Affection vs Rejection: Part 1

Learning Forward Saturday

To read and reflect on Chapter 4 of the book Wanted Back-bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher “Affection vs. Rejection."

Key Takeaways

• Staff rooms can be toxic. The chapter’s staff room scene highlights how gossip and negativity can create a draining atmosphere, in contrast to Brinda’s experience of a supportive, collaborative space.

• Use marking schemes to empower students. Posting a detailed marking scheme with answer breakdowns (e.g., 1/2 mark per step) helps students understand why they lost marks, reducing disputes and fostering accountability.

• Teachers’ personal lives impact the classroom. Roma’s story shows how personal events (like a broken engagement) can become public gossip, creating a stressful environment that distracts from teaching.

• Empathy is the foundation of effective teaching. A teacher’s own struggles build empathy, which is essential for connecting with students and creating a safe, supportive learning environment.

Topics

Chapter 4: “Affection vs. Rejection”

• The chapter opens in a staff room where teachers are stressed by heavy workloads, including multiple substitution classes.

• The atmosphere shifts to gossip as teachers pry into Roma’s personal life, specifically her broken engagement to Ravi Srivastava.

  • Significance: This scene illustrates how gossip can create a toxic environment that distracts from professional collaboration.

• The narrative then moves to Roma’s first Open House, where she dreads the “dissection” of student performance.

• Roma reflects on the immense effort of grading papers, noting the challenge of deciphering messy handwriting and finding answers in unexpected places.

  • Significance: This highlights the teacher’s responsibility to find value in every student’s work, even when it’s poorly presented.

Discussion & Reflection

• The Problem: Staff Room Culture

  • The chapter’s staff room scene sparked a discussion about negative workplace dynamics.

  • Brinda’s contrasting experience: A former staff room was a supportive “earning ground” where teachers shared strategies, and the principal fostered humility.

  • Conclusion: Staff rooms should be collaborative spaces, not centres of gossip.

• The Solution: Detailed Marking Schemes

  • Brinda suggested using a detailed marking scheme to address student questions about grades.

  • How it works: Create the scheme with the question paper, breaking down marks for each step or part of an answer (e.g., 1/2 mark for correct formula).

  • Benefit: Posting the scheme allows students to self-diagnose where they lost marks, reducing disputes and fostering accountability.

• The Framework: Reading, Reflection, Relationships

  • Sandeep introduced a triangle model with bi-directional arrows connecting Reading, Reflection, and Relationships.

  • Principle: Each element strengthens the others. For example, reading improves reflection, which improves relationships.

  • Goal: Encourage deep thinking over rote note-taking.

Next Steps

• All Participants: Reflect on your staff room experience and its purpose.

• All Participants: Submit reflections via WhatsApp or the session’s comment section.

• Sandeep: Share the session recording and key takeaways to aid reflection.

FATHOM AI-generated notes.

Conventional v. Contemporary School Management

 Learning Forward Saturday

To introduce the Staff Leadership Development Program and its core philosophy. Reading from the book Wanted Back-Bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher by Kavita Ghosh

Key Takeaways

• Program Core: The Staff Leadership Development Program (SLDP) uses the book Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher to shift the teacher paradigm from “perfect” to “relatable.”
• Monthly Cycle: Each month, teachers read a chapter, discuss its themes, and write a blog post for happyteacher.in applying the concepts to their own classroom experiences.
• Chapter 1 Theme: The first chapter, “Conventional v. Contemporary School Management,” argues that teachers with personal experience of struggle are better equipped to connect with and counsel students.
• Key Insight: Every teacher must act as an “ed counsellor”—providing immediate “first aid” for behavioural issues—because school counsellors are too few to handle the volume of daily incidents (e.g., 155/day in the book’s example).

