Being a teacher in The Bishops School - The best job I ever had!
It was surreal - strange. One minute I was celebrating the result of my school leaving examination with fellow classmates, giggling and laughing with the kind of abandon that can only come from still being in school. Scribbling on the uniform of another classmate, in permanent marker while still dressed in the hideous green sack that we called our school uniform.
A short while later, I was in a salwar-kameez, my hair longer, my face no longer that of an innocent school girl (if there is such a thing...!). I was back in school, though not as student but as a teacher. I had waited for this moment for a very long time! My love affair with Bishops began long before I was appointed as a teacher in the school - but that's something only my diary will know!
"And now, boys, please welcome Miss Felfeli, our new full-time music teacher" - the principal had announced on the first day of school. I felt the eyes of hundreds of young boys on me, as I walked up on to the stage in the Harding Hall (see photo, below, courtesy of the Bishopboys.com website).
It was surreal - strange. One minute I was celebrating the result of my school leaving examination with fellow classmates, giggling and laughing with the kind of abandon that can only come from still being in school. Scribbling on the uniform of another classmate, in permanent marker while still dressed in the hideous green sack that we called our school uniform.
A short while later, I was in a salwar-kameez, my hair longer, my face no longer that of an innocent school girl (if there is such a thing...!). I was back in school, though not as student but as a teacher. I had waited for this moment for a very long time! My love affair with Bishops began long before I was appointed as a teacher in the school - but that's something only my diary will know!
"And now, boys, please welcome Miss Felfeli, our new full-time music teacher" - the principal had announced on the first day of school. I felt the eyes of hundreds of young boys on me, as I walked up on to the stage in the Harding Hall (see photo, below, courtesy of the Bishopboys.com website).
Despite the fact that I had been in similar situations since I was a child, at every piano concert, or public recital, I felt more self-conscious and nervous than ever before. I think this embarrassment stemmed from the fact that I actually had nothing to do on stage but stand behind the principal, along with the three other new staff members. I looked at my feet. White sandals, with a slight heel, and toes painted light pink. Then I looked up at all the teachers in their sarees, the male teachers in shirts, ties, suits. Most of them LOOKED like teachers. I looked like a high-school graduate playing grown up. Once the formalities of the first day were over, I settled into life as a full-time music teacher with enthusiasm and ease.
"I may be on the younger side" I thought, "but I have the qualifications and got the job on my own merit. Nothing to feel ashamed about." I had to keep reassuring myself - and every day I would go home and look at my Teaching Diploma from Trinity College London, knowing that it had worked in my favour at last. It also helped that nobody knew my actual age - teachers included! Everyone simply guessed I was in my mid-twenties, and I learned how to wear a saree, and salwar kameez with ease, rather than walking into assembly looking like a terrified goat being dragged to the slaughter house.
By the end of my time in Bishops, I could run around with the Kindergarten kids at break-time, dance at the choir and staff parties, ride a two- wheeler Honda while giving a fellow teacher a lift home, all in a saree!!
Obviously, I learned more at Bishops than simply looking and dressing like a school teacher. I also realized that despite what others had told me - that I was wasting time focusing on music teaching, or that I should have been looking at getting into university abroad - I was doing the right thing. There is NO substitute for being independent, for standing on your own feet as an adult and not being dependent on your parents for anything. While I only earned about $100 dollars a month for being a full-time teacher, it meant that I was no longer a burden to my parents. As for study abroad - the idea of going to an Ivy League school in America simply because all the other bright Indian students were doing that never appealed to me. Plus, it would involve my parents having to pay for SOMETHING - a plane ticket, living costs, something or the other. Even the SAT exams cost a fortune! I was happier trying to learn some life skills, being in an environment of learning and music. I had only done some substitute teaching before I got the job at Bishops - individual piano lessons and group singing lessons, but I had accompanied the Bishops School Choir and numerous other choirs for years as a teenager. The transition was an effortless one -I simply went from explaining fingering in a piano piece by Bach to teaching class after class of young boys how to sing in harmony. Whether it's one student or sixty - music is music, and if you have the ability and enthusiasm to teach, then nothing else matters.
