Teachers vs Aunties
A note on why teachers are called 'aunties' and how different they are.
My brother's daughter Shreyasi started going to a Montessori School in Madras from the age of 2.5 (?). She was the first child I had seen daily from her birth. All my spare time was spent with her. So naturally I was very curious as to what she did at school. The first thing that struck me was she talked about some aunty who was with her. I was confused. Then my sister-in-law who had attended a Montessori training course explained that they were not teachers. "They don't teach. They guide." That is why the child calls her guide 'aunty' and not teacher.
The kids think the world of their aunty. For example, how much ever I try to tell Hari that its not going to rain he won't listen to me. He insists on taking his raincoat with him. Aunty would just tell him very sweetly, "beta, give your raincoat to your mama. She will be here and have it with her. You can take it later." And lo behold! the raincoat is in my hand!
Our teachers were always a terror to students or vice versa. Occasionally there was some teacher who was loved by all and had a good reputation among students. This meant that you could come to her class without doing homework. You get a lot of free time. Play a lot. Hear cricket commentaries. Read story books (without keeping it inside a textbook). Small talk with the teacher about her children and grandchildren. But that was rare and one can be sure that that teacher would not last more than a year in the school.
My brother's daughter Shreyasi started going to a Montessori School in Madras from the age of 2.5 (?). She was the first child I had seen daily from her birth. All my spare time was spent with her. So naturally I was very curious as to what she did at school. The first thing that struck me was she talked about some aunty who was with her. I was confused. Then my sister-in-law who had attended a Montessori training course explained that they were not teachers. "They don't teach. They guide." That is why the child calls her guide 'aunty' and not teacher.
The kids think the world of their aunty. For example, how much ever I try to tell Hari that its not going to rain he won't listen to me. He insists on taking his raincoat with him. Aunty would just tell him very sweetly, "beta, give your raincoat to your mama. She will be here and have it with her. You can take it later." And lo behold! the raincoat is in my hand!
Our teachers were always a terror to students or vice versa. Occasionally there was some teacher who was loved by all and had a good reputation among students. This meant that you could come to her class without doing homework. You get a lot of free time. Play a lot. Hear cricket commentaries. Read story books (without keeping it inside a textbook). Small talk with the teacher about her children and grandchildren. But that was rare and one can be sure that that teacher would not last more than a year in the school.
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