Sep 4, 2021

5 min read

Teachers’ Day Musings : Teaching is all about “Vibes”

MUSINGS OF A “VETERAN TEACHER” ON TEACHERS’ DAY

Today — the 5th of September — is Teachers’ Day.

Well — once upon a time — I used to be a Teacher (after my Navy Days).

Hence I can truly call myself a “Veteran Teacher”.

Dear Reader — on Teachers’ Day — here are some thoughts I would like to share with you.

I wrote this article many years ago.

COVID-19 has changed the paradigm of education — virtual learning has replaced classroom teaching.

(hopefully it will be a temporary phenomenon)

Do tell me if my experience is relevant in the post COVID world — once classroom teaching is resumed.

I am sure you will find the article interesting.

__________

TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES”

Teachers’ Day Musings By Vikram Karve

__________

I wrote this as a farewell letter to my students and to my trainees on completion of their induction training program long back when I was a Teacher and Trainer at IAT (DIAT) Pune (after my Navy Days)

_________

TEACHING IS A SOFT SKILL

A teacher is a trustee.

It is just like looking after birds.

You take a flock of young students under your wings, nurture them, teach them to “fly”, and when they are ready, you release them into the world.

Like birds, you set your students free, watch them with pride as they fly into the sky, soar high above you, knowing that they will never come back.

You wish that your students reach great heights which you could never reach.

It makes teachers most happy when their students excel and surpass their teachers.

— — — — — —

TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES”

I have learned from experience that teaching has got less to do with knowledge and more to do with communication.

Teaching is about relationships as well as pedagogy.

Teaching is more about feeling than facts.

It is all a question of vibes.

Yes — effective teaching and learning depends on vibes.

Once you establish positive vibes with your students — you can feel the delightful chemistry being generated between you and your students.

In the parlance of Electrical Engineering — it is like perfect impedance matching — the maximum power transfer theorem — and you can experience the classroom rocking with resonance — when — all the resistance to the flow of knowledge disappears.

It is at this stage that the intellectual friction vanishes — the barriers to communication melt away — and seamless effortless learning is achieved.

__________

Remember:

It is not important how much a teacher knows.

What is important is how much the student learns.

_________

Yes — to achieve student learning is the sine qua non of teaching.

_________

For a good teacher:

Communication Skills are far more important than Academic Qualifications.

________

I strongly believe that:

Teaching is about relationships — as well as pedagogy.

________

Yes:

Teaching is more about feeling than facts.

________

SOFT SKILLS FOR TEACHING

Soft Skills outweigh Hard Skills as far as the art of teaching is concerned.

A highly qualified Ph.D. — who does not know the art of teaching –and fails to establish good vibes with his students — he cannot make his lectures engrossing.

This may result in students losing interest in the subject — and in some cases — an insensitive teacher who lacks the soft interpersonal and communication skills may even end up making his students hate and despise that subject.

It is easy to make simple things difficult — but it is difficult to make complicated things easy.

__________

It requires good teaching style, effective communication skills and appropriate soft skills to make difficult things easy and enjoyable to learn.

Yes — learning must be enjoyable.

Learning must not be dry, didactic, boring and painful.

— — — —

LEARNING PROCESS

It is important for a teacher to remember that:

Learning comprises two Pedagogic Processes:

1. Getting knowledge that is inside to move out.

2. Getting knowledge that is outside to move in.

__________

The second part of imparting knowledge from outside into the student is comparatively easier — once you have got the students interested and eager to learn.

This is easy if the teacher is proficient in teaching skills and knowledgeable in the subject and domain specialization.

It is the first aspect that is more challenging — getting knowledge that is inside the student to move out — facilitating inward discovery on one’s self and help unlock the treasure within the student.

This is the true test and indeed the hallmark of a good teacher.

I trust I have succeeded in achieving this.

Today — I feel a sense of pride tinged with nostalgic sadness — as my protégés “fly” off to conquer great heights of success in their careers.

It was a delightful experience to mentor young bright minds, to see them flower, blossom, bloom and flourish before your own eyes — observe them metamorphose from students into professionals.

I love being in the company of young talented people, full of zeal and enthusiasm, with a zest for living and a passion for learning.

________

Teaching makes me feel good and youthful — and as always:

When I “teach” — I always “learn” more than I “teach”.

________

Whenever I complete a teaching or training program — I feel sad — wanting to hold my students back — not wanting to part — but I know that I have to let them go to their destinies.

_______

My Dear Students:

As I watch you with pride in my heart — swiftly fly away — soaring high above me in the sky — vanish into the distance — to all my dear students — I sincerely wish you from the bottom of my heart:

GODSPEED

Godspeed — a wish for a prosperous journey and good fortune — my dear young friends — as you embark upon your first career — a new phase of your life.

__________

HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY

To all Teachers:

Wish You a Happy Teachers’ Day.

__________

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Link to my original post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/09/teachers-day-musings-part-2-teaching-is.html

This is a repost of my article TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES” posted by online earlier at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/09/teachers-day-musings-part-2-teaching-is.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2020/09/05/teachers-day-musings-teaching-is-all-about-vibes-2/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2017/09/04/teachers-day-musings-teaching-is-all-about-vibes/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/09/04/teachers-day-blog-teaching-is-all-about-vibes/ etc