50 Years With Students

- Contributed by Prof. Raman Kolluri

Love and Its Reward




After more than half a century, I did wonder why I have been teaching for so long. One can imagine that it is not easy to get up, stand and teach a class of youngsters at eight in the morning or eight at night, when one is pushing on seventy five. 

Clearly it is what I enjoy most and it is what I do best, a potentially rare combination of doing and enjoying. I am the happiest person when I stand in front of my class. I forget all my problems, all my aches and enjoy the sheer joy of teaching. For me, it is like an actor on a stage. The play may be the same but the audiences are different each time, and like in a live performance each experience is unique. When I see the young faces with all cheerfulness and ‘care for nothing in the world’ attitude, it rubs on me and I also become one of them.  


One can be a scholar, intellectual and a premier researcher, but love for students is what makes teaching a rewarding profession - and it is not at all a given that being adept at any one of these necessarily translates to the other. 


Students are like small plants with great potential for beautiful looking flowers or great fruits. The plants need to be nurtured with great care, provide proper food and shield them from harsh environment. When they absorb this love and care, they give you the greatest joy in seeing them with beautiful flowers and fruits. There is no greater joy in the world than hearing from a former student, that she has done well in life and still remember you as her teacher. 

 

I often recall the happiest day in my professional life. One of my students in course of time, became the Chairman of the Materials Science department of one of the most prestigious Science Institutes in India. After many years, I visited him in his lab. He gathered all his faculty and research scholars and said ‘I would like to introduce my professor. He is the one who taught me all the Materials Science I know.’  What more can a teacher ask for?   


I know I don’t know




When I was a young teacher in 1959, teaching at Osmania University Women’s college, I used to be very eager to pour out what all I knew in Physics, lest the students may think that I do not know everything in Physics.

I used to write equation after equation on the board without even looking at the students and not worrying whether they are understanding or not. I became a ‘mike-a-holic’, one who loves his own voice.




Visiting Gettysburg 

Then, I slowly started understanding what teaching is all about. The break I took from teaching to do research at Osmania University in Hyderabad and subsequently at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore also helped me a lot. When I got my PhD, someone asked me whether I now know everything in Physics. Paraphrasing the old Greek Philosophers, I answered that ‘I now know how little I know in Physics’ 


I started recollecting my best teachers and my worst teachers and what they have taught me. 


There was a Chemistry Professor by name Dr. Hari Adiseshu at Government Arts College in the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the finest teachers I ever had. But unfortunately, he was also short tempered and would not tolerate any disturbance in his class. 


It was my misfortune that one day; I was censured in the class for something for which I was not responsible. I led the class on a strike and demanded an apology from him. The issue was resolved by another professor without Dr Adiseshu apologizing. 




Twenty Five Years Into Academia

Nearly, twenty five years later, I met Dr. Adiseshu at a train station. I recognized him and paid my respects to him. He became old by that time and did not recognize me at first. Then he suddenly laughed aloud and said, ‘you are the mischief maker.’ And asked me what I am doing for a living. I told him that I am a professor of Physics. 




He paused for a moment and said jokingly, ‘serves you right.’


What Is Not In The Book




The first lesson I had learnt is that I should pay attention to how much the students understand rather than how much I am teaching.

Teaching a class on Lasers



I try never to turn my back to my students. I always face them. This allows me to look at their faces and judge whether they understand what I am teaching, whether what I am saying is interesting to them and how much of it is staying with them. I never sit in a chair and teach the students by reading the book. 





In my opinion, this is the worst form of teaching. The students have the books already with them. They can read it themselves. 


We should teach what is NOT in the book. 
I don’t pay attention to deriving an equation on the board. The derivation is already in the book. I try to explain what is ‘behind the equation’, the logic behind the equation, the meaning of the result of the equation and how to apply the equation to real life situations.


Be Positive





The second learning for me is never to show a negative attitude in the class. I have seen professors saying on the first day of the class ‘This course is tough. Half of you will fail in this class.’  I always say on my first class ‘No one will fail in my class! Because, if you fail, it means I have failed!.’  I will always find the weakest students in the class and persuade them to do more work, spend more time in helping them. It gives me a great satisfaction that I have succeeded and the student will always remember me for that little gesture. 


I distinctly remember a Spanish student in my class many years ago. She was a brilliant student. Unfortunately, she did not speak English well. At the end of first day’s lecture, I saw her in tears. I have asked her what the matter was. She said that she did not understand a word of what I have said! I asked her to stay back at the end of each class and I would explain to her slowly what all has been said in the class. She did the same for the entire semester and I am proud to say that she came out at the top of the class. She is a doctor now and still writes to me occasionally how grateful she was for that help. Things like that make teaching the most rewarding career.


