On Being a Teacher

“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.” 
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye


I am quintessentially a teacher. Over the years, more than learning about what to do, I have learnt more about "what not to do". The playground has been the most pregnant motif of my imagination whenever I think of education and learning. A field of rye is even better, as it creates a sense of union with nature. Often, during recess break, with a cup of tea in my hands, I watch the children running in the playground, squeals of laughter, bumping and rolling. 


More than confinement, The School has to be a space, a sacred space where children grow naturally and harmoniously. It's human nature to be curious and learn. The true role of a teacher is not to teach but to remove any hindrances in the way of a child's learning.


Ultimately, being a teacher, I have to take care that these children of God, don't start going over the cliff (drugs, violence, addictions) and when they do, "I have to come out from somewhere and catch them"


My grateful acknowledgement to Prof. Madhukar Shukla who shared this on Facebook some time back and which has haunted me ever since.