Sharing staffroom vibes full of warmth and cheer

The corridor is often filled with a soothing incense stick fragrance, and I’m filled with gratitude as I hear sounds of laughter each morning while heading towards the staffroom. The smiling faces, queries about those who took an unexpected leave, bubbly ‘hello friends’ by the ever-chirpy colleague, the thermos caps serving as cups of tea with steam emanating from them…everything is sheer pleasure.

For all teaching institutions, staffrooms offer unique stories, carrying special vibes. There are jokes, there is sharing and caring; there are discussions, suggestions; there is friendship, help, guidance, and there is cooperation. It’s like a microcosm of society, where all sorts of personas intermingle. And there are all sorts of lessons to grasp, too.

As life is slowly, maybe, returning to normal post Covid-19, universities and colleges have opened up and students come on fixed days only. Hence, the workload is lighter. That gives us time to interact, read and laugh at ourselves. Indeed, the last one is an art that has got maximally honed during this period.

Sometimes, the incident might not hold much comic element, but once the funny bone is tickled, there’s no stopping. There lies the beauty of being together. For instance, there was a naming session recently, during which the colleague with the maximum filehandling duty was awarded with the title of ‘advocate’ and I who gets lost in a reverie of daydreaming occasionally, was called ‘vichaarsheel’.

Another day, when a colleague arrived and shared that it was her anniversary, and, while ‘mithai’ was being offered by a senior colleague (who had attended a family wedding the previous day), the rest of us teased good-naturedly that indeed when youngsters don’t discharge their duties well (bringing sweets for their anniversary), it’s the elders of the family that handle the situation and are the saving grace! While we enjoyed piping hot samosas, the talk of eating healthy and starting a diet plan began in right earnest. During such discussions, the fittest are assigned ‘judgment duty’.

I’m inspired by the teacher glued to the newspaper and by the one with love, warmth and care for all. I smile looking at the one with a perpetual naughty glint in the eyes and am in awe of all those with a magical sense of humour combined with sincere professionalism. There is something to be imbibed from everyone.

As students come and go after clearing their doubts, the teachers forget their giggles and guide the children with mother-like concern. The impact a teacher makes is obvious.

As playwright Oscar Wilde said: “Life is too short to be taken seriously.” Unless we smile, laugh and rejuvenate ourselves, doing justice to serious aspects becomes a Herculean task. As rightly put by one of us the other day, “Kaam toh karna hi hai, achcha hai hans kar karlo (Work we must, so better do it cheerfully).”Indeed, an ideology worth living by.

THERE ARE JOKES, THERE IS SHARING AND CARING; THERE ARE DISCUSSIONS, SUGGESTIONS; THERE IS FRIENDSHIP, HELP, GUIDANCE, AND THERE IS COOPERATION