Amir teaches the Teach for India teachers!


Vipul Shaha, May 30, 2009 

‘When you wish upon a star…all the dreams that you dream come true.’  I had always dreamed of personally meeting Amir Khan—not so much for him being a film star but being the person that he is.  His role as a teacher in Taare Zameen Par, particularly, had a deep impact on how I perceive the ‘small world’ of children and the crucial role of a teacher in shaping young lives.  Sometimes, dreams come true unexpectedly sooner than we could ever imagine them to.  And so it happened this afternoon when Amir Khan stepped in a class full of Teach for India fellows like me--my dream had come true and it seemed unreal for a moment!  The two hours of friendly interaction that followed will continue to inspire me in my new role as a teacher and as a human being.  Here is a brief attempt to capture what Amir had to say on education in India.


An average student in his school days, Amir did not know what to do with his life until when he developed an interest for dramatics and filmmaking.  Amir did not continue his 'formal' education after completing his class XII.  Being a stubborn and determined person that he is, he defied all the concerns that his family expressed about his ‘extra-ordinary’ decision.  He firmly told them, ‘I was only having a good time so far, my real education begins now!’

Amir has done an extensive amount of research on child psychology, children with special needs and the education system for his movie TZP.  He spoke of the four basic emotional needs of every child and that of every human being: security, trust and faith, dignity and love.  Amir spoke at length about how each child is special, has his own pace of learning, abilities, areas of strengths and weaknesses.  He urged us (to-be teachers) not to force education upon a child and let the child be his own natural self and happy.  When asked about what he thinks as the purpose of an ideal education system, he responded with firm clarity—to enable and empower a child to deal with life in a happy manner, to be curious, to ask questions and to communicate confidently in whichever form suits him the best.  Once provided with right skills, tools and mindset, the child will be empowered to define and choose his own path in life.

Amir posed an intriguing question--why is it that if a child is not doing very well in sports, arts or music, it is considered okay, but when it comes to mathematics and science, everyone must master it all?  Referring to societal obsession with stardom and race towards the top, he mentioned how not everyone can be a film-star or a cricketer, but there is a 'hero' hidden within every child, which needs careful nurturing and attention.  Amir values everyday little successes of ordinary human beings more than the extraordinary success stories of a few.  'If you can cheer up the mood of a grumpy conductor on a bus, who might have had a bad day, you are successful!'.  Redefining the idea of 'success', Amir said that success depends upon one's core being and happiness.

Not undermining the importance of a child's academic progress, Amir endorsed and spoke highly about the need for ‘creative teaching’--by making learning an exciting process. He compared the role of a teacher to that of a film director.  Just as a director facilitates the process of filmmaking by trying to bring out the best in each character, a true good teacher facilitates the process of learning by bringing out the best in every child and inspiring every child to bloom.  Drawing example from his own self, and why he makes only a few films, he said ‘if only you have a story to tell, you will tell it well.’  Each day when the teacher enters the classroom he shall be so excited to ‘tell his story’ that he will put in fullest of  his energy, belief and patience to deliver knowledge. 

Amir cautioned us not to be judgmental towards our students and make every child feel very special.  Building an emotional bond with each child is important.  Amir placed his emphasis on ‘creating good human beings’ at primary school level.  This will naturally result into a society that grows up to be a more responsible one, he believes.


Amir signed off by sharing his own dream—‘I have a dream that one day in this country the tide will turn—that parents, educators and society will move away from forcing competitive spirit on innocent young minds and start instilling in them the value of caring for others.’

Teaching—A Journey of Transformation

-By Vipul Shaha, Fellow, Teach for India.
January 15, 2010

“Bhaiyya* I want to become a pilot!” shouted Ameya*—an 8 year old boy, bubbling with energy and confidence in my Superstars class. “But Bhaiyya, how do I write Pilot? See na Bhaiyya—P—I—L—E—T? Correct?” followed his impatient question. As I turned to Ameya to help him with his spelling, 33 other equally enthusiastic young minds were scrambling for my attention—“Bhaiyya, I want to be a dancer...teacher...doctor...cricketer...I want to help people...” I had asked them to write about their ‘Dream Job’—even as I had found mine in teaching a class of Grade 3 children at Epiphany High School—a low income private school in Pune. Everyday, as I step in my classroom, I can see the dreams in my kids’ eyes and feel the eagerness in their hearts to learn new things.


Ameya came in as a so called ‘failed’ student in my class. When the school started, his parents came to me, visibly very worried about their child’s future. They even had to carry out a psychometric analysis test—the results of which suggested a low level of IQ and the suggestion that the kid should be moved to a Marathi school. I pleaded for time. Seven months have passed and Ameya, today, is one of the finest students in my class. He does his homework regularly, he wrote one of the most beautiful letters to his pen-pal in a school in England (through an international link-up). His parents don’t beat him as often as they used to and are happy with his progress.





The journey for Ameya and his classmates is nowhere as smooth and promising as their counterparts in well-off schools. As statistics reveal, as many as 50% of India’s kids drop-out of school by the time they reach Grade 5. Not because their parents don’t want to send their kids to school, but simply because kids are not keeping up with the system of rote learning and poor quality of our education. With no support system and exposure at home for learning, the potential in these kids remains unexplored and even suppressed. Their dreams and ambitions in life fall victim to their circumstances --never to be remembered by anyone. This reality keeps me driving everyday to work even harder for my class, so that the Ameyas in my class can go on to give wings to their dreams.




When I first accepted my two year teaching assignment with Teach for India* in April 2009, little did I know that I am about to set off on a most challenging journey in life. The job demanded from me not merely an effective teacher in the classroom but an effective human being at every moment of my existence. Soon it was clear to me that unless I transform myself, I cannot hope to transform the lives of these beautiful young minds in my class. ‘Teaching As Leadership’ as defined by Teach for India, began to assume meaning even as I struggled to keep up with the challenge in its initial phase. I realize that over the months kids have taught me how to be more patient, more forgiving and more cheerful. Eight months into teaching and I truly feel that I have come a long way from the first day when my world was oceans apart from the mysterious little world of children. I can relate with them better now. So much so that, they have become an inseparable part of my life— even in my dreams my students do not seem to leave me! I find myself more and more engaged with the mission that ‘One Day All Children Will Attain an Excellent Education.’





The truth, however, is that I find myself greatly limited in my capacity to bring about a drastic change. I often wonder to myself after school, whether the kids learnt anything today? Am I making any difference to their lives? How do I reach out to their parents and communities who have a larger influence on them? How do we tackle issues like mal- nourishment, domestic violence, alcoholism, corporal punishment and child abuse which threaten a child’s healthy growth? Exploring answers to these questions may be a lifelong journey. Down the years, kids may or may not remember the Nouns and Adjectives in English grammar. My only inner belief and hope lies in helping these kids slowly turn into independent and creative thinkers to face their own challenges in life. The unconditional love I receive from my kids, the purity of smile on their faces and their anticipating sunshine eyes shall keep me going. The journey has just really begun...


*Bhaiyya--a respectful way of calling an elder brother in Hindi / Marathi language
*Ameya--name changed to protect identity
*Teach for India a national movement of young leaders who will work to eliminate educational inequity in India. http://www.teachforindia.org