“Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.”
That's how I would describe my experience of teaching till now. I never ever in my conscious mind thought that I, Suman Doogar will become a teacher and what's interesting is that, man I simply love it. My students are great, my class is amazing and I got a awesome bunch of co-workers, but I would still crib about my salary. Anyways one thing that I face everybody at my work place, is an identity crisis. As people and my dear students put it, I dont suit the profile of a teacher, neither do I look like a teacher. Hellooooo, why the stereotypes and why cant I be a COOL teacher. Ok I have a piercing and a tattoo, does it take away the fact that I love what I do?
Recently my dad suggested, that I should start wearing specs to school, so that I look the part I play everyday. My co-workers tell me that I am more suitable for HR jobs and my friends feel that its the most relaxed job in the world. Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! Why so many biased views towards everything.
Ok lets leave all this aside and concentrate on why I am writing this blog. I going to write about a few things in me that does not support the norms, here it goes:
1. I talk about anything and everything in my class, from sex to relationships to the fears a student has.
2. My students are free to express their viewpoints on anything in the class.
3. I sometimes hang out with my students.
4. I am an out going person, who loves to drink and have a great time, late nights to clubbing to a lot of stuff I cant mention here.
5. I want them to learn about life and not to rote learn the book. Anybody can score in psychology but very few can apply it in their own lives.
6. I enjoy the attention ;)
7. I dont speak about their personal lives in the staff room, I feel people who do it are lame.
8. I hate wearing shalwar kameez to school, it makes me feel old.
9. I feel more close to the student community than to the teaching staff.
10. Students should be given more freedom to do things that they want, too many restrictions these days. We cant stop them from falling in love, or stop them from having weed or restrict them from clubbing, then why do we need to pretend that we can.
I believe teachers should only Teach and not Preach.
