Friday, July 01, 2011

Open Letter to a Teacher

Disclaimer: Dear reader, if "somehow" you turn out to be my teacher then by no means this letter is written by me. I copied it from the link stated in the end. 
Dear Teacher,

How have you been? I hope everything is good. Although nothing is at my end, majorly because of the project on Robotics that has to be submitted to you by this week. It is giving me sleepless nights. In case you still have not guessed, I am a second year student in your institute. I have somehow gathered some courage to write this letter to you with an anonymous name so that you cannot deduct 5 marks from my internals, again. Although I would have loved to write with my name but I cannot risk losing anymore marks.

I want to divert your assiduity on what actually pupil think. However, before that I would like to tell you that the whole college knows about your affair with Mr. Sharma, our Physics lab assistant. I hereby request you to stop hiding it, and oh BTW you both are so perfect for each other, both with pessimistic thoughts towards your own "humble" students.



Coming back to the topic, this is what I want you to know:
There are two types of teacher in this world.


1. The good ones
2. The mean ones

Nevertheless, you fall in the rarest category the cruelly mean ones. Curious, which ones are these? Ah! Rarest.
Well, we the students have zero affinity towards the methodology of your teaching and always curse the way they check the papers. You brutally deduct marks and nothing ...NOTHING not even our tears move you. We believe that you allot marks based on the class performance, which is wrong. You gave me five marks out of 30 due to low attendance, ignoring the fact that despite your brutal checking I managed to pass, somehow.


You are bias to the ones who “serve” you to those who choose to ignore your tea demand in between the lecture. You sound so blatant during the lectures that we prefer listening to Metallica, even they sound much more pleasant than you. Engineering is not a child’s play and we are not even a prodigy hence good internal marks are prerequisite to clear the external examination. "You treat us like congressional representatives even though we strictly oppose them" (It is a metaphor in case you misunderstood me). 


No course of action is been taken on our letters directing administration toward the kind of behaviour shown by you. Either letters were scarce or a electronics teacher is not available anywhere. Due to this, we have to relinquished writing letters and have to come up with something against your crotchety (euphemism). Preens by you are on crescendo and frankly, we are not mature enough to comprehend boasting you flaunt. It is a delight to you but turmoil for us.

How to improve 
Yeah right, I will give you suggestions and I hope you do pay some heed to them. There are a variety of measures, which can be taken by you to halt the fear.
#1. Understanding your students, as humans and as frustrated engineering students
#2. The policy of “giving” – obviously marks.
#3. No commotion if one suffers from low attendance.
#4. Not being a sexist.
#5. Not calling parents and complaining them.


Hence, I request you to, please mull over the unanimous class voice. I hope you will change and adapt some human friendly methods while teaching. Until then we will continue bunking your lectures or listening to Metallica in your classes


Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Anonymous 
(No Offence, no, seriously)
| This post was first written for The EP!C Magazine  "Ensemble of Plainly Idiosyncratic Citizens" Magazine. Original piece can be read here.

26 comments:

  1. Mind if I take a copy of this & paste it on my college notice board ??

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  2. I second this story!! Totally relate to it. National Law Universities are no different!

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  3. You seem to have mastered the art of writing open letters in a euphemistic way. keep up the good work Prateek :)

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  4. And who might have written it there? :D

    No wonder Robotics isn't taught in many engineering colleges and that too as a subject in bachelors and we take it up as a hobby.

    And about those teachers, he/she's right. Totally.
    Only if they'd pay heed to it and not make the whole class (with exception to their sexist or favouritist tendencies).

    Nice post. Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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  5. lol...nice read...most students would be able to connect to it, unfortunately...

    Cheers!
    SUB

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  6. a burning topic since decades and God knows how long it is going to remain so......wish some sense prevails n they feel ur grievances.....:D

    nice take by you on the situation....!!!

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  7. Rinaya Oh! Sure, but please credit me. :D

    Red Handed See, see I'm always right when it comes to teachers.

    Anshul May be someone with my name.

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  8. Sub Thanks. :)

    Irfanuddin Was the scenario same at your time too.

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  9. I want to write one such letter to my economics lecturer. I am from engineering background and he teaches economics as if everyone has already mastered the subject. He's so full of himself too. I just don't like him. x-(

    Anyway, nice letter to the teacher you don't like. :)

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  10. Your teacher isn't a "he" right? otherwise you could've publicly exposed him for having a gay relationship with a Mr Sharma. XD
    On a serious note, just maintain the level of attendance required to keep the teacher pleased, that's the trick. Also just before every semester end, flatter them with warm, appraising words about how good their teaching is(irrespective of how shitty it is). THAT too helps!

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  11. @Prateek
    oh yes...they are the same breed you know, at least you guys can take ur rant out now on blogs n social networks but in our times it was like suffocating within........

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  12. Brought the memories of my engineering days. God! Are all teachers the same?

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  13. Teachers unfortunately tend to think the world of themselves, forgetting that the students of today are not only smarter but also wise to the ways of their teachers. Good read.

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  14. Funny. What a polite way of saying fuck off and let us be:D

    If there is any way you can get away with it without being scorched, do try to make the teacher read it, it might help taking them down a peg or two.

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  15. I am posting this one on your university website....:)
    Honestly the teacher wouldnt care. I guess the cruel ones know they are cruel but just cant change. Any criticism slides off like water off a proverbial duck.
    Its high time an assessment of teachers by the students should be posted every 6 months on the notice board. Wonder if it will change anything though.

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  16. I Loved it... u poured all emotions and plight of a student and the meanness of teachers :D

    Teachers of present scenario are born to harass students !!

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  17. Irfan Same pain. Sigh!

    Sairam You were a victim and I'm being victimized.

    Defiant Princess Look who is on my blog. Tch tch. I too loved reading it.

    Zephyr We shall protest them. Gathering at Jantar Mantar.

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  18. Nethra Yes, this letter is to every teacher at my campus. Err...

    Samadrita But that'd be against "Indian culture", no? I'll follow your escaping remedy, let's see.

    Priyanka Haww! That was rude but......uh right.

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  19. Alka Ma'am That is diabolic and outrageous method to sabotage but then author is anonymous so it's cool with me.

    Jyoti You mean to say I wrote "आप बीती?"

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  20. HHAHAAHAHAHA! This was awesome! :D

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  21. Of course he has a ditto name. Do you see him in the mirror everyday? :)

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  22. Fate of every other engineering student who dares to think out of the box methodology. You gave me inspiration to pen down my own story of the great Indian teacher debacle. :P

    Weakest Link

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  23. I wish I had a copy of this letter back during my college days.. Good one..

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  24. Vishant Thanks.

    Anshul Almost. :P

    Rachit I can feel the agony in your words.

    Anita Ma'am Do it now and college will remember you forever. :P

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  25. Hey Pratik...I simply loved this piece :) Check out my Open Letter to a Teacher on my blog: http://blahblog-rvj.blogspot.com/2012/03/neo-studentism-open-letter.html

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