Teachers play a huge role in children’s’ lives. They don’t just teach them but make significant impacts on their behaviors, outlook and general view about learning and life. Here is one such news of a simple English master in a school from Tamil Nadu that went viral and stirred the hearts of many.
Bhagawan’s Transfer
G Bhagawan, the English teacher of the Government High School in Veliagaram, Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, was given a transfer order to the Government High School in Arungulam near Tiruttani. The students of the school, upon hearing this, were heartbroken. G Bhagawan joined Veliagram Govt. High School in 2014 and seemed to have made a genuine bond with all of his students.
The pictures of a rather emotional moment went viral on social media. It showed the beloved English teacher, surrounded by his heartbroken students holding him back from leaving! A student is also seen to have hugged him from behind. Everyone, including Bhagawan himself, is crying. The incident was also picked up by news channels. After the emotional stir, the 28-year-old’s deployment was put on hold for about 10 days. “This is my first ever job in a school,” Bhagawan says.
“I was appointed as a graduate teacher in Government High School, Veliagaram in 2014. Actually, if you look at the teacher-student ratio I was a surplus staff. So they decided to put me in another school that was short staffed and I got transferred to Tiruttani.”
The school had 281 students in the last year and so, usually, the youngest teachers are chosen for transfer counseling. That is how Bhagawan and one other teacher from the school were chosen this year.
An Emotional Protest
Bhagawan recounts the bonds he shared with the students and why they adored him. He says he didn’t just take classes with his students but told them stories, talked about their backgrounds and families and genuinely fostered a familial connection with all of them. He used fun and different teaching methods. One particular method his students loved was when he utilized the projector. The English teacher says the kids felt like they were in a movie theatre. The students stated that they never bonded with any other teacher and M Bhagawan leaving has made them sad like no teacher has. Bhagawan himself states that he is like a friend and brother to all of them.
Seeing the intense emotions and wishes of the students, even the parents pitched in. As a protest against his transfer, students didn’t attend classes on Tuesday. Aravind, the headmaster of the Veliagaram School said that the students had fostered a parental bond with Bhagawan.
We will have to wait and see if this beloved English teacher will be in fact, transferred. However, the sheer affection presented by the students towards this single educator is immense and certainly makes a point in showing how kids can grow better with a more intimate and personal learning experience. Who was one such teacher in your life? Let us know. Also, read about India’s Youngest Author from Assam here.