A Prayer To The Teacher (Prose)

Unit 3 – Prose

A Prayer to the Teacher

Warm Up

Read the clues, guess the profession and fill in the crossword puzzle.

Across
2. teaches students
4. helps doctors and patients
6. builds houses according to a plan
9. protects the country
10. gives ticket to passengers

Down
1. gives treatment to animals
3. grows crops
5. flies an aircraft
7. plays a musical instrument
8. stitches clothes

• Which is the role of a farmer in society? Discuss and answer.
• When you grow up, what do you want to become? Why?

Reading

This lesson is based on a speech given by Subroto Bagchi, founder and CEO of Mindtree, as part of the convocation address at the International Academy for Creative Teaching, Bangalore, on January 6, 2005.

He addressed the teachers graduating from the Academy and requested them to go beyond the syllabus and teach students the values and skills they need to live a useful and meaningful life.

It is a great occasion for the 2005 batch of graduating teachers. It is also a great day for the faculty and administration to have given the world another set of people whose impact is going to be proportionately large.

I am honoured to be here with all of you to share your joy, your hopes. As teachers, on behalf of all the lives you will touch, I have a few things to ask of you. It is going to be a long and somewhat unusual list – so I seek your indulgence. Here goes my list:

First, I pray to you that you teach me the value of inclusion.

The people who write my textbooks and the ones who prescribe the syllabi will not tell you how important inclusion is for me to do well in life. Without the sense of inclusion, I will not know that boundaries are meant to be pushed – not to be lived in.

Take for example the fact that I clean my house but empty my garbage on the road. That is because the road is not “included” in what I feel is my own.
I feed my own child but do not ask if the maid has eaten today. Her hunger is not included in my hunger.
I take my child to the movie but do not ask him to call the neighbour’s child. That child is outside my zone of parenting.

So Teacher, teach me inclusion.

I pray to you to teach me to communicate.

As I get caught in the rat race of the common entrance tests and cut-throat competition, everyone will tell me that my survival depends on my power to impress. The more I want to impress, the less I will communicate.

Teach me to speak and be able to write so that I am able to convey what I feel.

Teach me to communicate with:
- the simplicity of a child and the nakedness of a flower
- those who cannot speak or hear
- people less gifted, less privileged than I am
- those who have come before me and those who will follow
- things animate and inanimate

I pray to you to make me learn.

More than that, Teacher, teach me how I can learn to learn.

As you prepare me for the wide world in which I need to fend for myself and for others, one-time learning will not be good enough. I will have to have the ability to learn newer and more difficult things. Some of it I will need to learn very quickly. In all this, what will become critical is the process of learning itself, more than just what I am able to learn.

Help me to learn newer ways to learn. And that will make learning a joy for me.

Glossary

• syllabi – plural of syllabus
• inclusion – all people being valued, irrespective of differences
• cut throat – competitive
• less privileged – disadvantaged
• animate – living
• fend – look after
• critical – extremely important

As I learn to learn from unusual sources, I pray that you teach me to appreciate the interconnected nature of things.

Teach me, not just about the way the waves rise but what causes them to fall. Teach me to appreciate that the trees I fell, the small creatures I kill with indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides on the ground, the urban decay I cause with my consumerism – all add to awesome imbalances in the natural state of things that cause death and destruction and can one day, engulf me and mine.

Each time I see a scavenging bird on my city’s skyline, teacher, tell me why the singing birds are going away. And tell me how I can see them perched on my window sill again.

Glossary

• indiscriminate – without careful judgement
• consumerism – the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers
• destruction – the action of damaging or destroying something
• engulf – to eat or to swallow
• scavenger bird – anything that feeds on dead animals (example: crow)
• perch – to rest on / to stay on

I pray to you to teach me not just the ability to answer, but also the power to question.

