TEACHERS DAY LECTURE - Part 1 - THE ART OF TEACHING

THE ART OF TEACHING

A Mulla Nasrudin Teaching Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Happy Teachers Day to all Teachers and to all Students too. Well I am a Teacher too, so here is a Mulla Nasrudin Story on THE ART OF TEACHING to cheer you up and give you food for thought.

Mulla Nasrudin was a teacher, but got bored of the repetitive routine.

One day at the beginning of his fisrt class at the start of the new academic year, he asked his new pupils, “Do you know what I am about to teach you...?”

“No,” they responded.

“Well then,” Nasrudin said, “Since you have not even bothered to find out  what I am going to teach you and so you do not have the pre-requisite background information, there is no point in me trying to teach you.”

And with that statement, Nasrudin angrily walked out of the classroom.

The next day, he came to the class and asked the students, “Okay – do you know what I am going to teach you, or don’t you...?”

Thinking of the previous day and afraid to annoy him again, the students responded, “Yes, we know.”

“Well then,” Nasrudin replied, “if you already know what I am going to teach you, then there is no point in me telling you what you already know...”

And uttering those words, Nasrudin stormed out of the classroom.

The next day, he came to the class and once again he asked the students, “Do you know what I am going to teach you, or don’t you...?”

The students, trying to play safe, replied, “Half of us do, and half of us don’t.”

“Wonderful. That’s fantastic,” Nasrudin exclaimed, “Now the half of you that do know can tell the other half that don’t know... !”

And suddenly, without giving the dumbfounded students a chance to recover their wits, Nasrudin exultantly left the classroom with a flourish.

Wishing You a Happy Teachers Day...

VIKRAM KARVE