“I wanted a job that allowed me to make a difference, do good things and have a big impact on the world. From the moment I started to get threats and challenges from people who didn’t like my deeds, it was a toss between quitting and continuing with what I’m doing. In the end, I decided to stick with what I have been doing for the past 18 years and I’ve never regretted it,” says Aji R., a government high school teacher. Aji, who works at Payyanakkal GVHSS, a coastal school in Kozhikode district, has changed the lives of her students. She has seen children with behavioural issues, including drug addicts and girls who were victims of sexual abuse. Against all odds, she has rehabilitated many of them. Still, after 18 years of service in teaching and as a community officer in Students’ Police Cadre of Calicut district, she continues her journey to help oppressed children. On Teacher’s Day, she says it is all about being someone special to children. “You need to be friendly with them. I have never used any harsh methods to teach my students. Here I am not talking about teaching them any subjects. I am a Hindi language teacher but I have been teaching them life,” she smiles. Once upon a time, the coastal school was infamous for students who were drug addicts and victims of sexual abuse but in the first year that Aji joined there, it started showing signs of change.
“Life was not that easy at the beginning. I could have remained just another language teacher in a government school. But I always wanted to do something for the overall development of students.As some of the most influential role models for developing students, teachers are responsible for more than just academic enrichment. If you want to be a great educator, you must connect with your pupils and reach out to them on multiple levels because the best teachers are committed to their students’ well-being both inside and outside the classroom. Thus I became a part of Vidhyalaya Jagrutha, an initiative by the department of education of Kozhikode district. I started helping the affected children by educating them about the problems and bad effects,” she says.
“Life was not easy during those days. I had come across many students who were largely affected by their bad surroundings, especially in coastal areas. The infamous gangs continuously provided drugs to these kids. I had to sit with them and talk to them like a parent to make them aware of the dangers of it. It was not easy. I had students who used to come to class drunk. The first hurdle was to talk to them. Mostly they were absent from classes. There were also students who were not able to come to class because they had nothing to eat. So I had to buy them food sometimes with my own money. When I started to get results, I sou ght help from the Student Poli ce Cadets. But the situation worsened when I started to get threats. But that’s when I realised my deeds were working,” she says.
Students dropping out of the school was another issue she tackled. “Dropping out is a decision that students won’t likely come to you about but an able teacher can notice the indications that a student is struggling and intervene before it’s too late. Aside from educating them on the hard facts about dropping out, teachers can also help assess the problem and figure out an alternative. I could help them with systematic counselling,” she says.
The children she worked with come from bad neighbourhoods and situations. “I could rehabilitate many girls who were sexually abused. I have funded the higher studies and weddings of a few. Now they help with my new projects,” she says. When asked about her biggest dream or goal in life, she says, “I want all the schools to become student-friendly. Because a teacher can really help a student in any situation. Teachers can also be a trusted source of advice for students taking important life decisions. Students often look to their teachers as mentors with experience and knowledge, and, as an educator, you will almost definitely be asked for advice at some point during your career. If you could make at least one student inspired, then call yourself a good teacher. Because our words matter to them.”
