Smart work or Hard work

        Scrolling down the facebook, checking for the updates I came across a wonderful image. It showed hares running as fast as they could and a tortoise rushing ahead riding on a wooden skateboard. Standing confidently, hands in the pocket, sack on the back and wearing a charming smile, tortoise exhibited winning posture. Hares on the other hand wore a surprise and defeated look, outsmarted by the tortoise. The caption says, ‘Be smart…  no one cares for your efforts, only results’. The catchy image speaks volumes about being smart. I instantly recalled the workshops on group discussion and personal interview. In the PI session we used to throw a question at all the participants, “Hard work or smart work, which one will you prefer?” Instant, vociferous response, in consonance always put the stamp of approval in favour of smart work. No takers for hard work, all for smart work. 

        The answer goes along the expected lines. In fact I ask the question to check if there is anyone for the hard work but usually all go for smart work. If at all there is one for hard work under the bludgeoning majority voice it fails to find courage to mark its presence. My observation is those who prefer smart work have no idea as what the smart work is but carry the conviction that smart work takes you to success faster. It is a proven key to success. In the subconscious mind there lies an element of fear that hard work may even not lead to success. But smart work always does. It is a belief hardened over the years from the true/untrue examples heard from many sources. Smart work is an express way, hard work is a narrow tough road, they think.     

         When I ask them to explain the smart work they struggle to define or provide example. Their notion of smart work originate from the much coveted short cut to success which in fact is unreal. There is no such short cut but truth is that we all covet it. A good example of self deception. When majority asserts in favour of smart work in the workshop I stand for hard work. I give them example of breaking the rock to make small pieces often used for construction. Crushing the rock to small pieces using the sledge hammer is a good example of sheer hard work. The gravel thus produced is a necessary material for construction; a successful but mundane work. When a sculptor hews the magnificent sculpture out of a rock it carries glamour. It is also an example of sheer hard work but has something more than that. That something makes it difficult, challenging to become a sculptor.

           That something is the skills. Add to it imagination and ability to express through the shape carved out of stone you get a masterpiece. For me this is smart work. The results are lasting, beautiful; the success is enlightening, full of glamour and fame. This smart work is extremely difficult to pursue. It is different from the short cut to success which in reality is manipulations. It never leads to enlightening success. It leads to an ephemeral success exposing only to ever growing greed which emerges from missing contentment. Carving the imagination out of a rock and liberating the expression stuck in inner reaches of mind is not simple. It is not a one day affair. It can take days of intellectual toil to create the masterpiece inside and days to take it out. A sheer hard work requiring tremendous skill. The result is a smart work. It is enduring. There never is a guarantee of success. It actually depends upon how we define it. The result of such smart work is always self satisfying.   

          The image plus the caption is impressively catchy but it tends to mislead. It creates an impression, though false, that there is something called smart work a substitute to hard work. A closer observation reveals that the tortoise is riding on a wooden skateboard. A skill extremely difficult for tortoise to acquire. Once done it is poised to challenge the running hares that otherwise can always easily move past tortoise. To match the natural gift of the hare tortoise has to acquire the skills through hard work. It outsmarts hares only after working hard. It also provides an important lesson, before you compete know your strengths and limitations, work hard to master the requisite skills. This is smart work, it is not imaginary, counterproductive short cut. And yes it is harder than hard work but it’s a way to success and peace of mind. 

Rest assured results depend upon efforts.                       

