To Ma’am with Love

“Today, three of my parents had come to meet me”

Don’t jump out of your seats. If you hear a line like that, you possibly belong to a household like mine where the better half is a teacher.

Being wedded to one for over two decades, I am quite used to ‘teacher, parent, student’ talk, early mornings and (sigh) early nights. Just warming up with my first whiskey for the evening, Madhuri brings down the curtains on any further plans with her “not tonight, I have two bundles to correct” clincher. I usually don’t prod her further because that could lead to “go press the uniforms for tomorrow” – a chore I detested from my school days. So I silently nurse my drink, wondering how to break the logjam. It’s a long wait before this teacher has time for me.

The day starts early in teacher households. My REM sleep is usually broken with the tinkle of pots and pans & gurgling of water bottles as Madhuri prepares for the day ahead with three ‘tiffins’, tea n breakfast. By the time I pick up my head from the bedside table and gather my bearings, she is usually heading for the door – shuffling with bags, tiffin boxes, books and bundles of examination papers. My daily pleas of “take chutti today na” are met with the usual “bah! I’ve got PTA meeting today” or “na na, my students will be waiting”, or better still, “why don’t you come & pick me up from school today?” The last one usually shuts me up.

At home during my holidays, evenings are spent in anticipation of the teacher’s arrival. When PTA meetings, sports fixtures, annual day preparations and time table meetings delay her arrival (which is usual), the working day stretches to 12 hrs or more. But the twinkle in her eye even as she returns with more carry-home work is truly what separates passionate teachers from other species.

Holidays & vacations are heralded with bundles of answer sheets that reminds me of ‘bundleman’ from naval lexicon. It’s not unusual to see her up late into the wee hours of the morning with ‘correction work’, her ‘red pen’ gliding through answer sheets, catching that odd grammar or syntax – a “well done” or smiley face adding lustre to the student’s hardwork.

For all the long hours & good work put in by thousands of teachers like Madhuri, they remain one of the most unsung & under-compensated workforce in India. The average salary of a teacher in a public school is less than call-taxi drivers, not to mention teachers in government schools who work for a pittance under abysmal conditions. But then good teachers are not the one to complain as they never followed the money trail. It is the passion of being amongst hundreds of children – our hope for the future – being part of their journey of discovery, receiving the odd word of appreciation from parents (exceedingly rare as they come) and the sheer joy of going through this with a new set of students all over again, that keeps them going.

To the many teachers out there who toil day in and day out with absolute dedication and passion, I doff my hat to you. May you light a million lamps with your energy and enthusiasm; may you continue to ignite the passion for learning in young hearts. And maybe someday, the ‘educationists’ who have made their fortunes on the back of honest teachers will put their money where their mouth is.

“Sanj, wake up! I’ve finished my corrections for the day. Can you please wash the tiffin boxes for me?”

Oops! Looks like I’ve been day dreaming again!

“Gladly, dear! Anything for teachers!”

*************

©KP Sanjeev Kumar, 2019. All rights reserved. I can be reached at kipsake1@gmail.com. Views are personal.

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19 thoughts on “To Ma’am with Love

  1. Sanju that is so beautifully written! Love, much love to Madhuri! Her kids are most certainly blessed 🙂
    As are you 🙂

    Thank you for this. As a fellow ‘teacher’ it felt good, really good to read this!

    1. Thank you, ushachechi! You were very much in my thoughts when I wrote this last night. It is teachers like you who add respect to this profession in the face of numerous challenges, including the ‘commodifying’ of education.

  2. Well said KP… they truly are the unsung heroes of from our growing up years.. all of us wothout exception have at least one teacher who changed how we thought about things… or better still.. made us think at all

    Usha

  3. Sanju well written.Nothing much to do as garden watering is done by Aunty as I sat for reading mail and saw this.Love and regards to all.Must have heard about Umangs achievement in IIMUN.

  4. Hey KP, I had deja vu when I read this piece of hours what with me having a teacher for a life partner as well. I just feel so sad to see these angels working so hard for the pittance they receive as salaries. I wish our country wakes up in time to give education its due. Our future depends upon it. Well written as usual!!! Bravo,

  5. Beautifully written as usual…. I get this more as a wonderful ode that was long overdue to the Ma’am (and all such Ma’am’s…) The silent crusaders.. 🙂

  6. Superb tribute on their day, as I happen to read it on teachers day..
    It takes a very strong determination to be a teacher and continue with that dedication. Salute to these angels who moulded our lives and continue to do so to our little bombs.
    Wishing happy teachers day to Madhuri mam..

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