Curb Your Enthusiasm (Not)





The third lesson is to never to curb the enthusiasm of a student. I have seen many teachers considering students who ask questions frequently as trouble makers. They try to snub these students and treat them unfairly in the class. For me, if a student asks questions frequently, it means that they are enthusiastic to learn and actually listening to my lecture.  



I used to have a student named Brezensky. He would not even let me finish a sentence. He raises his hand half way through my sentence. He can never think simple.  For instance, when I am trying to teach the oscillations of a pendulum, I would start by saying’ imagine a mass connected to a long string....’ 



Already Brezensky’s hand is up. I would say ‘I have not yet said anything about the pendulum and what is your question?  He would reply ‘is that string a single strand or multiple strand? Is it connected to the mass by a hook or directly to the mass itself?’ 


 

I never got annoyed with him and only used to say that he should think simple issues first before going deeper in to the question. He is now one of the group leaders of scientists at a our leading National Lab.   


 

An Affair To Remember


 

The fourth thing I have learned is that the attention one shows students is as important as the ability to teach them. I have learned this from my mathematics teacher in my high school. Mr. Veerabhadram was our mathematics teacher then. 


 

I used to do well in Mathematics. But for one examination, I was so sure of myself that I did not prepare for the examination. I had a single digit mark for the whole examination. 


The teacher called everybody in the class one by one and gave back their examination papers, except mine. I knew something is wrong and was wondering what is going to come. 

At the end, he called my name and asked me to come to the podium. He made me stand facing the whole class and said ‘You know, this guy is good in mathematics. But is so arrogant and sure of himself that he did not study and got six out of hundred in the examination’ and then gave my paper back to me. 


 

It was so humiliating that I never repeated the same again and got a good grade in the final examination. 


 

After many years, I had met him. By that time he became blind. I went close to him to touch his feet and pay my respects. He touched me and said ‘How is your mathematics now?’ 


I was so surprised that he recognized me. He said that he always remembers his students and particularly those who gave him trouble. He used to say that for a teacher, a student is always a student. 


 

I don’t make this point to say that I humiliate my students, rather, find the appropriate technique suited to each student to pay and get their attention.


 

Brain and Heart



 

I have also learnt that kindness towards the students should also extend to understanding their problems outside the class room and be sympathetic about it. When I was at Johns Hopkins University as a Post Doctoral Fellow, I had Prof. Herman Z. Cummins as my Professor. He was a brilliant scientist and an extraordinary man in many aspects. 



 

Professor Cummins

One day when I was just passing Dr. Cummin’s office, I saw the most horrible thing. Dr. Cummins was lying on the floor with a bleeding mouth and one of our Graduate students holding a typewriter and was about to strike Dr. Cummins. I was so shocked at what I saw that I instinctively grabbed the student to prevent him from throwing the typewriter.  At that moment others came and grabbed him.  The student was subdued and was taken to a hospital. 


 

Later we found that he had some issues that led to lot of strain on his mind. We had a faculty meeting to decide whether the Graduate student should be allowed to continue his studies or not. 


 

All of us voted that he should be punished and sent out of the department, except Dr. Cummins. He said that the student’s career is more important than this minor incident.


 

You?!

 

One last thing worth mentioning is that a teacher must be able to withstand the prejudices of people and must be able to rise above it while teaching a diverse group of students. I was a Fulbright Scholar, visiting a college in England where I was invited to help in starting a Laser Institute similar to the one in which I work in US. My main job was to train a number of faculty members in various courses in Laser technology. 





 

The Fulbright Program

Each morning, I used to teach a class for the faculty. I had to walk to the class room through a work shop. There used to be some people gathered in the workshop.  They would pass comments such as ‘this man has come to teach us!’  

The sarcastic remarks continued for a while. To be honest, I was bothered their insensitive remarks. 




 

One morning, I walked up to them, before they had a chance to say anything and remarked ‘It appears you are very much interested in learning Laser Technology, why don’t you come and sit my class?’ There were no more comments after that.




 

A Full Innings

 

I have learned that knowledge increases on giving. I am so fortunate that I had so many good teachers to guide me by their example. I do not know whether I am a good teacher or not - only my students can tell that. 


 

Playing Cricket With Students

So many years have passed by and I have gone through so many ups and downs in life. 

 The one thing I am grateful is that I am in a profession that continues to give me my greatest joy in my professional life. My friend Earl William used to say that ‘If you do what you want to do, may be sometimes you will be physically tired, but never bored.’  


 

I have come to an age when my body cannot match the enthusiasm of the mind. 


 

But I have no regrets. I have played a full innings.