The middle Of The Term!

The interview had gone pretty well and I was able to get through, even though it was the middle of the term. I was asked to teach Year 2. The previous teacher was leaving as her husband had been transferred and she was off to Singapore. I got to spend a day with her before she left.

It was a busy time for her. She came across as a very loving and caring teacher. She handed me every possible document to help me take over the class the very next day. The information was immense and I began to feel a little over whelmed. She sat me down. “You should not worry too much about the syllabus. I’m sure with time you will be able to manage. My concern is only for my children. They will miss me a lot.” I could sense her attachment. She opened a blue file which carried useful information on each child. “This will guide you to deal with these kids effectively. Each one is different. Once you get to know them well, you will be able to help them make positive progress.” I nodded with a smile admiring her dedication.

It was the first day for both me and my son. He was admitted to the school nursery and had been transferred from a small cosy set up to a big, spread out campus. He was quiet and it was heart-breaking to leave him in the new classroom. He was not a crying child but his eyes looked sad. I needed to get to my class and didn’t know how to console his lonely feelings. I looked at his teacher. She was busy cutting some art work. I greeted her expecting a welcome hug for my son. She said hello and asked the helper to take his bag. I felt a little let down but closed the door and left.

The Year 2 was beautifully decorated. It had colourful soft boards and the walls were filled with flash cards and student work. What caught my attention was a special space on a wall, where the teacher had left heart felt notes for each child on 24 airplane cut outs. Indeed she loved them a lot.

The children greeted me with warmth. They liked the fact that the replacement was fair in complexion and had a sense of humour! I had read their profiles at home and played some fun games to get to learn their names. It was important to fill the gap that had meant so much to them. I had prepared some fun animal shapes and written a few lines about myself on them along with plans for a fun filled term. I thought it was important to introduce myself to the parent who must be quite anxious about the changeover. I also shared some pictures of myself as a child with the kids to help them relate to me more easily. It was the first connection and therefore, the most important.

The day went by successfully. They left with happy smiles and to be quite honest, the transition had been very smooth and flawless. I practically rushed to pick up my son who had been waiting along with few other teacher kids in a common room. His nursery got off at mid-day but he had to spend another two hours till I got off.

I saw him sitting on the floor. The door was open and he was irritable in mood. The teacher had her back to me. I saw him struggling with his shoes. He had probably gone off to sleep and had been awakened at the bell. He was unable to put on his shoe. Tears were sparkling in his eyes and he complained with moaning sounds. I wanted to jump inside and hug him tight but wanted to see what the teacher would do. She started to imitate him! He looked at her and became quiet. I made myself visible and walked up to him. The teacher became a little conscious and while I helped him wear his shoes, she gave him a fake smile and said, “Well, I’ll be waiting to see you tomorrow!”

I left the classroom with a heavy heart. My son had not had a happy day. He looked panicked and angry. I tried to sound cheery. “How was your day sweety?” I asked him, my intuition running wild. He did not answer. He was happy to come home and although the teacher’s coldness had damped my views about her a little, I left the issue understanding that it was too early to make an opinion and hoping that time would help him settle in.

The week was incredibly busy for me. I had met two parents to get feedback on their children who were attending special English classes. The school concert was to happen in a month’s time and there were deadlines to be met. There were few children in the class who needed a heart to heart talk every now or then to keep the spirit of connection strong. The day they mentioned their ex-teacher more, I had to make a special effort to make the day a happy one. Slowly, they began to talk less about her and became my kids.

My Year 2 classroom had two big glass windows that opened towards the school playground. Each morning, while I would be busy enjoying the Literacy Hour with my kids, the nursery lot would be brought to the playground to play games and enjoy the slides and sandpit. I was having my circle time and the kids were engrossed jotting down the new vocabulary words we had picked out from the reader. I stood up to get some fresh cut outs to hand over to the children. My assistant teacher took charge of the busy lot.

As I stood at my table, I looked outside the window to see the tiny tots playing around. I looked for my son. He was nowhere in the crowd. My curiosity led me closer to the window. There were children making sand dunes, some enthusiastically climbing the slide ladder and some simply ran around the playground enjoying the free play.

And then I saw him. He sat at a distance with the helper who made no conversation with him. He was not a part of any activity. The teacher had placed him on the stairs to sit alone and it appeared more like a punishment. Suddenly there was laughter in my class and I looked at my children. Each one of them was occupied and having fun. I looked out again. His face was expressionless and he seemed absolutely lost. I didn’t know where to look as tears rolled down my cheeks. I quickly composed myself. This matter needed to be dealt with.

The supervisor was quite busy and I was unable to meet her. Another day went by. He came home with nothing to share or talk about. “Do you like your class darling?” I asked him while we ate his favourite Oreo biscuits. “I can’t do anything right!” He opened up his heart. “What do you mean by that? Can you explain a little?” I hid my seriousness. “Today teacher hit me on the head. We were colouring a yellow square. I was too slow!” The anxiety of so many days and weeks sprang up to my head! “I’m sure she just touched your head jaani. You know teachers aren’t allowed to hit students,” I wanted a confirmation. “No, mama. She hit me because she asked me to hurry up but I was slow. I can’t do anything right.”

My intuition had been right all along. She had not welcomed his arrival in the middle of the term. He was a pause in her timely march, a different hue to blend in the decided colour scheme, an extra chair that had disturbed the balance of the furniture.

I spoke to the supervisor the next day. She listened with patience and understanding. “Clearly Shama, she is not helping him settle in and I will speak to her about it. Some teachers do get upset with a sudden addition in the middle of the term. Although it’s unprofessional and unacceptable.” I had much more to say. “I have also joined in the middle of the term Ms. X. I had 24 students to accept, understand and create a bond with. I got to spend just a day with their ex-teacher, but managed each and every aspect of the class with patience and the will to go a step further. My son is just 3. What kind of a teacher would take that innocence as a challenge? She has transferred all her irritability and stress onto my child. ”

The matter was resolved but I knew that the term would have to end before expecting any change.

Surely, as teachers we are most comfortable when the rules have been set and the system is in order. But is life just a straight railway track? Don’t we come across so many twists and bends? What do we do then? It only takes a few loving gestures to win a new child’s heart who is much more vulnerable yet adaptive to change.

A child should have a superb first day at school whether it begins in September or in the middle of the term!