I took a time out,
To walk down the memory lane.
A galaxy of protagonist begin to appear;
Of chalk, talk, colleagues and students,
And of lessons, assessments, and pedagogies.
Some events are so fresh,
That I could literally smell their scent,
And hear those whispers loud and clear.

A decade and a half ago, I began the mission
To help humanity to be a little better.
My first class of students were like me,
We shared similar childhood experiences;
Play in the mud and sand,
Drove wooden cars and trucks,
And cooked ourselves grasses for curry.

I was the only channel
Through which they could learn.
They were astonished by my lesson.
I could hear their shy acknowledgements.
Gave me reason to keep the teaching hat on.

How I learned,
And how I taught served me well.
Every classroom experience was a joy.
I felt the mission was being fulfilled.
Thus was a smooth sail for half a decade.

Half a decade after,
My mission was challenged.
Special crop of class were left bored,
By the lesson served well half a decade ago.
I was firm.
I taught them around the curriculum.

Those classes no longer share my childhood experiences.
They consume news through Internet,
Play video games, use mobile to communicate.
There were explosions of media and channels.
These kids called themselve digital native.
I was rendered redundant.
I wasn’t the only channel for their learning.

Remembering facts was out of fashion.
Search engine generated with precision.
Paper and pencil calculations did not charm them either.
Computers and calculators did the show.
Class was all for attendance,
And nothing more.

I became pensive off and on.
The call was loud and clear.
Choice of skill over fact was definite.

I missed the signal
But a little early to hear the noise.
To continue with my mission,
To upskill was a way forward.
Learn the language of the digital natives.
So that I could teach the curriculum around a child.