Picture
credit: https://www.coursera.org/learn/getting-started-with-essay-writing
I have
confessed many times in the past and I do it again. I did not enter this
profession by choice. It was a good and comfortable option at that time to
choose from.
Why am I
saying this again?
Well, I am a
Convent Educated girl. Proud to have studied from St. Joseph’s Convent,
Kingsway, Nagpur. My LSRW (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) skills were
very good. But that was me and myself.
When it came
to teaching the same to the students, I re-searched, re-learned and
re-discovered everything entirely. Then I stepped into the domain of teaching
creative writing to the students confidently.
Read my
story of why I started advocating creative writing?
Imagination
is a boon everyone in the world is endowed with. Thoughts run through our mind.
They will never cease to exist. But we are not conscious when these thoughts move
in our minds. Hence, we are not able to harness them into productive outputs. This
has been proven scientifically.
A similar
complex situation exists with the students. Since most of the students do not
read, they hesitate to imagine. Then they struggle for words to give their
thoughts a concrete structure. As a result, they hesitate to write.
When I
started teaching, my co-teachers were Uma and Archana. They boasted of super
imaginative powers which their students possessed.
What was the
proof of the above statement?
Their
students framed long, interesting, creative and grammatically correct
sentences. PHEW… They really gave me a complex.
All Centre
Pointers were supposed to take up ‘Frame Sentences’ very seriously when
they were teaching languages. Each teacher took pride in showing off the
wonderful sentences made by the students. We were made to attend different and at least
three or four workshops in a year which were targeted to teach ‘Frame
sentences.’
Such was the
craze to develop skills for Frame Sentences. When I started teaching, I was
clueless about how to make children write good sentences. Out of frustration,
one day I wrote a variety of sentences and told the children to copy it.
Well,
Archana was too quick to catch my folly. Now what?
The only way
to learn is to put in hard work. So, I started observing her classes to
understand how she triggered imagination. While teaching she was …what? Dramatic,
eloquent in speech, used simple vocabulary, added a unique twist to every child’s
question, focussed only on students, gave them ample time to think and then to
write, showered praise generously, etc.
Google had
made an entry in my life at that time. I immediately took to Googling and
finding out methods to teach imagination and improve my skills to teach
creative writing. I discovered many new and exciting ways. I implemented it in
my class and started getting good results. I was happy but not satisfied.
Because the
next challenge came in. The students were supposed to write long paragraphs by
this time. The demand was that the content should be creative, the language
perfect and the spellings absolutely correct.
Oh My God!
Will it ever
stop? No came the prompt answer. Once more I started Googling and came up with
good solutions and saw the results.
There was a
catch in the entire situation. And it was that we cross checked each other’s
answer sheets. Hence the quality had to be high because the answer papers went
through multiple rounds of checking. First by the teachers, then the
coordinators and finally the Principal, Mrs Chatterjee.
Most of the
skills that I picked up are actually copyright of Mrs Chatterjee. She took
various workshops and taught us these skills and tactics of Creative Writing
and a functional approach to teaching grammar. She had what... around ten
thousand ideas to teach any given topic. She was super excited when anyone
asked her for an idea to teach a lesson. Moreover when we went to her with our
own idea she would praise us, encourage us and applaud in staff meetings of the
wonderful creativity shown by us!
If I have
the authority, I will declare her as the Creative Head for all the schools on
this planet. Trust me I am serious. Her capacity for Creativity is beyond
anyone’s imagination and reach.
Over time I
have realised that it was a golden policy to teach Frame Sentences well to
develop good writing skills among the children.
Anyways!
There are
two sides of this coin!
One reason
why I loved to teach creative writing was that it was a challenge each time to
make the students write.
The other
reason was, the revelations which the children made in their innocence. Most of
the time the students’ mental condition is revealed while they write paragraphs
or essays or make sentences. It helps us as educators to understand the
problems or excitements faced or experienced by the students. This in turn
strengthens the bond of teaching and learning.
I believe
that no one can just teach. You have to understand the child and deliver your
teaching as per his learning needs requirement.
I have won
many prizes based on the case studies of children. Most of these case studies
find their base in the creative writing pieces which they wrote in my classes.
I took a clue from those scribblings and decided upon an approach for the
child. It made me empathetic and I developed a good relationship with my
students.
Years later,
now in the present, very recently, I corrected a few creative writing pieces of
students which opened my eyes to what their dreams and aspirations and thoughts
were. It changed my perception of the students and the idea of this blog crept
into my mind rather it popped into my mind.
There is
this bunch of students who have given me sleepless nights because they were not
passing the pre boards. Leave apart the pre boards they didn’t even clear the
short tests which were planned for them.
I
perceived them as aimless, clueless about their own future, not responsible at
all, taking life carelessly, and on and on…
But when
they wrote about their aims and ambitions in life, I was in for a set-back.
Student A wrote about why he wanted join the
Indian Army. He sketched the entire picture of what happens in his house. How
his father keeps motivating him to join the Indian Army and serve the nation.
He was made to watch the Republic Day Parade to understand what proud moments
are. His elder brother is also serving the Army and so he also keeps motivating
him by telling him stories of war heroes and their bravery. He wrote
passionately about how everyone talks, sleeps and walks through the regimes of
the Indian Army. The training given to the soldiers and what pride actually
means to them!
So he is
clear in his objective- He wants join the Indian Army to serve the country.
Student
B’s parents are
Government employees. According to him starting a business needs a knack. It
needs skills. Since no one has a background of starting a business in his
family, he chose to study Commerce and learn the skills to become an
entrepreneur. His parents supported his decision and are willing to help him
out. So, he is focussed on becoming a businessman in future.
He has the
future chalked out completely.
Student C remembers that his grandfather passed away due to heart failure because
there was no medical facility available in his village. He described how his
grandfather succumbed to pain in the ambulance which would have taken him to
the hospital and if possible, life. Hence his aim of becoming a doctor and
serving the people of his village is very clear.
When I read through these essays, my perception about these
students changed entirely!
This generation is not out there to have fun. They are
serious about their goals and what they want to achieve. They are driven by
passion and are full of determination. The roads are chalked out and the maps
are well marked for the destinations which are going to arrive during the
journey.
They are willing to scale peak after peak and hoist the flag
of their dreams which will sway in the winds of success!
