An Evening Class and the 'Happiness' Question

Teaching is the profession that lets you reminisce and enjoy the candid life of students. Candid as I can remember from my golden days of student life. We didn't have to care a nook for the world. Our tensions, our books, our classes, our presentations, our talk shows, our discussion forums, our outings, our weekends. I can go on with that list without a pause. Now after years of crossing that phase, I am back to the campus life as an academician. I have worked as one with quite a few places for years. Students everywhere remind me of my own image as one of them. Those were the days. But I now enjoy recalling them while getting to have a glimpse at it through my students.

Ok, things were a bit different, or way different back then. I won't blame anyone for that. That was a different time. This time is different. But some things never change. Like the rays of innocence in bits and pieces we used to have then. It still exists to some extent. Or at least it does where I am working right now. These faces never stop smiling. Their eyes always shine with a brightness I so could feel within. They have a dream in those eyes, which seems probably a bit hazy now but it's there for sure. One good thing about technology is we can really make it to our best use. Well, no, I'm not talking about social media. Not at all. But how about using it to satisfy an academically curious mind? Or to start it small, how about using it to find what makes us happy?

"What is happiness to you?" I started my evening class with this simple question. But is it that simple? My students smiled at me giving me the 'oh-this-one's-so-easy-dude' look. Then we started brainstorming, mainly questioning our own understanding of happiness. At the end of the interesting and lively brainstorming session, the students in groups formed some questions to seek answers on happiness. It's true, simple questions have the most difficult answers. Particularly when it is related to life. I guess that's how it works. That's how we function - looking for simplicity, realizing it's there in our life, trying newer means to explore it further, then realizing it actually complicates everything, and finally coming back to the same old search for simplicity. Isn't that the journey of life all about?

Student groups by now started interviewing their peers within the class, asking their formed questions, collecting their responses. By the time they all got involved in the process, I went on to sit on my table quite literally to witness the wonderful view of a group of curious minds, young souls seeking answers of happiness. Most of them have just finished their teen years, some still at the last one to cross. How profound can they get in terms of getting the questions on happiness right, let alone seeking answers for them. Are we not all looking for the same answers? But that's not the issue. The issue is this amazing look on each of those students - the curiosity to know more about happiness. At one point, the classroom looked like a pool of young souls conversing in rhythm and laughter in their process of getting answers on happiness. They are the happy souls indeed.

The mini survey ended soon in a chain of group presentations. Most of them pointed out and proved that they are happy students. Their findings reported they are happy the way they are, the way they respect and celebrate friendship. They like their families but trust their friends more when it comes to sharing their innermost problems, mostly because they are hostelers and stay away from their families - something that I too would respond similarly if I were a student now. They have created their homes here with a different kind of trust and bond families don't understand at times.

The presentations went quite well despite the short time frame to discuss and collect information and create the PPTs. My learning from the class? Teamwork always works well in great coordination. Their takeaway? Speaking your mind without any fear or hesitation of being grammatically wrong eventually paves way for good communication skills with confidence. And more than anything, there should be learning from any sort of discussion or communication. It was indeed a wonderful, insightful evening class. We actually spent a good nearly-three hours class, and nobody complained! As for me, I can clearly see an open window where they stand right now. A window that opens endless doors to opportunities, learning and journeys of life they are yet to embark on.