On The Jacket :
When indiscipline at Roderick International School, Mussoorie, becomes an alarming issue for members of the Board, educators and parents alike, CEO Jacob Roderick decided to bring in an experimental teacher, Roma Mathur against the wishes of the Board of Directors to curb the growing aggression, hostility and vandalism.
Will someone like Roma Mathur, written off by her teachers as a ‘Moron’ and ‘Good for nothing’, be able to inspire learning in students who loath studying and sitting in classrooms? Will this maverick academic, who had been extremely mischievous as a student herself, be able to instill values and discipline in her students? Is there any place for someone as unconventional as Roma Mathur among the esteemed and sophisticated faculty at the prestigious International School? Has Jacob Roderick made a grave mistake in recruiting someone who plays drums, watches Tom and Jerry, beat up Goons in the pub, and rides a sports bike, over the gold medalist, experienced teachers who had applied? What was it the school needed at this desperate hour?
It is time for the students of RIS to take a call on what kind of teachers they need in their classrooms.
Review :
If I ask you what is that one thing/phase of your life you would like to re-live? There is 90% probability one will want childhood, no? and when we talk about childhood we somehow end up talking about school,teachers,subjects,competitions,art fairs,etc.. Our school is one place where we have spent a big chunk of our life-our childhood. Maybe, that’s why teachers are called our second parents. Wanted back bencher & last ranker teacher takes you on a nostalgic trip to past,to your school. As and when a new teacher is introduced your mind starts recollecting which teacher from your school is like this character. There always is one teacher we adored, another that keeps terrifying us throughout our school life, then there’s a teacher who never smiles or the one who sleeps through the classes, one who is so strict that we maintain distance. Our teachers are as important as our parents during the early years.
Roma Mathur joins as a temporary substitute for one of the teachers at Roderick International School . She is not a typical teacher material,but that’s not what her problem is. The problem is managing the brats of the classes she is allotted with. Within a week Roma understands she has to treat the tenth graders differently and thus starts her learnings to understand teenage psychology . Every time she has a hard time understanding things, she goes back to her childhood and think from a child’s perspective and yes, there’s always Uttara – counsellor to help her out. The moment she thinks she is doing good with the students,something happens that puts her scratching her head again. Will roma be successful to win over her students completely? Is her approach right? Do we need teachers like Roma?
Wanted back bencher and last ranker teacher teaches us simple ways that we can change to understand children/teenagers in a better way. The book talks about scenarios inspired of real life instances happening in the lives of teenagers. Parents and teachers lose patience easily seeing teenagers behave differently day by day and that’s what this book tells us not to. This book can be a great parenting guide. At times the expert talk bores you and that is the only shortcoming from this book. Just as the cover is cute so are the graphics inside the book. You won’t regret reading this no matter you are a parent or not. It’s a fiction tale we all can learn life lessons from.
Rating :
****/5
NOTE : THIS REVIEW IS FOR LEADSTART PUBLISHING THOUGH THE VIEWS STATED ARE COMPLETELY MINE.
Bhakti Motta 