From A Village Teacher

" Mr Adam " the notorious pupils would call out his surname once they were out of their class, which he often finds it oddly disrespectful but what can be more odd then parents who just giggle away and called it a bluff.

Being a teacher wasn't his first choice given the fact that he was one among the first batch of matriculated youths of his native village, and which during his days was one highest deed anyone could achieve.

He had a better job, a clerk that paid him sufficient for a luxurious life, but as fate had another plan for him, he left his job to take care of his bedridden father. A decision that was utterly consider ridiculous or idiotic to say the least.

And soon He got settled down and without a job he was finding it hard to meet the ends of his growing family that he opted for a government teacher for which he was accepted with no much difficulty.

As fate would have he was posted to the most remote area or the most background area in the district. And that how his journey to a village teacher began.

It was no lesser than the famous adventures of Malgudi days.

The students as he remembers never own a copies and pencils this was solely due to the fact that their parents hardly own an annas to buy it for them nor was there a shop in the village so if one were to get a copy they had to travel several kilometres.

The only source of writing was through the crack blackboard that rarely has some white chalk to write on them, he says he make them write on the ground the important words and make them memorize them.

One day he ask them to draw a a truck or as he famously say Nissan Tata every students stare at him in wonder, they had no idea of what that look like next he asked them to draw a cow, surely they would know what that is but surprisingly cows were too expensive to be own by even the wealthiest man in the village and these curious minds have never ventures out of their village that they know not what a cow is.

Class was always a headache, the primary school had three teachers for the six classes. And to make the matter worst there was only three class room so they had to combine class UKG and LKG, class 1 and 2 and class 3 and 4.

The classroom walls were make of bamboos which was wear out that it was easy for students to sneak into others classroom.

He remembers Parents would often leave the toddlers in the trust of the older kids who had no choice but to bring them to school. 

So school was like a circus, the toddlers would cry constantly, the olders ones were never on their seats, and there he would be standing in the middle of the rowdy class screaming at the top of his voice for attention.

The class he often said was more of a daycare , often times in the middle of his much important lesson a toddler would cry either of hunger, nappy time or boredom that he had to constantly sent them home early.

It was rough being a teacher but whenever he returns home for the holidays he always had the funniest stories to share and never an ounce of regret. He was contend being a teacher, he believes the village kids need him more than the much advance kids of the towns. 

He had a few times turn down for transfer or promotion because to him that small unreach village was where he was destined to be. And he had grown close to the village school that it was a pity to leave them.

He remembers how he once told the older class he might leave and the class that never for once paid attention to his presence starts sobbing aloud that he had to convince them that he was never leaving them.

He recalls that they don't even own a school bell he used an iron axe and a stone as the school bell and how the children would fight to ring the odd bell.

Exams were worst he said he would find the whole village with their kids pack in the neighbour who owns a tv and he had to remind the parents to go home with their kids because they have exams.

He would often laugh when he says some of the class 4 students were taller than him as they could never pass the exam. In the end he had to promote them to make space for the younger batch.

That was thirty years ago he had now retired but every now and then he would occasionally visit the village, 

Most of his students are now parents,

Some teachers, some policeman, and some even officers.

 People often asked what was so great about being a teacher in a far unreachable village leaving his family behind.

He would often replied, the love that he gets from his students, the friendly nature of the tiny village, the bond the people out there share with him make him felt home so it was like never being far from home.

And he would often said as a teacher it was his duty to impart education to those in need. Sure it wasn't the easy way to be a teacher but it sure was rewarding to have teach the ignorant kids of what lies out side their tiny world. 

He was often called the village head teacher, many teachers had come and gone but none beat their favourite

" Mr Adams"