The title of this post is inspired. I read this chapter in a book where the author talks about mice and mould in American classrooms and the frustration that teachers experienced from having to teach in less than healthy physical conditions. Sometimes you read something that sticks with you.
Mushrooms, Mice and Mould
Shalaby in her book Troublemakers… wrote about mushrooms, mould and mice in classrooms. As teachers struggled to teach in conditions that are far less than optimum and the state refused to pay heed, the protest by teachers took the obvious turn of reaching social media. There was mass teacher retrenchment for speaking against the state. I remember feeling a sense of satisfaction from shared disgust with the system. The lack of basic infrastructure is not unique to India. It is everywhere. America is so glamorised in Indian media that we often forget that reality may be far fetched. In six years, things may have changed. India continues to struggle.
Sitting in a metropolitan city, I wonder what would be happening in the hinterlands if this is the state in the heart of the city. The situation of state run schools in Delhi has undoubtedly been showing an improvement. There have been efforts to improve infrastructure. The process is slow, I am not sure if it is steady. I am also not sure if the state government, in Delhi, and elsewhere realises the need for budget augmentation for infrastructural development. Yet, we do not have mould in most classrooms that I have visited in the past years. Mice, yes. Mould and mushrooms, no. So are we better than state run American schools?
Stuck Salaries
The frustration I experience comes from something even worse. Yes, many schools (and colleges) are grossly understaffed. Yes, the government for reasons best known to them, has been irregular in paying salaries. This one aspect is enough to lower our expectations from teachers to almost zero. Who would want to work in a structured system of employment without any regularity of pay? This is not just true in Delhi but across many states and probably countries. Although I haven’t yet researched on this.
Eventually, they pay. But it surely lowers the quality of life for most teachers or any other professional, lowers morale and increases stress. Through interactions with teachers, I have come to understand that this irregularly of pay is a localised problem affecting people in pockets. I don’t know if that should make me feel better!
Empty Classrooms
And yet, I continue to feel frustrated with teachers who do not teach. As part of my work, I visit a state run school once every week. My primary, perhaps sole, task is to observe pre service teachers. I do end up observing the school.
The school that I am visiting this year has a fantastic Principal who is one of the few empathetic and efficient administrators I have met so far. She is without a doubt an inspiration to work harder and better. And yet, her school teachers are not inspired. Some of course, continue to work hard. But often I find classrooms empty particularly towards the second half of the school day.
Yesterday, as I sat in one of the classrooms where my student was teaching, I was so distracted by the noise outside that I could barely concentrate on class proceedings. How were the young teenagers studying in this chaos? Or maybe my attention span is too low.
As I stepped out at the end of the class, I looked around. The school is clean, green and well kept. Classrooms are not equipped with the latest technology, or any gadgets for that matter. But the basic infrastructure is in place. This seems sufficient to me, because I have seen worse. And yet, teachers choose to stay away from classes. And students are left to occupy themselves with games, gossips, and fights. They will develop good peer relationships at least.
Many Causes of Frustration
My frustration does not end with this. I was grossly dissatisfied with the classes that pre service teachers were taking. Not the pedagogy. That can improve but the attitude and the effort put in to teaching, is far from what is required. There is no belief in the possibility of doing better. Excuses galore. This requires separate reflection.
And yet, as I sit back and think about what is happening in schools, I feel that pre service teachers have no motivation to teach. Why should they bother? Aren’t they doing enough by merely showing up? Even though it is only a compulsion, made worse by my presence. But since regular teachers aren’t doing even this much, their coming to classes should suffice.
And in the end, I am left wondering, am I becoming the moral custodian of what should be in schools? Should I just make peace with the abysmal state of affairs and carry on with my own life?
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Carla Shalaby’s book is available as an audiobook on audible.