During my tenure as a class teacher of Std. 9, an incident occurred which scandalized the ‘sensibility’ of the ‘learned’ lot. Two adolescent were caught smooching in one of the empty classroom.
This was discussed in hushed tones in the campus and the poor girl was labeled a shrew. Her friends avoided her and the teachers ignored her. She was severely reprimanded, and was also suspended from the school for 7 days. I guess she had to undergo further humiliations by her kith and kin. But the boy was spared such humiliations. He was let off after a routine reprimand and of course 7 days of suspension.
When she joined the school, it was clear that she was under tremendous stress and I guess it costs her a lot to attend school. On noticing her trauma, I sent her to the school counselor, who in a pragmatic tone, ruled her out and emphatically pronounced, “ oh she is that kind of a girl….”. Off-putting comments about her family background and her parents’ character ruled the staff room.
When I decided to counsel her, the puritans, too analyzed my character. I was called by the high command to explain why I had snubbed their decision of ignoring the girl and ‘forgetting’ the incident….
I insisted that reprimanding the girl will not solve the problem and I, as a human being first and then as a teacher, have a responsibility towards her future to ensure that she doesn’t go about smooching every Tom, Dick and Harry whenever her hormones plays truant.
I was told that such cases happen in every school. And what do they do? Nothing. “Sex and sexuality issues are taboo subjects not to be discussed. “Nobody told us about ‘these things’ … we got to know about it at the right time…”; spat came the replies from my esteemed colleagues
Well, I do agree with them. Our times were different. We were really stupid. We didn’t have the option of such vast array of serials or for that matter the Internet. But these kids have and it is us who have lured them to think and experiment. The garrulous moaning, panting and sighing, the look of ecstasy and rejuvenations on the screen motivates them and they feel they ought to try it out.
I was considerably alarmed when I learnt from my doctor friend about the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy in this small city. We cannot afford to be complacent any more. This is happening. We cannot simply blame the media or the West for this. Our kids are growing and they are immature; the onus is on us to guide them and tell them about the birds and the bees so that they can take sensible decisions so as not to unruffle the sensibility of the puritans.
This was discussed in hushed tones in the campus and the poor girl was labeled a shrew. Her friends avoided her and the teachers ignored her. She was severely reprimanded, and was also suspended from the school for 7 days. I guess she had to undergo further humiliations by her kith and kin. But the boy was spared such humiliations. He was let off after a routine reprimand and of course 7 days of suspension.
When she joined the school, it was clear that she was under tremendous stress and I guess it costs her a lot to attend school. On noticing her trauma, I sent her to the school counselor, who in a pragmatic tone, ruled her out and emphatically pronounced, “ oh she is that kind of a girl….”. Off-putting comments about her family background and her parents’ character ruled the staff room.
When I decided to counsel her, the puritans, too analyzed my character. I was called by the high command to explain why I had snubbed their decision of ignoring the girl and ‘forgetting’ the incident….
I insisted that reprimanding the girl will not solve the problem and I, as a human being first and then as a teacher, have a responsibility towards her future to ensure that she doesn’t go about smooching every Tom, Dick and Harry whenever her hormones plays truant.
I was told that such cases happen in every school. And what do they do? Nothing. “Sex and sexuality issues are taboo subjects not to be discussed. “Nobody told us about ‘these things’ … we got to know about it at the right time…”; spat came the replies from my esteemed colleagues
Well, I do agree with them. Our times were different. We were really stupid. We didn’t have the option of such vast array of serials or for that matter the Internet. But these kids have and it is us who have lured them to think and experiment. The garrulous moaning, panting and sighing, the look of ecstasy and rejuvenations on the screen motivates them and they feel they ought to try it out.
I was considerably alarmed when I learnt from my doctor friend about the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy in this small city. We cannot afford to be complacent any more. This is happening. We cannot simply blame the media or the West for this. Our kids are growing and they are immature; the onus is on us to guide them and tell them about the birds and the bees so that they can take sensible decisions so as not to unruffle the sensibility of the puritans.
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