Beyond the Classroom: An Exclusive Interview with Prof. Jayashree R

Prof. Jayashree, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. Serving as a lecturer for more than a decade, she is known for her kind, friendly and inclusive approach to students. As a teacher, she believes in inspiring students through building meaningful connections rather than just taking classes. A poet at heart, a feminist in mind, Prof. Jayashree continues to empower and inspire more and more students.

As someone who has been inspiring and empowering students for a decade now, what made you choose this path, Ma’am?

Should I say it was my teachers who inspired me, or should I say it was my passion for meeting people, building connections, and guiding them if I could. I was more interested in inspiring people with the inspirations I had received. I think of myself as a medium to transfer both knowledge and goodness to others.

I have heard from my friends in the mechanical department of how wonderful a lecturer you are, and how you always emphasize teaching should reach all kinds of students in a classroom and that it shouldn’t be limited. So, how do you approach this and what made you  do that, Ma’am? It is actually inspiring to see a faculty focus on this beyond just completing the syllabus.

If my memory serves right, I once was handling a laboratory session where we got feedback from students. One student’s feedback about how a classroom should be designed in such a way that even the most quiet student should have the loudest voice, struck me. I was taken back and I had to take time to reflect, what he would have meant by that. This made me realise how a classroom might consist of 20% of students; who are too brilliant and see their lecturers just as a source of information. And there are another 20% of students, who are interested in academics, only if they like the person teaching it. The rest 60% are intermediate between the two and are in the hands of a teacher to make them side with one. I was one of the 60% students during my college days. I needed the right approach and that made me think they needed too.

Has there ever been an instance that changed your perspective on things, and they have been unforgettable to you since then?

As you had mentioned it right, it has been ten years and this is my tenth year in the field of teaching. I have come across many students who were very kind and loving towards me. More than their academic excellence, I was fascinated with their profound love and affection towards me. I consider myself blessed to have received so much love from the students. So I cannot mention one student or the other, there are many.

Have you ever wondered about the other choices you could have made in your life?

Talking about my career path, I started off as an Industrial Development Officer in Indian bank. My job was to check the techno-economical viability of engineering projects and sanction loans based on their technical strengths. Over time I observed how I was only helping the empowered to get more empowered and not the under-equipped folks. So, I thought this could be the right profession and eventually I made the shift. In my mind, I have always been a teacher.

I noticed a quote outside that read, “Do not leave your footwear outside; leave your dirt.” It made me realise how you uphold values and principles. And in the current generation, how do you think holding on to strong morals matters the most, Ma’am?

As I mentioned earlier, I look forward to passing on principles and ideals across generations rather than just academic knowledge. Now that I have completed a decade of teaching and I am in my mid 30s, I have yet another 25 years of active service. I think I have to hold onto these principles until the end of my service so that I can pass on to the upcoming generations. I could see even when the way of carrying forward the ideals and principles has changed, the core values haven't. We did the same for teacher’s day 10 0r 15 years ago what you are doing now. So I believe the core ideals remain the same, only the way of it being expressed has changed.

This is a hypothetical question, Ma’am. Let’s say you were given the power to change policy or make amendments in the education system. What would you do and why? 

I think any measure if it is quantifiable, then it ceases to be a good measure. When we start quantifying, say the quality of the student; they will start gaming it up. The students will find means to acquire good marks than actual practical knowledge. I think that can be changed and quality should not be quantifiable.

We know how hard it is to choose a non-circuital branch as a woman. And you did it back in 2009, a time when IT and network was taking over. So, why mechanical engineering, Ma’am?

Actually, my father was a metallurgical engineer. He served Southern Railways for more than three decades. And he used to take me to his workshop whenever possible. I was very fascinated with the engines, the wheels then. Since childhood, I wanted to be an engineer and more specifically a mechanical engineer. I didn't find it hard being a woman in the department of mechanical engineering. One of the reasons is my fellow male colleagues who made me feel at ease.

We got to know that you love writing poetry. So, can you share a couple of lines with us, Ma’am?

I started writing only because I got to stay alone most of the time. So, I had time to introspect, look back and reflect, or feel an emotion deeply. I think naming my emotion was necessary for me to respond properly; whether it was to my student, or to my superior. Most of my emotions when I look back on what I have written were all about feminism, equality or social justice. To share a couple of lines, I have woven my desires into a tamil poem, when I was around 24 and just entered teaching. I love that and it goes:

நிலவொளியில் நடைபயில ஆசை

காலையில் அடைமழையில் நில்லாமல் அரசியல் பேச ஆசை

வயல் சூழ்ந்த ஊர்தனிலே தனியே வண்டி செலுத்த ஆசை

திருமணத்திற்குப் புன்னகை மட்டுமே சேர்த்து வைக்க ஆசை

தாய் வீட்டிலேயே தங்கிவிட ஆசை

உருவால் மெல்லினம் ஆனாலும் வல்லமை படைக்கவே ஆசை

ஆம், எனக்குச் சண்டையிடத் தேவையில்லாத சம உரிமை ஆசை

As the final question, is there anything you would like to share with the people who are watching this interview, Ma’am?

What I would like to convey is that Times have gone by, but as teachers, we are trying to catch-up with your vibe. We are trying it hard and I know sometimes we fail. When I crack jokes in a classroom and I know it doesn’t work sometimes because I am at least a decade older than you. But we are trying to catch-up and making efforts to connect with you. As I told you earlier, we are not the only source of information like they were for us when we were students. We desire to connect with you, touch your lives but we don’t know how. We are still figuring it out. Students should be open enough to approach teachers. For example, let’s say I am getting paid around Rs.5000 per working day, but the student interactions I make everyday is only for about 15 mins and that is not one-on-one too. I look forward to more students  approaching and having discussions with us - the teachers. It will help us understand you better and if possible inspire you better.

Thank you Ma’am. It was great talking to you and learning from your journey.

Credits:

Patron: Dr. T.Purshothaman M.E.,Ph.D, Principal of GCT

Staff In-charge: Dr. M. Kalpana

Editor in Chief: Mathimalar V (IT 23-27)

Interviewer : Sujithasri (CIVIL 24-28)

Reporter : Sujithasri (CIVIL 24-28)

Videography: Srikanth (MECH 23-27)