Lopamudra studied at Santiniketan and has been with the KFI schools for the past thirty years. She taught for seventeen years at the Rajghat Besant School before moving to The Valley School thirteen years ago. She has taught different subjects across age groups and is passionate about teaching mathematics through hands-on activities. She set up the Math Lab for middle school students. Her love for music and craft too shines through the several activities she facilitates across age groups.
I studied at Patha Bhavan in Santiniketan, a residential school founded by Rabindranath Tagore. For him the purpose of education was to nurture a student’s physical, emotional and intellectual growth in natural surroundings. The development of the senses and appreciation of literature, music, dance, and the fine arts were as important as intellectual growth. Many teachers made a great impact on me, and I will share a few stories.
My first story is about a language teacher who left her job at a university to join Patha Bhavan. In her ‘supervised study’ sessions, our senior students would often request her to explain the meaning of a poem. A few of us would seat ourselves just behind those students to listen intently to their discussions. She brought the text alive by helping them view the poem through many lenses, thus allowing them to develop multiple perspectives. What we heard made us eager to explore and appreciate the beauty of these poems ourselves.
Every year, students in Class 10 performed a dance-drama and the rehearsals went on for a month. We, the students in the lower grades, would watch their practice after our lessons were done. At the end of a month, we too knew the songs and dances. We could have performed the dance drama ourselves, even though we did not get the chance to be on stage at that time. Learning can thus happen beyond the closed walls of a classroom. As facilitators, we really do not know how and when students learn. I feel that it is our responsibility to provide learners with the right ambience to learn and create.
My third story is about a teacher who taught me mathematics. When we were in the final year of secondary school, he asked us where we would be pursuing our higher education. My parents had decided to withdraw me from Santiniketan and admit me to a conventional high school near our home. My teacher felt that Santiniketan was the right place for me. During the summer break, he visited our home and had a long discussion with my father, expressing his apprehensions. He convinced my father to let me return to Santiniketan and even assured him that he would be my local guardian there. I am so grateful that I had teachers like him who stood by me, understood what I needed, and supported me in immeasurable ways.
When faced with similar circumstances where I teach now, I often wonder how to convince parents that our school environment can nurture their child in so many ways. Here students learn how to share a common space in the hostel, be sensitive to others’ needs, become self-motivated and more aware of nature and, most of all, begin to appreciate the sense of freedom and handle it responsibly. Yet, as teachers we can only make suggestions; the final decision lies with the child and parent.
The last story is about my house parent from Class 4 onwards. I depended on her support all the way till I finished college! Through the ups and downs in my life, her door was always open for me. She never asked me why I was upset or what was bothering me, and yet her calm presence and gentle care immediately made me feel better. We often spent time doing craft together — crochet, knitting, weaving or macrame. Practising those crafts is still an integral part of my life.
I feel it is important for teachers to provide a safe space for students so that they know that they are cared for and have people who will listen and make them feel seen. I stayed in touch with these teachers even after I left school and I still think of them as family. Their unconditional love and care gave me enormous strength to meet the challenges of life. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to them all!