Questions before Answers
Imagining what’s possible if teachers are given a seat at the table.
Why does river water seem sweet, while sea water is salty?
Why doesn’t it rain only above the water bodies where evaporation is high?
How do you know that dinosaurs were real?
Why is outer space dark despite the sun being there?
These are some of the questions I was asked by my class children when they were in 3rd standard. More than anything, questions like these used to remind me that I hadn’t thought of them myself neither as a child, nor as an educator. And that only when I was asked the question, did I look up the reason behind them.
Another thought that I hadn’t articulated, even to myself, was when my class asked me the question — why I used to give so many art activities — drawing, colouring, crafts, story writing etc. Fortunately, I didn’t have to look up the answer to that question. It was just hiding under the debris of a rushed routine that I used to follow mechanically.
That conversation in specific and the company of children over the years has made me realize the real impact of our busyness. That we don’t take the time to imagine or even think unless we are asked a question. And only when we consciously take the effort to think beyond what we see, can we try to make things better for ourselves or for others.
This, for me, has been the essential driving force behind participating in the global #whatif campaign started by Dream-a-Dream foundation. The idea to just pause and question the practices or trends that we see around us, and to imagine a future where we might not be held back by internal or external barriers is powerful in itself. But when applied in context of education, it can start the revolution that the education system desperately needs.
On behalf of Key Education Foundation, we initiated an engagement with around 75 teachers from 20+ partner schools in 3 cities — Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore. We explored 4 themes over 4 weeks — Personal Challenges, Child in focus, Parents in focus and Teachers in focus; and encouraged teachers to share their thoughts questioning status quo and imagining a new future in terms of a “whatif statement”.
There were some struggles that were plain to see. First was that of conviction — the teachers joined in good faith, without knowing what they had signed up for; and even hesitated to share in the first week as they tried to make sense of the exercise and the many different ideas that we started them with. But gradually, whether out of conviction, curiosity or support, as teachers started participating, the next barrier was presented by language, and the mode of engagement in combination. The teachers felt compelled to share their statements in English instead of languages they were more comfortable in; and the engagement being conducted over WhatsApp left us with little options of asking a teacher to elaborate on their thoughts and guide them to articulate them better.
Despite the struggles, there were honest and heartfelt emotions evident throughout the engagement. For instance — when a teacher shared — “What if I could change my faith by myself?”, it left me applauding her courage. I was overjoyed at other statements like — “What if we saw the whole world as a classroom?”, and “What if we used more biodegradable materials instead of plastic?” During the theme pertaining to the child, some teachers were fraught with concern in the context of the COVID pandemic — “What if children have no school this year?”, and some filled with optimism — “What if children felt free to share their opinions?” and some imagining possibilities — “What if children could change adults’ minds?”
When it came to the theme about parents, there were a few ambitious statements — “What if parents could take advice from children?”, or “What if parents could teach the children in school?”, “What if parents could participate in school events alongside children?” and one joyful thought — “What if parents would walk on their knees for one day to see the world from their child’s perspective?”
Barring these, almost all other statements, however, articulated the basic expectations that one would have from any parent. The thoughts mirrored the idea of parents giving more freedom or more choices to their child, not scolding or putting undue pressure, or being the support and guides children need to achieve their potential. Although it was comforting to know that teachers wished for a pleasant and supportive home environment for the children, it also made me wonder — why do the teachers have such basic expectations from the parents? Are they not holding them to a higher standard because they don’t share that relationship with them? Or are they aware or a reality more grim than we want to imagine our children growing up in?
I had similar thoughts for the last theme as well — Teacher in focus. Though all statements were positive — they reflected basic expectations from a teacher. Consider these statements — “What if teachers developed a student centered mindset?” , “What if teachers had an opportunity to teach children in parks or some open space instead of a classroom?”, “What if teachers showed more patience and encouraged children to participate in class activities?”, “What if teachers and students could have free conversations and build a strong relationship?”. On reading these I found myself wondering what in the education system stops teachers from being the answer to their own questions.
And then I read this statement and realized that this is the biggest obstacle.
And then it occurred to me that expectations from schools have become so rigid in terms of syllabus, pedagogy and learning outcomes that schools, instead of promoting the values of freedom of thought and expression, spirit of inquiry and discussions — essentially values that strengthen a democracy, are instead creating an environment where everyone — from school management to administrative staff, teaching and non teaching staff, right down to students get used to blindly following orders. By trying to conform to a rigid education system, schools are inadvertently stifling the same voices that they should project. What then, is the surprise, that dissent is treated with such suspicion?
Overall, what came out through this engagement was an exploration of emotions and aspirations from teachers — for themselves, their children, and their world. Each person who participated would have taken back a different lesson. For me — it was an exercise in empathy, gratitude and hope. Empathy towards the teachers for sharing a part of their lives with us. Gratitude for always putting children first. And hope that someone with access to power will see that they owe the teacher community a seat at the table.
Coming back to my own class — why did I as a teacher give so many art activities to my children? So that imagining does not become a long forgotten skill for them. So that they can look at a sheet of paper and think — I can make something new with this. So that they can look at a day in their life and make a compelling story out of it. So that they can catch their thoughts and turn them into a song. So that they do not have to wait for a campaign that teaches them to imagine possibilities. They would already know how.
