Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Azriel D'Souza I n last two days, I had to offer advice to two different people… one, my bright 12 th standard (ISC) student; two, a parent of a 12 th standard (HSC) student. But, the advice was more or less the same. My 12 th standard student (ISC) had come to see me after giving her last Board exam. As I said, this girl was one of the brightest and well-mannered girls. She had been telling me about her desire to do Chartered Accountancy and, accordingly, she had enrolled for its entrance test (CPT). But, when she had come to meet me two days ago, she wasn’t so sure about her plan. “Whether Chartered Accountancy is ‘the thing’ I am supposed to do? Or, is it something else?” Yes, this was weighing her down now. Finally, she said, that she would continue preparing for the entrance… and, mean while… Yes,  meanwhile, the young lady hoped to find an answer! I knew, I did not have an answer. I haven’t been able to tell anyone else what he or she should ...

I was talking to this young final-year student, this morning. She had told me before about her desire to get into college teaching. That was some months ago. Now, the exams are just a stone-throw away… and so, when I had met her, this morning, I asked her whether teaching was, still, her final choice. It was.  But, this young girl did have some anxieties. She studied in one of the best colleges in Mumbai, where, people ‘died’ to get into. It was a dream coming true for many students and their parents… Yes, just telling the world - ‘This is the college’! Still, this girl had come across, in this ‘best college’, some of the most pathetic teachers! She had seen, all through her three-year stint in this college, that students hardly attended the lectures… Even if they did, they hardly paid any attention… That, majority of them never had any ‘respect’ to their teachers… So much so, she had sensed, that the teachers just managed to do the...

Sweta comes about as a very confident young girl. Recently her 12th standard results were out and she scored 90%. She got 99 in Biology, her highest and 84 in English, her lowest... Her dream has always been to pursue literature. She is very fond of English language. She reads varieties of books, speaks very fluently, writes creatively. All these things Sweta does without being told…, and she does it for long hours. She is happiest when she is involved in these things. There is no strain, no fatigue and no complaints. Sweta’s fascination for English language began when she was in fifth standard. Miss. Lynette, a young and pretty English teacher had come to teach the little Sweta’s class. This young teacher had ignited in Sweta the thirst for language… and, from there on, it was only English for Sweta. She would talk about it to her friends… She would dream about writing books, teaching in a reputed college and inspiring her students as her idol, Miss. Lynette did. “Prof. Sweta,” this...