Teacher's Day

Teacher's Day here is a big deal because in India the students, ahem, actually respect their teachers! OK, all kidding aside (I think most American students actually respect their teachers too, they're just a bit more subtle about it) the day was really a new experience for me.



In the US, Teacher's Day is celebrated near the end of the year and is usually marked with some cards from those students with whom you've developed a good rapport. I've received some small gifts from students (including my "ashes of teenagers" jar), as well as a card from Mr. McDonough's student government.


In India the tradition of Teacher's Day is a bit different, with the twelfth grade students replacing their uniforms with the dress of their teachers, which is important because they'll be doing the actual teaching that day throughout the school! I was greeted by teems students calling "Good morning, sir - Happy Teacher's Day, sir." Some students gave me flowers and many gave me cards including this gem from one of my ninth grade students:




"To Mr. Kaplo - I'm grateful that you taught me to realize the MASS of responsibilities, you increased the VELOCITY of my thinking, you taught me to RESIST negative FORCE. Finally, I learnt it."

To top it all off, some students got down on their knees to touch my feet and then touched their hearts and heads in blessing as they stood up. I think to fully understand this gesture in the US requires a bit of understanding, as the guru, or teacher, in India is held in the highest regards. I have noticed a more complex system of social value here in India than we have in the US that extends beyond our more simple criteria of salary level alone.

An example of this is the legacy of the caste system which still maintains some purpose here. The Brahman caste (priests, scholars) is the highest caste, followed by Chetriya (warriors, rulers), Vaishya (merchants), Shudra (artisans, farmers), and then Harijan (laborers). In this traditional Indian heirarchy, the Brahman were often very poor when compared to other caste levels, however they were extremely valued within this system because they were considered to be keepers of knowledge.

So after spending time drinking tea all day while the 12th grade students taught my classes, I retired under the large Bunyan tree for some musical and dance performances by the students. A student-faculty volleyball match completed the day - it was the most colorful match I had ever seen, with silk saris on both sides of the court.