Hadn’t much realized that teaching was my cup of tea till my parents refused to allow me to take up journalism as my career. Being brought up in a household with artists and people
with literary leanings, I was exposed at a very early age to classics and great writers, which in
turn, lured me into the world of the queen’s language. Reading monthly magazines like
‘Chandamama’ and Shankar’s ‘Children’s World ‘and Readers’ Digest during childhood
further deepened my interest in the English language.
As soon as I realized that my craving for a career in journalism would be curbed, I decided
that my pursuit of happiness could be realized by taking up a career in teaching. With a soft
spoken nature and quiet demeanour, I did quite wonder if it could be an appropriate choice
and within a short span of time, I comprehended that I did have a passion for teaching
language. A young teacher at college trying to do things differently and instill a love for the
language in the young minds aka a mini version of Miss Jean Brodie from Muriel Spark’s
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’, that was me in my prime. Teaching the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth to a set of young girls in SDNB Vaishnav brought so much excitement to the inexperienced teacher in me. As days flew by, I had a big group of my girls flocking around me with great enthusiasm to participate in all the word games and that I used to bring to the table and in due course, boosting my morale as a teacher.
This confidence led me to head the department of English in yet another Arts and Science
college, which bestowed me with multiple responsibilities and no sooner, I moved on to the
UAE where I had the opportunity to guide and mentor teachers and students alike. Moving on
from the elite world of literature into the common man’s world of language wasn’t easy as I
thought. Imparting communication skills to Engineering students is nevertheless a Herculean
task which most of us have been doing meticulously. Handling students is, of course like
treading a tight rope and needs extreme caution. But then, teaching is a pleasure for those
who have a passion for it and such people certainly enjoy the nitty-gritty of the teaching
learning process.
Dr. Sheeba Manodh
Assistant Professor (Sel.G)
Department of English
