Experienced; 1st Day of My Service

Teachers are simply describe as “Jack of all and Master of none” in
light with this statement, I would like to through some light based on my own
experiences as teacher in-charge right after my graduation from Paro College of
Education.

It was at the eve of 2002 academic year, the outgoing fresh teachers were gathered
to receive our final placement order from Human Resource Division. Everybody
are excited cum worried about the placement as unlucky candidate will be placed
to extreme corners of Bhutan but I was as happy as I always love to challenge
the new atmosphere.

Human Resource Officer has distributed packed envelop to each fresh teachers and
asked to kindly open and see the name of the school. Some of my colleagues are
placed mostly to southern dzongkhags which has security problem and they were
not that much happy for their lucks. In my placement order, I found Reti CPS as
school name and Trongsa as dzongkhag. I was as impressed as God had favor a lot
to me, we bid farewell to each other and assured to share about respective
schools right after our arrival.

During the winter vacation, I did not received any kind of in formations in respect to
Reti CPS and even I didn’t made call to dzongkhag administration. I was fully
expected that there is a head teacher and other teaching staff. I prepared
little presence to staff and to my new boss. I reported to dzongkhag
administration, met dzongkhag education officer and we had brief introductions
to each other. Education officer was excited and informed about the situation
of Reti CPS, it was newly established school, no classroom and forgets about
head teacher and other the teachers, taught by NFE instructor for a year, it
was officially four days walk from nearest motor road and two days walk from gewog
centre. “You will be only a teacher cum everything in the school”, said the
District Education Officer.

I could not imagine the situation and I started worrying about my abilities, I
was trained in teaching not as administrator and my life doesn't seem to be
enjoyable as I expected. I was escorted by one of the villager till my
destination, the school was located in the middle of the village with 16
households and economically the community is far behind compare to the other
villages in the gewog.

The school resumed around second week of March 2003 with 50 students as total
enrollment, I could not contribute much as I was in dilemma but teaching was
carried normal in ORC (outreach clinic) as classroom. I was administrator,
teacher, caretaker, hair-cutter, health assistant, carpenter, in-charges of all
activities and sometime I was clerk. Unexpected environment I experienced in my
life as a teacher and it was really challenging.

After few months I received letters from my colleagues stating about their life with
new environment, enjoyment with teaching staff, school culture and so on.
Indeed I was happy to read letters but internally I cannot imagine my situation
compared to their comfort but I wrote…

Dear friend,

I was really excited to
hear such wonderful news from you and enjoyed reading but I am extremely sorry
for displaying excited behavior during placement time as I am experiencing
bitter in my school at present, the fact is that I am alone and everything in the
school.

Your loving
friend,                                                                                                 

Cheten Wangchuk

 Now I have develop the philosophy “if sadness occur before, happiness happen later” and life of teacher is full of work which provide torch to younger generation and I still love my
professionalism as a teacher and administrator.