(from Johnite Screamer, December 2010 Issue)

Dr. Mary Varghese, dept of Ophthalmology

Teachers day — – a day when students wish
you “happy teachers day”, a day when some
batches of students come around greeting you
with cards, and perhaps some with roses, a day
when you have a special prayer in the church for
teachers…But this year was different…
…they celebrated it with a difference. We were
requested to assemble at the auditorium and I
soon realized that this was a special function they
had organized for us. The last ‘Teachers Day
celebrations’ at John’s had taken place more than
9 or 10 yrs ago. Being a teacher is a huge
responsibility and all teachers including the
Montessori teachers undergo special training to
become teachers. But in a medical college,
teachers take up these roles without any formal
training. It took me a while to get rid of my
apprehensions and to accept this role, while
enjoying it at the same time. I admit that having
children in the same age group as my students
helped.
This year students had very little time to
organize the teacher’s day function, in spite of
which the entertainment was a real treat. They
concluded the function with something very
special. When the students handed us candles and
lit them one by one, it was symbolic of the transfer
of knowledge and wisdom from one individual to
another. On the whole, it was a very
h e a r t w a r m i n g experience which
really touched me and made me realize
again the responsibilities and
joy s of being a teacher