I touch the future, I teach – Christa McAuliffe

I touch the future, I teach – Christa McAuliffe
First teacher in Space on the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger

If I were to pick the period or a string of moments that led me to add “Try being a teacher at least for a day”
to my bucket list of things to do before I turned 50, it had to be during my teenage years as a high-school student.

Our English teacher, Mr. R N Sathyanarayana, with his impeccable timing for sarcastic remarks and
hilarious body language (humour), our biology teacher, MR. N Raghunath Rao, who brought life to
various human organs with his amazing drawing skills using an array of colourful chalks (preparation)
and later during my college days, Mr. R K Jagadish, our physics professor, emphasized the use of bullet points
which are phrased simply yet effectively in a structured manner while answering questions (articulation).

These amazing individuals taught me some highly effective teaching aspects that I did not understand and
adapt right away, but realized their importance in hindsight a full three decades after my school days,
when a teaching opportunity came, thanks to Youth for Seva, that helped fulfil my long pending aspiration.

I always saw myself as an able teacher who could connect with every kind of kid in the classroom
(contrary to what both my boys and spouse vouch strongly against), in understanding even complex subjects
through my ability to teach them in a simple manner.

The expectation was to teach a bunch of 8th standard kids to clear the NMMS* scholarship test which is
a great deterrent that acts as a motivational force to keep these kids from financially challenged families,
grounded to their education, at least over the next four years, who otherwise would have easily slipped through
to the other side of an invisible fence and be forced to become adults handling responsibilities prematurely.

Teaching gave me an immense sense of purpose and contentment, the kind that I had never felt in my decently
paying IT job of 25 years nor when I had bought my new car.

Teaching is learning in a loop and is perhaps the most challenging as well as rewarding reason why most of the
teachers put in so much effort every day to come to their classes with a smile on their faces to part with some more
of their little ocean of knowledge.

The more drops you give from this ocean the more it continues to grow.

Now, in my fourth year of teaching these kids to try and clear the NMMS Scholarship test, I count each day with them as an
amazing learning and sharing experience.

Last week we celebrated Teacher’s Day and I was remembering a tribute that
I had written to my teachers two decades ago. From a student’s point of view,
on the other side of the fence, I was absolutely humbled when one of my own students
from last year’s class (who aced the scholarship scoring 140/180) messaged to
thank me for having helped her to do so.

Hence, I’m truly grateful for playing my part in making a tiny yet memorable impact in a
student’s life while still living my dream!

Nagesh Mallikarjun
Volunteer, Bengaluru.
nageshm28@hotmail.com