Disciplined Teaching

      I was on the phone talking to one of my students. He was waxing eloquent on the academic and administrative system of the college where he recently appeared for an interview. He was talking about the academic environment, discipline in the college. He told me that the college belongs to a group of institutions. The senior faculties are in coordination with each other in preparation of teaching material called as notes. That new faculty is groomed under the guidance of seniors. This really impressed me for when one enters into the teaching profession there comes the unwanted baggage of nervousness. He then is venturing into a world which is different from the world he lived as student. Learning in the class and studying for the examination significantly differ from studying to teach. Student has to prepare for one examination but for a teacher every student in the class is a question paper and all papers he has to appear at the same time. The challenge always is to write an answer that correctly responds to all papers. Obviously it can never be the best for all. It is always for the general good. And it has to address the weakest to push for studies and encourage the strongest to explore the world beyond the examination.  This perception is beyond the boundary within which students live. It is the world of teachers. So the guidance from the experienced faculty could be of great help to the nascent teacher.   

        The appreciation of the college continued for a while and I was a willing listener. He talked about the professional approach of the management. The academic discipline of the teachers, students, how teachers have to plan teaching meticulously… the information continued to flow. He was fairly impressed by the college. If you are serving in a college which is not professionally managed such a college becomes a dream destination for working. From system in complete disarray you come across a system that is working according to rule book and is managed in corporate style. So not surprisingly you drown into admiration for it. The information went down to classroom teaching. The teachers have to prepare notes, plan teaching and execute accordingly. The teaching plan must carry minute details. The university syllabus also specifies the number of lectures for a unit and so on. These recommendations are implemented to the core. I really appreciated the approach realizing with honesty that I was never able to follow the teaching plan given by university or prepared by me for the sake of visiting committee. Not really a good approach though, I admit.

      At the peak of the best practices followed by the college, he said, the teacher has to prepare teaching plan clearly noting what he is going to teach in every class. But that was not enough he has to give details splitting down to minutes.  What he is going to say, how he is going to explain and so on. The words struck the rebel chord in me which was buried under the structure of planned teaching. My instant reaction was it is ridiculous. I, for instance cannot go to class with line to line explanation planed in advance. I prefer a plan of topics to be covered but rely on the spontaneity of verbal flow. Planning the teaching minute by minute is beyond my comprehension. The admiration for the college was then replaced by the dominant rebellion. The conventional teaching plans I never was able to follow. I often paid the price by engaging extra lectures.

    If this is considered as fault then I am guilty of it but I am confident that my students are testimony to my sincere efforts that not a student is left without properly understanding the topic. I tried my best to explain in such way that every student understood the concept. And whenever possible I made an attempt to venture beyond the examination. Where completing the syllabus is the only teaching programme there I am a misfit, I feel. To explain the topic I relied upon an already contemplated line of explanation and more often on extempore. The plan I prepared as part of mandatory preparation for a committee visit often stayed on paper. I am at fault no doubt but have the satisfaction of trying to ensure that every student understands. Not that I was successful every time but was at peace with myself.  

        I strongly believe that overzealous attempt to implement the teaching plan to microscopic details kills the spontaneity. And if it is lost, the lecture will become monotonous, devoid of life. Then there is hardly any scope for encouraging and responding to queries from students and pushing them to go beyond the syllabus. This is not to advocate an absence of framework for teaching but to throw light on the limitations of planned approach. It is necessary but it cannot be a substitute to creativity and imagination of a teacher. Discipline is good to set the order but excessive intrusion of it in our life is an invitation to dissipation of creativity.

      If a teacher plans and executes with minute to minute details where is the fun in teaching and learning. Fun originates through creativity, imagination. The loss on this account will not reflect in the score sheet of students but they certainly will be deprived of experiencing beauty in teaching. It is the loss far intense than non execution of teaching plan. The necessity of teaching plan ends when teacher is alert enough not to deviate to irrelevant topics but there must be enough space for him to use imagination. And if we really think that imagination is of no use and it is syllabus and plan for its completion only matters then do we need teachers? A robot is good enough to replace teachers, untiring, supremely efficient, and exceptional in time management and yes never demands salary.  If robots teach imagine the consequences.

      The disciplined mind, conditioned thought don’t produce Steve Jobs. Creativity and imagination blossom in mind unbound. Needless to say the talk ended wiping out the germinating thought of the most favoured destination for me to work.