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My experience with a senior teacher in distance learning

My experience with a senior teacher in distance learning

As the Coordinator of the Directorate of Distance Education, University of Kashmir, I had the privilege of working with many exceptional teachers. One among them stood out for his unwavering dedication to teaching and impeccable professional ethics: Kh Ali Mohammad Bhat, who taught History at Nadim Memorial Boys Higher Secondary School Bandipora. Ali Mohammad was a retired teacher with an illustrious career spanning almost three decades in the pedagogy of teaching History. His expertise in this field was unmatched and I made it a point to include his name in the panel of resource persons every year, getting the approval of the Principal, despite occasional murmurs of dissent from some quarters. There were armchair critics who questioned the wisdom of hiring a retired teacher, but my faith in Mr Ali Mohammad remained unshaken.

What distinguished him was not only his vast knowledge but also his dedication to the art of teaching. He was always punctual, arriving in class well in advance, equipped with carefully handwritten notes that he prepared fresh for each session. These notes on teaching history, I noticed, were treasured by students who often copied them for future use. An incident that deepened my respect for Kh Ali Mohammad occurred when he received a cheque for Rs. 8,000 as compensation for lecturing in contact classes. He returned Rs. 900, explaining that he had not taught classes for three days and that the amount should be deducted from his payment. Such honesty was rare and deeply inspiring. Once, during a semester when heavy snowfall had disrupted our schedule, he volunteered to teach extra classes on the weekends to ensure that the syllabus was completed, and refused any extra payment for these sessions.

On another occasion, he noticed an error in the marking scheme of an examination he had conducted. Instead of brushing it aside, he immediately brought it to the attention of the Controller of Examinations and insisted on re-marking all the answer sheets himself; he worked late into the night to ensure that no student was unfairly marked. He took the sessional examinations very seriously and treated them as vital learning opportunities rather than mere formalities. The manner in which he marked assignments marked by teachers was particularly remarkable. Each assignment contained detailed feedback, providing students with valuable insights and guidance. I had kept a number of these marked assignments as samples, which were highly appreciated by the visiting members of the UGC Distance Education Council. He handled each assignment with meticulous care, personally sealed the awards and delivered them to the head office in person. His dedication to maintaining the integrity of the examination process was admired by all.

One day, when Prof Neelofar, former Director of Distance Education, was engrossed in an important meeting, her orderly quietly approached. “Madam,” he whispered, “Kh Ali Mohammad is waiting outside.” Without hesitation, Prof Neelofar excused herself from the meeting. She rose from her chair, her colleagues watching curiously as she walked out of the room. In the corridor, she saw Kh Ali Mohammad waiting patiently. “Kh Ali Mohammad, welcome!” she greeted him warmly. “Please come with me.” She led him to her personal room and made sure he was seated comfortably. “Please make yourself at home. I will get you some tea while I wrap up my meeting.” When she returned to her colleagues, Prof Neelofar’s actions spoke volumes about the respect she had for Kh Ali Mohammad. I remember an instance where he quietly paid the examination fee for a student from an economically disadvantaged background.

He never mentioned this act of kindness; I only heard about it later from the grateful student. We needed permission for our students to start teaching, but we were struggling to get it. I was afraid we were running out of time. Kh Ali Mohammad offered to accompany me to the office of the Chief Education Officer. When we got there, it turned out that the officer was a former student of Ali Mohammad. Because of this connection, the officer was very kind and gave us permission right away. It was amazing to see how much respect Ali Mohammad had earned over the years. The lesson we can learn from this experience is that we need to make a concerted effort to find our senior teachers and give them visibility in our education systems. He inspected hundreds of schools during the teaching practice on behalf of distance learning and played an instrumental role in improving the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) without any need for recognition. These teachers, with their wealth of experience and deep dedication to teaching, are invaluable and we cannot afford to lose them.

By giving senior teachers visibility, we achieve several important goals:

  1. We preserve and use decades of accumulated wisdom and practical knowledge that cannot be found in textbooks.
  2. We provide powerful role models of dedication and integrity for both young teachers and students.
  3. We create opportunities for intergenerational learning, where older and younger teachers can learn from each other.
  4. We show that lifelong learning and adaptability are essential qualities in education. This is evident, for example, from the fact that experienced teachers are prepared to work with new technologies and methods.
  5. We honor the contributions of those who have dedicated their lives to education, raised morale, and fostered a culture of respect within educational institutions.
  6. We ensure that the ethical standards and professional integrity espoused by many experienced educators continue to influence the educational environment.

To put this lesson into practice, educational institutions should:

  • Actively seek out retired or senior faculty who are still passionate about contributing.
  • Create mentoring programs where experienced teachers can mentor new teachers.
  • Develop support systems to help experienced teachers adapt to new technologies and teaching methods.
  • Openly recognize and celebrate the contributions of experienced teachers.
  • Integrate their expertise into curriculum development and policy-making processes.