Everyone is telling me to do as I am told. Before I know it, I am enslaved. It is because we do not ask questions. Only if we ask questions, can we get answers. If we get the answers, we can explore how to establish a better order of things. If we ask questions, we will also learn to be accountable. We will be more willing to accept that when we ask the questions, we can be questioned too. In that exchange, truth will emerge.

As I learn the power of humility, teach me about how all things that sustain life on earth, come free.

Teacher, I will live in an increasingly commercial world. I will be judged on how much “value” I can create by buying and selling things. My personal success will be determined by my ability to consume. I will not be able to always question the ways of the world, but do tell me how all things that truly support life, come without payment.

• The cow does not get paid for the milk she gives us.
• The earth does not ask for money for the crops we get.
• The sea does not come to get royalties on the catch of the day.
• The sun, the air, the river and the clouds do not get paid for their services.

I pray to you to teach me the power of silence – teach me also to raise my voice to protect the truth.

In a world where every moment is going to be full of noise, teach me to be quiet. Teach me to appreciate the sound of silence. For, in silence I can contemplate the power within.

Teach me to make my point without having to raise my voice.
And teach me to raise my voice, teacher, when my silence can hurt another life.

Glossary

• enslaved – made someone slave
• commercial – money minded
• contemplate – think deeply about something

Finally, I pray to you to teach me to develop a world view of things.

Teach me to appreciate that poverty, disease and hunger have no nationality. For hundreds of years, I have lived in a world with narrow domestic walls. In that world patriotism was founded on religious bigotry, racial intolerance and man’s remarkably short view of time. It was bounded by barbed wires and smoking guns.

In the future that I want to create, I want you to teach me the power of loving my fellow human beings.

Teach me to appreciate diversity and dialogue.
Teach me tolerance and teach me to remove the word “foreign” and “foreigner” from my vocabulary.

This is my world, teacher. In this world, I do not want to be a foreigner to anyone and I do not want to treat anyone like a foreigner.

With these thoughts, allow me to conclude my convocation address. May this day remain with you forever and may your path be illuminated with the power of a thousand Suns.

Thank You and Good Luck.

Glossary

• bigotry – intolerance towards others with a different opinion
• illuminated – light up

Ten Core Life Skills (WHO)

1. Self-awareness
2. Empathy
3. Critical thinking
4. Creative thinking
5. Decision making
6. Problem Solving
7. Effective communication
8. Interpersonal relationship
9. Coping with stress
10. Coping with emotion

I. Which of these statements do you find in the speech?

1. Inclusion is essential for us to do well in life. ✅
2. We should neglect others. ❌
3. Communicate politely with the less privileged. ✅
4. Teachers teach us to communicate well. ✅
5. Effective Communication is inessential to excel in life. ❌

II. Read the statements. Tick ✔ the correct words. You can tick more than one.

1. We should develop the ability to learn from self / others / books
2. Teachers help me to learn new / difficult things
3. Teach me to appreciate nature / small creatures
4. We should learn to ask / answer questions

III. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

1. What is inclusion? Why is it important?
   Inclusion means valuing all people irrespective of differences. It helps us push boundaries and live harmoniously.

2. What is good or effective communication?
   It is the ability to convey our thoughts simply and clearly to all kinds of people.

3. What should we learn from our teachers?
   We should learn values like inclusion, communication, questioning, and lifelong learning.

4. What kind of learning brings joy to you?
   Learning that is self-driven, creative, and connected to real life brings joy.

5. In what ways are we doing injustice to nature?
   By cutting trees, using pesticides, polluting, and consumerism that causes urban decay.

6. What do you need to learn to live a good life in this world?
   We need to learn empathy, humility, questioning, and respect for all life.

7. How does the ability to question help us?
   It helps us seek truth, be accountable, and improve the world.

8. What do you think are the two most important lessons that the speaker mentions?
   - Learning inclusion and empathy
   - Learning to question and communicate

IV. Answer the following questions in detail.

1. What are the skills / values a teacher should teach their students to live in this competitive world?
   Teachers should teach inclusion, communication, lifelong learning, questioning, humility, environmental care, and global citizenship.