Topics

Staff Leadership Development Program (SLDP)

• Goal: Shift the teacher paradigm from “perfect” to “relatable” to better connect with students.
• Recognition: The program is recognised by the World Bank Education Group as a global innovation in professional learning.
• Structure: A monthly cycle centred on the book Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher.
  • Read: One chapter per month.
  • Discuss: Apply chapter themes to real classroom scenarios.
  • Write: Create a blog post  happyteacher.in on a related personal experience.
• WhatsApp Group: A dedicated group will share links and updates.
  • Rule: No “good morning” messages or forwards; the group is for learning-focused content only.

Chapter 1: Conventional v. Contemporary School Management

• Premise: The chapter argues for a new teacher profile—one with personal experience of struggle—to effectively handle student behaviour.
• Story: A school CEO (Jacob) hires an unconventional teacher (Roma) to address a severe student discipline crisis.
  • Problem: A specific class is unmanageable; previous teachers quit after minutes.
  • Solution: Hire Roma, a “paragon of imperfection” (a former “back bencher” and “silent mischief maker”) who understands student struggles.
• Rationale: Teachers who have experienced failure or broken rules themselves can better understand and counsel students facing similar challenges.
• Outcome: The board approves the hire for a 6-month trial, with Uncle Patrick’s support.

Next Steps

• All Teachers:
  • Order a copy of Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher.
  • Join the Learning Forward Saturday WhatsApp group.
  • Review the program introduction video (link in WhatsApp).
  • Research “Scarlett O’Hara” and share findings in the group.
  • Observe student behaviour this week to identify underlying reasons.
• Learning Forward:
  • Share the “Happy Teachers” presentation in the WhatsApp group.

The Bench - Neelashi Mangal

Image courtesy: Dreamstime.com, used for representation only

We just started reading “Wanted Back-Bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher” by Kavita Ghosh at Learning Forward Saturday. The content page itself took a deep dive into the terminology that a school teacher either discusses, lives with, or needs support with. 

The book, more than anything, offers a little hope in this big world that does not value teachers, with real stories from the ground and recognition of a teacher’s inner life, efforts, and the conundrums that follow. The title itself evoked the image of a big bench with storybooks and laughter, a teacher sitting on it and her students surrounding her. I feel Kamala Mukunda’s and Kavita’s book could be a guiding light for many teachers if read, shared, and discussed well. How can we support teachers in their pedagogical skills, along with all that is hidden, invisible, and unsaid in school education? Maybe reading is where the answer lies. One could create a bench of love for teachers to reflect together and be vulnerable. 

Ms Kavita writes- “I sincerely hope this book will bring learners, caregivers, and educators together and create better understanding, congenial relations and warmer interpersonal relations, helping to better nurture teenagers and make school a happy place, resounding with laughter at the joy of learning.” Her words need to be practised in our schools amongst parents, management and teachers. A dream would be: this book being read by these three groups, and they each understanding one another to bring more joy into the child’s life, who sometimes seems absent from the picture. 

On Fridays @ EBD, where we read the  book What Did You Ask At School Today? by Kamala Mukunda

Chapter on learning:

I got a chance to gain valuable knowledge I never knew I needed. It opened my eyes to new ideas, and I took detailed notes on all the fantastic stuff we covered, like:  

- How improving assessments can truly transform learning  

- Backwash effects on students  

- Portfolio methods for tracking progress  

- Collaborative learning that builds teamwork  

- Rubrics for clear, fair feedback  

- Halo effects that can bias our views  

- And powerful lessons on emotional learning and mental health  

The interactions were super engaging, but everyone’s reflections hit deep. They weren’t just words as they sparked something in me, like a quiet fire  to read more thoughtfully and chase real growth. Moments like these make learning feel alive. Can’t wait for all the readings ahead!

   

     ~by a lil curious reader Khushi  from Lotus Petal Foundation

Thank you, Khushi, for your thoughts. You are indeed a curious reader!

