Quitting

My parents’ have emphasized on the value of hard work and dedication from my childhood days. The first thing I remember about my father when I started working was his words “Zhung lu cha leyzhum bey zhu go” (Serve your country well!). He said that if we serve the country well the rest will automatically follow the trend and all will turn out well in life.  He repeats the same even today whenever I call him or see him.

Having followed his words for so long, I have long forgotten to count the years that I have worked in this profession. When I look back and count the years that I have worked with small children, I often wonder how I could have survived all those years. 17 years! Most of my mates have climbed the ladder in their profession and some have shifted to greener pasture but I have remained a plain teacher. Many of my colleagues boast about attending workshops and seminars in their few years in service but I have nothing to boast about. I haven’t even been on an invigilation duty or an evaluation camp in my entire service.

When it comes to teaching class PP and I, no one likes to take it and everyone looks at me (and some emotional fools like me) as if we have a tag on our face that states that we are destined to teach only class PP and I. (This happened in many schools that I worked earlier and of course the current place as well).

Besides teaching the classes PP and I, I have been taking the scouting program which is another responsibility that many of my colleagues hate. A scoutmaster for more than six years, I have formed troops and trained young scouts, conducted scouts camp in dzongkhag level and been a founding member of DSA in my current dzongkhag. But now I am thinking of quitting scouting and I have even informed my principal about my decision in an informal session.

There are several reasons for my quitting scouting but one thing that I have learnt in recent months is that there isn’t any recognition for your hard work unless you can please all your bosses. Since I cannot please all of them, it isn’t any worth sweating for nothing (forgive me if I sound so selfish for I am just one of the unenlightened soul). Working in rural community and sweating your brains off is not worth a dime. Some of your bosses does not even realize of your existence. One of my colleagues has rightly pointed out when she said, “Teach well and make children literate. Nothing else count, not even your hard work in other fields”

So, I have decided to stick to my teaching like the rest of the folks and serve best where I have been trained.