Disaster - The Day We Turned Teachers!!!

I loved my school life like anything – and the teachers there were great, unlike those at college. As was tradition, when we were in XII we had to become teachers for a day. How this tradition came about I know not, but I knew one thing – I, for one, can never be a school teacher!!!

5/9 to 14/11!!!
It’s a common practice in Indian schools for the XII class students to “act” as teachers on Teacher’s Day, September 5. But in ours, it used to be on Children’s Day, November 14. The reason – the students supposedly only loaf around pointlessly on the day they become teachers, forgetting their duties and exercising only their rights. So it’s unbecoming a tribute to teachers.

I personally never wanted to do all this on Children’s Day (if it was on Teacher’s Day, I might’ve gone). But no choice, we were given our “roles” for the “one-day play”.

All the school’s a stage and all the XII students mere players…..

“Me!? Physics Teacher???”
Now that I had no choice but to do all this, I would’ve loved to be a primary teacher – at least there would be nothing to do. The kiddos would be excited but controlling them won’t be that much of a trouble. Not to be – I had to “enact” the role of Mr. S.M Pandian – our physics teacher!!!

I idealized him – one of the best teachers I ever had. But that made the job even more difficult – how on earth was I supposed to teach physics if he asked me to!? Fortunately, he didn’t give any instructions and we were given a free rein. Just maintain the discipline and we are done…..but even that became an uphill task….

The “Autograph” Brigade!!!
Another custom, I can say. Everyone wants autographs from the “one-day teachers”. Even I used to do this till I was in V or VI. Later, I lost interest in all this. But you can always find kids vying for the crown of “The One with Most Autographs”. And as most of us had half of the periods free, all we did was roam around in the campus. But the moment we went near the primary block, we were surrounded by these autograph-hunters. Then it was the Headmistress (one of the students who really took the teacher thing seriously) chasing the kids and “ordering” us to go back to our secondary block. Nevertheless, one sari-clad girl isn’t much of a match for a battalion of kids!

All of us kept scribbling our names on the diaries and notebooks much to joy of the tiny tots – after all, we did the same things when we were kids. But alas! The “Lady Hitler” (I don’t want to mention her name, but my school mates would know who she is) of our school got another reason to fire a cannon ball at us….

The Crappy Side of School Life - Ignominy Inflicted!!!
Well somehow, the day was over and we were charge sheeted the next day. Offence – inability to maintain discipline in the school and giving autographs resulting in loss of order. And we were made to kneel down in the basketball court for an hour, while the above-mentioned oaf of a teacher kept screaming on the mic. That was humiliating – it was as if we begged them to make us teachers! They seemed to have sky-high baseless expectations. Most of the teachers had no problem with a little indiscipline on one day. But not her. And the autograph thing – I would’ve loved to ask her what she did when she was a student. I have always wished that my college teachers turn out to be like my school teachers. But when it comes to the ones like these, I’ll take my college teachers!!!


I wish I would forget this…..school life is full of happy memories, and I don’t want the ones like these to tarnish ‘em! But try as I may, memories keep popping!!!