- Neelashi Mangal, Head Training and Learning at the Learning Forward India Foundation

Introducing Wanted Back-Bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher

Staff Leadership Development Program

Introduction

To launch the new Learning Forward Saturday season and introduce the book Wanted Back-Bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher by Kavita Ghosh

Key Takeaways

• New Book Introduced: Learning Forward Saturday is now a book club, using Kavita Ghosh’s Wanted Back Bencher, Last Ranker Teacher, to foster reading, reflection, and relationships.

• Monthly Chapter Focus: We read one chapter per month, starting with “Conventional vs. Contemporary School Management” in February.

• Unorthodox Teacher Protagonist: Roma Mathur, a temporary teacher hired to address a school’s deep-seated problems, brings a fresh perspective.

• Actionable Reflection: Participants will write reflections on each chapter for publication on happyteacher.in, building a public portfolio of their learning.

Topics

The New Learning Forward Saturday Format

• Goal: Shift from general classroom advice to a focused book-reading model.

• Rationale: To create a structured program for reading, reflection, and relationship-building, empowering teachers as leaders.

• Program: The club is part of the “Staff Leadership Development” program, one of three book-based initiatives offered by Learning Forward.

Introducing the Book: Wanted Back-Bencher, Last-Ranker Teacher

• Author: Kavita Ghosh, an English teacher and German PASH Project Coordinator at Delhi Public School, Bangalore South.

• Protagonist: Roma Mathur, a temporary teacher with a marketing background.

• Motivation: Mathur takes the teaching job to fulfil an adoption agency’s requirement that she demonstrate experience with children.

• Core Theme: The story explores the complexities of school life through Mathur’s unorthodox methods and her interactions with students, parents, and management.

Chapter-by-Chapter Overview

The book’s 11 chapters tackle a range of universal school challenges:

1. Conventional vs. Contemporary School Management: Mathur’s arrival amid a management crisis.

2. War vs. Peace: Addressing student bunking and dislike of learning.

3. Love Learning vs. Hate Learning: Fostering a positive learning environment.

4. Affection vs. Rejection: Supporting students from disturbed families.

5. Like vs. Unlike: Protecting bullied children and managing peer groups.

6. Right vs. Wrong: Handling peer pressure, risk-taking, and parent-student disconnection.

7. Copy or Not to Copy: Dealing with cheating and promoting honesty.

8. Fear vs. Courage: Helping students overcome stage fright.

9. Heart vs. Mind: Counselling students and parents on sensitive relationship issues.

10. Smiles vs. Frowns: Rebuilding positive teacher-student relationships.

11. Smart Tom vs. Crafty Jerry: Mathur’s unconventional final actions and departure.

Author’s Philosophy & Research

• Author’s Note: Ghosh connects universal classroom situations to logical reasoning and research.

• Goal: Bring learners, caregivers, and educators together to create a “happy place” where learning resonates with laughter.

• Research Basis: The book’s principles are informed by experts like Laurence Steinberg (adolescent development), Kenneth Wissen (neuroscience), and Sally and Lois Land (complex behaviour strategies).

• Forward: Defines an excellent teacher as a “multi-grain diet” for the brain—a subject specialist, mentor, communicator, and appraiser.

Reflection & Publication Process

• Platform: Participants will publish their reflections on the happyteacher.in blog.

• Process:

  • Week 1: Introduce the chapter.

  • Weeks 2–3: Draft reflections.

  • Week 4: Publish reflections on the blog.

• Precedent: The book was previously used in a World Bank Education Group-acknowledged Global Innovation Program, where teachers’ reflections were compiled into a separate book, demonstrating the model’s effectiveness.

Next Steps

• All Participants:

  • Purchase a copy of Wanted Back-Bencher & Last-Ranker Teacher.

  • Reflect on the session’s introduction and share initial thoughts in the WhatsApp group.

• Neelashi:

  • Schedule an author talk with Kavita Ghosh for a future Friday session.

  • Define “proletarian teacher training” and share the definition with the group.

• Learning Forward:

  • Post the YouTube recording of this session to the Good Schools Network channel (www.goodschools.net).