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.’
