துகொண்டு. 

 இருந்து கொண்டு தொல்லை தரும் மாணவர்களை விட இல்லாத கற்பனை மாணவனே மேல். வாழ்க ஆசிரியர்கள்/ ஆசிரியர் தினம்.  TV Educator takes leave of his students after explaining things to the ‘non-existent members in the show. It is too tough to create the feeling of live interaction in a dead class [bereft] of audience.  Hats off to such teachers -pretending to interact, with physically none to interact among.  

Prof. K. Raman