4/5-INDUCTION PROGRAMME 13.11.25

 Today at Palayamkunnu Government Higher Secondary School felt like stepping into the real world of teaching. Most of the teachers had gone on an excursion to Mysore and Coorg with the tenth standard students, so we trainees had to take full responsibility for the classes left behind. It was a long, busy day, yet one filled with valuable experiences that no textbook could ever teach.

I began the morning with the IX E class, completing the remaining portion of yesterday’s lesson. Seeing the students respond and finally connect with what we had discussed earlier felt rewarding. By the end of the period, there was a small sense of accomplishment that quiet joy a teacher feels when a concept finally lands.

Later, I had a substitution in the eighth standard. Among the group was a boy everyone called “naughty,” yet he turned out to be surprisingly kind and obedient. Even after being scolded once, he listened and followed directions sincerely. Moments like this remind me that students often need understanding more than authority.

Our next task was to take the IX E class to the library. What I expected to be a calm reading hour turned out to be quite the opposite. The students weren’t at all interested in reading; the library teacher had to raise her voice and even force them to pick up books. Watching that, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad the library, once considered a world of imagination, seemed to have lost its charm for them.

The day ended with a Malayalam test paper for the ninth standard. The results were disheartening. Many students didn’t even try to write. Some said they couldn’t complete their notebooks because the teacher dictated too fast. When we compared their performance with the English medium students, the difference was clear  the English medium students, at least, attempted the questions with some confidence. In the Malayalam section, however, there was one boy who simply refused to cooperate. His indifference and arrogance tested my patience, but it also showed me what real classroom management feels like  where empathy and firmness must go hand in hand.

By the end of the day, I realized teaching isn’t just about lessons and exams. It’s about reading emotions, understanding silences, and managing chaos with calmness. Coming from a CBSE background, a government school setting still feels raw and unfiltered  but maybe that’s where the truest form of education happens. Each day, this journey is teaching me not only how to be a teacher but also how to become more patient, grounded, and human.