The Eternal Damnation of The English “Teacher”

April 17, 2015 by Usha Pisharody 9 Comments

What is it about Teachers
(Especially ones who “teach” English)
I wonder.
You don’t, I know.

I still carry the faith
Of one who loves the language

But

You’ve been hedged in perhaps
By the intimidating walls
Projected by the scaffolding (really!)
Of usage, intent and meaning?
Not to mention the conundrum
Of double negative, double past.

I shall not even go into double entrendes 😀

I totally understand. I do.
Let me elaborate: please.

You say, weird is the language.
I say, weird is beautiful. It has character.
And I shall agree, weird is the language 😀

But it’s in the spaces between the words
The probability curve of putting a few of them together
Creating, experimenting, sharing, attuning yourself.
Those spaces and the breath in between…
The bar is raised when you create- a story, a poem,
A something. Anything.

And then. You hand it in to grade>>>>
By who? Errr… Whom?
(A Quibble there- but not now, let’s not 😛 )

That finds me, sitting in a group
To one side, directed to “correct”, “evaluate”
I’m told.
But that niggling (always niggle niggle, the rebel inside)
Pokes me:
Am I creative? Should creativity be marked?
So, should I, another’s?
Looking around, I wonder, who can?

Ah. The metaphysics and the philosophy is lost on the system.

We’re guided – ably, I’m told, though I hold reservations- by one who can.

Mind you (I have visions of Rajnikanth, and MIND IT!!! 😛 )
She says, to give the marks that are deserving…
Announcing this, holds up one I graded for inspection 😛
Uh oh. “How-not-to-do-it” sample 😛

“Do you think” she archly demands
“This piece is worth this much?”

(I must clarify here- it was merely 6 out of 10
I know! Don’t freak out!!!)

“Yes” I replied, deadly quiet, cool as they come.
Simmering inside. “Yes.”
“You see, I’m the generous kind
The lenient kind, for the Boards!
Else you’ll find I’m terribly mean, most times!”

(I hear you! I heard you loud and clear!
You shouting, She is, she so IS!!!)

Back to the Her.

Such insubordination as to not agree with a Her
Is not appreciated. You understand.
But the rebel inside, ah that rebel.
I did not alter, so she had to walk

Not without reminding of my Bounden Duty
Thou shalt give only deserving marks!
I did not bother to ask her to define “deserving” 😀
Not after she added ” There is no perfect essay or story”
Who wanted perfection?
I looked for pleasure. Joy in expression.
That’s perfection for me 🙂

So what did that rebel inside do>>>

She let it go, and unleashed them marks
For the pleasure of the story-telling,
Like they liked to 😀

The Life of an English Teacher
Most times goes thus.

Damned if you do (Supervisor Spell)
Damned if you don’t ( Student Spell)

You live in Eternal Damnation.
And enjoy it 😀

17 April, 2015

Day#17 of #NaPoWriMo 🙂 A rant on the system, the expectations of both student and grade’r’
The immediate muse being, asked to mark down creativity, when I felt it could not be 😛 😛
Background: The Board now has a 10 mark question in the Class 10 paper, for story writing. Imagine this: how good are you at story writing, even given a prompt? Okay, let me re-phrase it- how much time does it take to create one? Lots na? And kids are expected to write a story, in the atmosphere of an exam hall, which is then marked by all kinds of persons, those who read, do not read, who watch movies, do not, who write creative stuff, and don’t. We’ve been making noise at all the right places. Yet to see something being done about it! It’s fine for group or pair work, but self defeating as a decisive question in a board paper don’t you think?

You see what I mean? This here is rant. 😛