Mrs Carol Jolly (above photo, courtesy of bishopboys.com website), the longest serving staff member at Bishops and a woman whose name was synonymous with music and choir at the school welcomed me into the Bishops family with open arms. She taught Kindergarten at the Junior School for over twenty five years, but played the piano and conducted the school choir during her tenure at Bishops. Old boys, ex-students who were now in their thirties and forties still came to say hello to Carol. Despite the fact that she was my father's age, if not a little older, we got on from the word go, and this was reflected in our working relationship - we put together two choirs, with Carol at the piano and me conducting. Apart from our love of music, we both also shared a slightly absurd sense of humour, and would often spend a good few minutes of every choir rehearsal in hysterics, giggling over something ridiculous much to the amusement of the boys in the choir. Between the choir festivals, two school concerts, Founders Day and the numerous school functions, the boys in the two school choirs were kept busy all year round.
My time in Bishops was not without challenges and hurdles, both on a personal and professional basis. My school friends and I found it difficult to relate to one another, with the exception of Arti, my oldest friend. They were horrified at my transformation from teeny-bopper to full-time teacher, I guess. Most of them were also preparing for their SATs, and I was in a completely different world at that stage. My new friends and colleagues in the staff room made life a lot less traumatic! Charmaine, a twenty something junior school class teacher who had been Games Captain in my own school many years ago. Vanessa, an Anglo-Indian girl with the most beautiful singing voice, and my partner in crime for SO many escapades (yes, teachers have those too). Cynthia, a petite, pretty Goan girl with a doll-like appearance, who I actually met completely out of the blue when I was on one of my solitary travels in Goa. I also remember having a crazy but thoroughly enjoyable time with Mrs Ameena Kerr and Mrs Kakkar (who had taught my brother too) from the Middle School, as I worked with them on their school play!
For some bizarre reason, I developed very close friendships with all the Hindi teachers of the Junior School, Rashmi, Sangeeta, Mona and Tejeeb despite the fact that I had never studied Hindi in school (opting for French instead). The Hindi teachers were a crazy bunch - two in their thirties, with young children, one forty something army wife with a wicked sense of humour,and one new recruit, like me. As I sat with them during break time, begging them to converse with me in Hindi so I could improve my own spoken Hindi, they would burst into hysterics at the way I would pronounce some words. Thanks to these women, I also had the opportunity to take a glimpse at married life. They were all traditional in that sense, and despite the fact that they made little money, they knew the things that mattered in life. As time passed, over many cups of tea, I learned that each of them had their own difficulties - marital, financial or other. Yet, the dignity and maturity that each of these women displayed gave me a revealing insight into the ability that all women possess, even as teachers, to screw up, make mistakes but pick up the pieces and learn from them.
However, my most treasured memory of my time in The Bishops School is that of doing what I felt I did best - teaching. And the students. If ever there was a place which somehow summed up what "great students" should be, Bishops was it. There were trouble makers, obviously, and some of the older boys did their best to intimidate the young music teacher, but overall, it was a place that any teacher of any subject would love. The little six year old boys, running up to me at break-time with their tiffin boxes "Maam, please take" , the fifteen year old choir students who were mortified when I walked in on them saying something predictably smutty and inappropriate - begging for forgiveness for days afterwards! All the students who patiently waited in line every morning and said "Good Morning Miss" before assembly. On Teachers Day, there were no extravagances, no ridiculously expensive presents, just simple hand-made cards or the occasional card from Hallmark, and flowers. I still have a card from two choir students, both in their last year at school, telling me how much they loved their choir classes and apologizing for fooling around and any bad behaviour! Carol Jolly joked that I would get more cards and flowers than her on Valentines Day - told you she had a cheeky sense of humour!
