Creativity Curbed

Teaching. Doing that for 14 years now. Love it. Or rather loved it. Love children. Teach to students from 11-16 years old. In a Government school. To the so-called lower strata. Mostly first generation learners. At times results are up to the mark. And at others they are not! Depends on the batch we get. Teaching depends on various factors, mainly on the kind of students and the syllabi, which keeps changing after every few years.

While teaching we need to be flexible, depending on the time and the topics to be covered. Some take a while and some finish fast. And then feedback is by taking tests. These need to be evaluated, time consuming! But has to be done. Then class work, homework to be checked. Shortage of time. But we do cope and keep teaching as our main priorities. As long there was flexibility, coping was no problem. We could teach in our own pace!

But it all seems to have changed. The administration is planning for us what to teach! Weekly syllabi to be followed. Can we do it? How can we? If on a certain week there is a holiday or holidays, it slows down. And we cannot take topics at our own behest. We are used to alternate difficult topics with easy ones. Which keeps student interested. But now with all this binding, our creativity is curbed. Spontaneity is barred. Practically not feasible. But who is listening? Not the department! How can one teach with this kind of stress and tension?

And suppose I take leave. How do I finish my course? How do I deal with the backlog? And most important, do I get blamed for my illness which I might have had and hence the leave? Or what?

What is the higher up thinking while making such atrocious policies?

Love for teaching? Getting eroded slowly. Am I to be blamed? And how do I function in such a situation? Change my job?

Is there any solution?

How can I leave something which I have always loved and always will??

So painfull to comprehend!