HOW MUCH YOU KNOW VERSUS HOW MUCH YOU CARE
“No one cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
-Theodore Roosevelt
I had scheduled a P.D session for a small
group of young ones today at 8. At around 9, last night, I got a message to
attend some urgent work this morning. So, I called each of the young ones to
inform them that I would not be taking their P.D. session this morning. The conversation
on phone with one of my boys went like this…
He: (Casually)
“Hello.”
Me: “Hello Karan* beta, this is Gerry sir.”
He: (Deadpan voice) “Yes?”
Me: “Beta, this is Gerry sir.”
He: (Same deadpan voice) “Yes?”
I don’t know why, but, I lost my cool. “Beta,
did you see my name on your mobile screen?” I asked my student, annoyed and
a bit hurt, too.
“Yes,” the boy replied.
“Then, why
that bland ‘Yes’?” I said, “Why
couldn’t you show some basic courtesy through your voice, a simple greeting
like ‘Hello sir’ or ‘Good evening sir’… Why that indifference and callousness?”
“Sorry,” the young boy said sheepishly.
“Beta, what
class do we have tomorrow?” I
asked him.
“P.D.” he replied.
“What?”
“Personality
Development, sir”
Finally, I could get what I desired from my
student… ‘Sir’!
Well, let me tell you this: I was not
desperate for an ego massage. But, I wanted my young boy to learn quickly the
importance of showing simple courtesy. I knew, that such courtesy did not come
with academic excellence… or one’s social status. Instead, it came from one’s commonsense and
social awareness. Above all, it came from one’s love for life, people and his
profession. Yes, it was a matter of one’s attitude…
During daytime, yesterday, I had one more
case study. This boy’s problem lay with his father, who, too, was a teacher
like me (A Mathematics teacher). The boy has been very regular and sincere. He
has been grasping the concepts well and I have been very happy with this boy.
But, his father is very demanding… He wants his son to get ‘top’ marks… which,
I have been telling the father to go slow on. “Sir, he has a good hold of the
concepts and he is sincere and hardworking… Let’s acknowledge that… Marks will
certainly come, let’s have faith in him.” I have told this to the father
several times… But, he is what they call - a ‘difficult customer’…
In many occasions, I have reminded this
parent to encourage his son on developing his social and communication skills. (He
really needs them). Sadly, the father’s response has been this: “Let him focus
on his marks, now.”
Another teacher-friend of mine, who has spent
more than three decades teaching Physics and Mathematics in degree colleges,
sent me an amazing TED-Talks video… That’s the last thing I took to bed, last
night…
I love all my
students… and I want them to face life as brave, intelligent and sensitive men
and women. All fine things are not learnt inside the classrooms… Neither did I do it, nor do I expect my young students to do it…
Love life… Love people…
Love the work you do! That’s all it
takes, you see.
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Chsetna Shetty
Video: TED Talks/YouTube
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