Brand conscious students keep teachers on their toes

Radhika Sharma a primary teacher with a Kalyan school was amazed when her class III student made remarks about her shoes to be unbranded and boasted about his mother using Nike shoes. If that’s not enough, the school-goers even go on to comment about the teacher’s dressing style. If they are unhappy with any teacher’s appearance they have no qualms about expressing it.

Sharma said that these days children surprised her with a lot of questions and the kind of knowledge they have about the latest products introduced in the market to fashion and trends. Hence, to be a step ahead of the smart children, teachers try hard to keep themselves updated and ensure that they know all about what fascinates children today. She added, “It may sound bizarre but I also ended up purchasing a new pair of branded shoes and also some new set of clothes which make my appearance more presentable. It’s important as a teacher to send across a message to the children that the teachers are well updated or at least pretend to know everything.”

There had been instances where she had no clue of the answer to be given to the child as she did not want to give any wrong information, the teacher said. “Hence, I prefer going back and looking up for information about the same and then give the child with correct details,” said Sharma.

While another teacher from a Dombivli school said that there is a lot of ways to get information these days for children and they are no longer just depended on their parents or siblings. Television is one of the most important factor which influences a child and means through which they get a lot of non-filtered information. Apart from fashion and trends, they are also aware of the latest technologies and motorbikes.

A Kalyan-based tutor, said she has three-year-old students who insist on wearing matching shoes and hair clips with their dress. “They know what exactly looks good with a particular dress and some are even an expert at mix matching,” she said.

So if you want to teach the kids then its better to brace oneself and be prepared to battle all the questions that are thrown upon you.