It has been ten years since I last stepped into Bishops. Even my youngest students would now be grown boys, in their final year at school. I wonder what became of so many teachers and students that were part of such an unbelievably important time in my life. I don't use facebook, so I don't know! But just a few months ago, I was in a newer shopping center with my mother, and I heard a voice shout " Miss Felfeli!!!!" I turned around and saw a young boy with an older gentleman standing there. "Ashwin, ma'am. Remember me?" At first, I just stared at him, with a nervous look on my face, for I really could not remember. " I was in the junior choir, ma'am, in Mrs Daniels' class." I suddenly remembered, but wasn't sure so I asked him " The scarecrow in Oz??" "Yes ma'am!!!" he answered excitedly, asking me another five questions all in rapid succession. I told him I remembered him, and wished him and his father a good evening and went to find my mother!
For the best website on the Bishops School, visit http://bishopsboys.com/
"I may be on the younger side" I thought, "but I have the qualifications and got the job on my own merit. Nothing to feel ashamed about." I had to keep reassuring myself - and every day I would go home and look at my Teaching Diploma from Trinity College London, knowing that it had worked in my favour at last. It also helped that nobody knew my actual age - teachers included! Everyone simply guessed I was in my mid-twenties, and I learned how to wear a saree, and salwar kameez with ease, rather than walking into assembly looking like a terrified goat being dragged to the slaughter house.
By the end of my time in Bishops, I could run around with the Kindergarten kids at break-time, dance at the choir and staff parties, ride a two- wheeler Honda while giving a fellow teacher a lift home, all in a saree!!
Obviously, I learned more at Bishops than simply looking and dressing like a school teacher. I also realized that despite what others had told me - that I was wasting time focusing on music teaching, or that I should have been looking at getting into university abroad - I was doing the right thing. There is NO substitute for being independent, for standing on your own feet as an adult and not being dependent on your parents for anything. While I only earned about $100 dollars a month for being a full-time teacher, it meant that I was no longer a burden to my parents. As for study abroad - the idea of going to an Ivy League school in America simply because all the other bright Indian students were doing that never appealed to me. Plus, it would involve my parents having to pay for SOMETHING - a plane ticket, living costs, something or the other. Even the SAT exams cost a fortune! I was happier trying to learn some life skills, being in an environment of learning and music. I had only done some substitute teaching before I got the job at Bishops - individual piano lessons and group singing lessons, but I had accompanied the Bishops School Choir and numerous other choirs for years as a teenager. The transition was an effortless one -I simply went from explaining fingering in a piano piece by Bach to teaching class after class of young boys how to sing in harmony. Whether it's one student or sixty - music is music, and if you have the ability and enthusiasm to teach, then nothing else matters.
Mrs Carol Jolly (above photo, courtesy of bishopboys.com website), the longest serving staff member at Bishops and a woman whose name was synonymous with music and choir at the school welcomed me into the Bishops family with open arms. She taught Kindergarten at the Junior School for over twenty five years, but played the piano and conducted the school choir during her tenure at Bishops. Old boys, ex-students who were now in their thirties and forties still came to say hello to Carol. Despite the fact that she was my father's age, if not a little older, we got on from the word go, and this was reflected in our working relationship - we put together two choirs, with Carol at the piano and me conducting. Apart from our love of music, we both also shared a slightly absurd sense of humour, and would often spend a good few minutes of every choir rehearsal in hysterics, giggling over something ridiculous much to the amusement of the boys in the choir. Between the choir festivals, two school concerts, Founders Day and the numerous school functions, the boys in the two school choirs were kept busy all year round.
