Paper Checking

Throughout my student years, I used to think that the teachers were the happiest creatures on earth-no other job could be as easy as that of teaching-------just go on rambling on in that all-serious voice to those mute, oh-so-innocent, wonder-struck students, organize an occasional test or so, and at the end of the day check papers without mercy, showering loads of knowledge on them.

I feel that the Almighty God must have had a good laugh during all those times I felt like that. As now, that I am facing the music of being teacher, I am getting a great opportunity to see the real picture.

Just few days back, the students in my school finished their First term examinations and it came upon us teachers to check their papers.
I had to go through the papers of classes 5 and 6-and just let me inform that every class in this school has four sections each with about 55-60 students in each of them. So all you, my fellow beings –having a knowledge of simple mathematics you can well nigh calculate the amount of papers my nose had to dive into.

Well, all was going fine while checking the first 25-30 papers. The handwritings were just fabulous, answers to-the-point, and it was a pleasure to see that the students have indeed understood the lessons. Yeah, indeed I have been teaching them damn well- I kept thinking boastfully.

But things started to change all of a sudden.
Came across a paper where the student involved had actually copied the whole question paper itself!! Was shocked. Ok. Cool down- I said to myself. Go to the next one.
And lo! And behold! This fellow, had drawn pictures of trees and plants of all types in reply to the question where they were asked to write about “Our trees and plants”. Hmmmm. I drank a glass of water, closed my eyes for a while, took a deep breath, and then opened them to find answers such as the following:

Question: Describe a rectangle.
Answer: A rectangle is a four sided figure. It has four sides. It has four equal sides. Two of its sides are long and two of its sides are short. It has four angles. All right angles. Therefore, it is a square. (Confused? Don’t worry. I was too.)

Awww K. Next.

Question: When was Rabindranath Tagore born?
Answer: Rabindranath Tagore was born at Joranasko, (yes, that was the exact spelling and not Jorasanko as the correct spelling should be) Kolkata. (I screwed my eyes to see if I had missed the date as required by the question, but no, no mention of any date whatsoever).

After checking a few more of this type of answers, I was at my wit’s end. Thought it better to call it quit. But then, the spirit of some great warrior must have showered his blessings upon me. So decided to have another go. So, there I went again-

Question: Write a paragraph on Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
Answer: Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a great leader of Bengal. He was born at Veerasingha gram, in Midnapore District. He spent his childhood in extreme poverty. (ok, so far, so good). He had a father and mother. (hmm…). Vidyasagar loved to drink milk. (aww oh!!). There lived a cow and calf in his house. He used to drink the milk of that cow every morning. One day, he saw that the calf was tied beside the cow. His mother was milking the cow. Seeing this, Vidyasagar thought that this isn’t right. This shows that the calf is being fooled, as it could not drink the cow’s milk. So he said that he would not drink the cow’s milk from that day. He asked that milk to be given to the calf. This shows that he was a kindly person. (End of the paragraph)

I didn’t know what would make me feel better- Cry aloud, put a big zero with the reddest pen I have, or just make a visit to my own blissful dream world. Finally, dazed and feeling defeated, I put away the rest of the answer scripts. Sighing deeply, I surrendered my fate to all known Gods and Goddesses and remembered my golden days when I just had to wait in patient anticipation for my report card.

But a teacher has to do what a teacher has to do. So taking in another deep breathe, I ventured out to meet other similar challenges of staying cool!!
All ye comrades, help me out.