‘Mitochondria’

I just asked my wife “What is a Mitochondria?” with a puzzled expression she asked me “Is something wrong with you?”. I asked the same question in my school watsapp group literally everyone in the group associated this to our Biology teacher. I wracked my brains further to try to recollect what a mitochondria is. I can recollect that it is something very important or a brain in an animal cell. Give me a break, this post is not about mitochondria if you want to know more please google it out.

What makes teachers good or great?

I was just replaying the question that I heard 22 years ago as a 12 year old in a Biology lecture in Loyola School, Kerala from the legendary Thomaskutty Sir. The fact that most of us still remember ‘Mitochondria’ after so many years is testimony of his greatness as a teacher. I am guilty of being a front bencher in school that could be the reason why I went one step ahead and recollected the definition of ‘Mitochondria’. I don’t know if it is even remotely correct but that doesn’t stop me from bragging. I rectified my mistake in school by being a back bencher in my Engineering College. In my MBA classes though since we were in a theatre kind of a setting where there was no last bench but rather 3 rows in a semicircle. Even there I made sure that I don't sit in the front row once bitten twice shy . I am thinking if I should correct that statement lest my son years later is going to  use that as an excuse in School. No, its fine I guess I am too lazy to delete what I typed.

Coming back to the topic Sir was an excellent footballer we could say that from the curving free kicks he used to take from just outside the penalty box during our Staff vs Students matches. A friendly football match which used to be played during every teachers day. Come to think of it Sir would have only been a few years older to me right now during that time. I guess he was trying to send us a message that you need to also be good in sports in addition to studies. Unfortunately for a lot number of his students including myself this message did not come across and we are paying the price.

In the last few years I have known a number of my friends from school to have sport related injuries because of the sole reason that they are not physically active and one fine day they start playing and get injured. Case in point about 5 years back we had a back to school event. Reminiscent of our School days both the divisions were having a 1 hour classroom lecture. After so many years true to our name it was my class that broke for games first before our adjacent class. One of my classmates Unni tried to taking a swing at the football lost his balance and fell.It so happened that none of my classmates who were doctors had turned up for the event. I remember running to the classroom where our other division from the batch was in session. The irony of the fact was that the Doctor whom I had gone to fetch was another ace footballer from our batch, Rakesh CA who was doing his PG at that time in Hyderabad. This guy is still very much in shape and still continues to play excellent football a true disciple of the Master. The point that I am trying to convey here is that it is very much important for us to drive into our next generation to spare them the way we are discovering this fact in a painful manner. It is another story that the friend with torn ligament turned up for the after day party in crutches.

To all the teachers of my generation including my wife I would like to ask you this question. How many of your students are going to remember what you taught today 22 years from now. I have stated this in the past as well that teaching is one of the most underrated professions. Ideally the cream of the society should be engaged in this noble profession but unfortunately we have got our priorities wrong . Do you know that teachers today and in the past have been severely underpaid,  it has to be kept in mind that if we invest on our Teachers today you are investing on the future. 

I wish and pray that my son gets to learn valuable life lessons like these from great Teachers. Thomaskutty Sir, take a bow! I would like to sign off by quoting Nikos Kazantzakis “Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own”. If any of you having reading this piece have a face coming up in your mind consider yourself blessed because you have been taught well. Take a pause pick up the phone and call the teacher right away if you can drop in person and give them a bouquet of flowers even better. Let us start giving the Profession of Teaching its due remember we would not have been what we are today if not for the selfless service of our teachers.

P.S: In case you like my writing  please check out few of my other posts with a similar topic.

An Inspiring Teacher, English lessons, We are the underdogs