My time in Bishops was not without challenges and hurdles, both on a personal and professional basis. My school friends and I found it difficult to relate to one another, with the exception of Arti, my oldest friend. They were horrified at my transformation from teeny-bopper to full-time teacher, I guess. Most of them were also preparing for their SATs, and I was in a completely different world at that stage. My new friends and colleagues in the staff room made life a lot less traumatic! Charmaine, a twenty something junior school class teacher who had been Games Captain in my own school many years ago. Vanessa, an Anglo-Indian girl with the most beautiful singing voice, and my partner in crime for SO many escapades (yes, teachers have those too). Cynthia, a petite, pretty Goan girl with a doll-like appearance, who I actually met completely out of the blue when I was on one of my solitary travels in Goa. I also remember having a crazy but thoroughly enjoyable time with Mrs Ameena Kerr and Mrs Kakkar (who had taught my brother too) from the Middle School, as I worked with them on their school play!
For some bizarre reason, I developed very close friendships with all the Hindi teachers of the Junior School, Rashmi, Sangeeta, Mona and Tejeeb despite the fact that I had never studied Hindi in school (opting for French instead). The Hindi teachers were a crazy bunch - two in their thirties, with young children, one forty something army wife with a wicked sense of humour,and one new recruit, like me. As I sat with them during break time, begging them to converse with me in Hindi so I could improve my own spoken Hindi, they would burst into hysterics at the way I would pronounce some words. Thanks to these women, I also had the opportunity to take a glimpse at married life. They were all traditional in that sense, and despite the fact that they made little money, they knew the things that mattered in life. As time passed, over many cups of tea, I learned that each of them had their own difficulties - marital, financial or other. Yet, the dignity and maturity that each of these women displayed gave me a revealing insight into the ability that all women possess, even as teachers, to screw up, make mistakes but pick up the pieces and learn from them.
However, my most treasured memory of my time in The Bishops School is that of doing what I felt I did best - teaching. And the students. If ever there was a place which somehow summed up what "great students" should be, Bishops was it. There were trouble makers, obviously, and some of the older boys did their best to intimidate the young music teacher, but overall, it was a place that any teacher of any subject would love. The little six year old boys, running up to me at break-time with their tiffin boxes "Maam, please take" , the fifteen year old choir students who were mortified when I walked in on them saying something predictably smutty and inappropriate - begging for forgiveness for days afterwards! All the students who patiently waited in line every morning and said "Good Morning Miss" before assembly. On Teachers Day, there were no extravagances, no ridiculously expensive presents, just simple hand-made cards or the occasional card from Hallmark, and flowers. I still have a card from two choir students, both in their last year at school, telling me how much they loved their choir classes and apologizing for fooling around and any bad behaviour! Carol Jolly joked that I would get more cards and flowers than her on Valentines Day - told you she had a cheeky sense of humour!
It has been ten years since I last stepped into Bishops. Even my youngest students would now be grown boys, in their final year at school. I wonder what became of so many teachers and students that were part of such an unbelievably important time in my life. I don't use facebook, so I don't know! But just a few months ago, I was in a newer shopping center with my mother, and I heard a voice shout " Miss Felfeli!!!!" I turned around and saw a young boy with an older gentleman standing there. "Ashwin, ma'am. Remember me?" At first, I just stared at him, with a nervous look on my face, for I really could not remember. " I was in the junior choir, ma'am, in Mrs Daniels' class." I suddenly remembered, but wasn't sure so I asked him " The scarecrow in Oz??" "Yes ma'am!!!" he answered excitedly, asking me another five questions all in rapid succession. I told him I remembered him, and wished him and his father a good evening and went to find my mother!
For the best website on the Bishops School, visit http://bishopsboys.com/
UPDATE: I found this photo on the Bishopboys.com website - I did not even know any photographic evidence existed on the internet of my time at Bishops. Someone needs a haircut!! I love the choir's uniforms, the little boys in their Dicky bows! They were singing a Disney medley, if I recall correctly.
Speaking about writing an internet post on Bishops, I found this. Makes me laugh out loud!!
Speaking about writing an internet post on Bishops, I found this. Makes me laugh out loud!!