2. What kind of a life do you want to lead in this world?
   A life of kindness, curiosity, respect for nature, and service to others.

Vocabulary

A. Prefix and Suffix

Match the suitable prefix or suffix to create new words.

S.No.	Root word	Prefix/Suffix	New word
1	form	con	conform
2	patriot	in	patriotism
3	diverse	ity	diversity
4	slaved	ism	slavery
5	animate	ness	animateness
6	consumer	en	consumerism
7	naked	ism	nakedness

B. Antonyms

Add a prefix or suffix to find antonyms.
1. privileged – underprivileged
2. animate – inanimate
3. discriminate – indiscriminate
4. empty – full
5. communicate – miscommunicate
6. learn – unlearn

Listening

C. Listen to the story and fill in the blanks.
1. Raj was upset as he had done poorly in his English test.
2. His grandmother gave him a pencil.
3. Granny compared Raj with the pencil.
4. Raj’s pain was compared with sharpening of pencils.
5. Raj understood that failures are stepping stones to success.

Speaking

D. Sarah Wants to Talk
Read the story. In groups of four, discuss what little Sarah wants to talk about. Role-play the story.

Picto Grammar – Prepositions

Time

• at 5:00 a.m.
• during the morning
• in the evening

Position / Place

• on the table
• in Villupuram
• at the bus stop
• above the head
• over the bridge
• inside the classroom

Language Check

• Use above when there is no movement.
• Use over when there is movement.
• Use in for large places (countries, cities).
• Use at for small places (park, school).
• Use on for actions involving body parts.
• Use by for means of transport.

E. Look at the pictures. Pick the right preposition.

between / down / from / onto / inside / on / in front of / over

F. Underline the preposition in each sentence.

1. Julian placed her lunchbox inside her bag.
2. Vinothini left the house before sunrise.
3. Ben saw Daisy playing across the road.
4. Hema keeps all her teddy bears on top of her wardrobe.
5. Divya hid the sweets behind her back.
6. Sudha fell over during the basketball match.
7. Madhusudhan checked underneath his chair.
8. Mrs Meena asked the children to go into her classroom.
9. After lunch, the children were allowed to play.
10. Saravanan climbed onto the horse.

G. Choose the correct preposition.

1. Is your mother at home?
2. There is unity in diversity among the people.
3. He discussed the problem with his parents.
4. Lithisha was praised by her father.
5. Can you finish the work by tomorrow?
6. He has been absent since last week.

H. Fill in the blanks.

across / with / on / to / by / since / from / about / into / at / during
1. What do you do at weekends?
2. I am going to my village on Sunday.
3. I haven’t met my friends since December.
4. Run across the street and get me the ribbon.
5. He told me in detail about the incident.
6. This picture was drawn by the girl with charcoal.
7. The car was travelling at a great speed.
8. The ball fell into the lake.
9. There is a bridge over the river.
10. The conference will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I. Fill up using suitable prepositions.

1. The soldier climbed onto a horse and rode away.
2. They have been here for a long time.
3. Kumaravel has lived in this city since 2012.
4. The paper was published in an International journal.
5. When will you return to home?
6. One of the four students wrote the answers correctly.
7. This fruit is from the Mexican capital.
8. The head office is in Nungambakkam. It is on College Road. As you go from the station, the office is on the right side.
9. The sailors were taken into the forest and made to walk for 10 miles.
10. The girl standing behind me was sneezing.

Writing

J. Value Tree

Fill in the value trees with the best qualities you like to follow in your life.

Best qualities in life
Affectionate, Cooperative, Gratitude, Loving, Responsible, Ambitious, Courageous, Happiness, Loyal, Self-confident, Brave, Dependability, Helpfulness, Good manners, Self-control, Calm, Diligence, Honest, Patriotic, Self-esteem, Caring, Enthusiastic, Humble, Peaceful, Sensitive, Cheerful, Fairness, Imaginative, Perseverance, Sincerity, Committed, Faithfulness, Intelligent, Polite, Successful, Compassionate, Flexible, Joyful, Positive, Tolerant, Concerned, Forgiveness, Kind, Rational, Truthful, Confident, Generosity, Leader, Resourceful, Versatile, Contented, Giving, Logical, Respect, Witty

My favourite quality is...
(Write a few lines about your favourite quality.)

Creative Writing – Limerick

A limerick is a five-line silly poem.
- Lines 1, 2, 5 rhyme (8–9 syllables)
- Lines 3, 4 rhyme (5–6 syllables)

Example:
There once was a wonderful star
Who thought she would go very far
Until she fell down
And looked like a clown
She knew she would never go far.

K. Fill in the template.

There once was a ____ (8 syllable)
______ (8 syllable)
________ (5 syllable)
________ (5 syllable)
______ (8 syllable)

Practice Practice Exercises

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

1. Julian placed her lunchbox inside her bag.

2. Vinothini left the house before sunrise.

3. Ben saw Daisy playing across the road.

4. Hema keeps all her teddy bears on top of her wardrobe.

5. Divya hid the sweets behind her back.

6. Sudha fell over during the basketball match.

7. Madhu sudhan checked to see if his keys had fallen underneath his chair.

8. Mrs. Meena asked the children to go into her classroom.

9. After lunch, the children were allowed to play.

10. Saravanan climbed onto the horse.

a). in

b). at

c). on

a). among

b). between

c). within

a). with

b). to

c). for

b). for

c). by

a). by

b). in

a). since

1. What do you do weekends?

2. I am going to my village Sunday.

3. I haven’t met my friends December.

4. Run the street and get me the ribbon.

5. He told me in detail the incident.

6. This picture was drawn the girl charcoal.

7. The car was travelling a great speed.

8. The ball fell the lake.

9. There is a bridge the river.

10. The conference will be held 10 a.m. 5 p.m.

1. The soldier climbed a horse and rode away.

2. They have been here a long time.

3. Kumaravel has lived in this city 2012.

4. The paper was published an International journal.

5. When will you return home?

6. One the four students wrote the answers correctly.

7. This fruit is the Mexican capital.

8. The head office is Nungambakkam. It is College Road. As you go the station, the office is the right side.

9. The sailors were taken the forest and made to walk 10 miles.

10. The girl standing me was sneezing.

My favourite quality is

There once was a (8 syllable)

(8 syllable)

(5 syllable)

1. Inclusion is essential for us to do well in life.

2. We should neglect others.

3. Communicate politely with the less privileged.

4. Teachers teach us to communicate well.

5. Effective Communication is inessential to excel in life.

1. We should develop the ability to learn from

self

others

books

2. Teachers help me to learn things .

new

bad

difficult

3. Teach me to appreciate

nature

destruction

small creatures

4. We should learn to questions.

ask

answer

discard

1. What is inclusion? Why is it important?

2. What is good or effective communication?

3. What should we learn from our teachers?

4. What kind of learning brings joy to you?

5. In what ways are we doing injustice to nature ?

6. What do you need to learn to live a good life in this world?

7. How does the ability to Question help us?

8. What do you think are the two most important lessons that the speaker mentions?

1. What are the skills / values a teacher should teach their students to live in this competitive world?

2. What kind of a life do you want to lead in this world?

1. Privileged. -

2. Animate. -

3. Discriminate. -

4. Empty. -

5. Communicate. -

6. Learn. -

1. Raj was upset as he had done open bracket well or poorly close bracket in his English test.

2. His grandmother gave him a open bracket pen or pencil close bracket

3. Granny compared open bracket Raj or Ravi close bracket with the pencil.

4. Raj’s pain of not doing well in his test was compared with of pencils. open bracket sharpening or writing close bracket

5. Raj understood that failures are stepping stones to open bracket success or climbing close bracket