Skint, Stargazing and Schooled
What do you do when you are broke in London, and trying to find work? You start teaching 10-year-old boys Astronomy.
And what a fun, bright, curious bunch they are. So absolutely unfiltered, yet well-mannered, and who probably know more about physics and the universe than you.
Of Lunar Impact Craters and PPTs
I once told one of them that I liked the question he asked, and the next week, he had a new question ready, replete with lines and a blank square drawn on the paper, expecting me to share the answer in a slide format and paste stickers for the illustration. I found the behaviour cheeky; my friend had a more colourful term. Nevertheless, it made me laugh and admire his audacity.
The pay is peanuts but the experience is invaluable. I have never taught in a class before (assisted is the more appropriate term here). I have never had a bunch of sincere, enthusiastic boys sometimes call me Srishti, instead of Miss, show me the cool trick of using a non-working ballpoint pen and ruler to neatly fold the lines of a cardboard Kepler Telescope, and get distracted in an instant to go running to see chicks hatch in the science lab. I had a largely learning-by-rote curriculum (sans astronomy) growing up, and getting to do this in my adulthood makes me feel like a kid again. I’m getting a second chance at interactive science.
I’d forgotten that you are not supposed to look at the sun through a telescope without special lenses on, for the risk of permanently damaging your eyes. Basics might elude me, but I do my weekly research and learn cool stuff on the Artemis II mission, the nearest objects in the universe, the height of Mount Olympus on Mars (and not the one in Greece) and other bits and bobs.
The professor is brilliant, teaches adults astronomy for a living and is a Physics graduate himself. The boys questioned him on this and he replied that it was a useful subject, in turn asking me what my major was. I replied that it was English Literature, and on whether I found that useful, replied with an affirmative ‘I think so’. I think Literature teaches you to look at life outside the live-work-die and create value for the shareholder dynamic (aside: the GD topic for my first campus job placement was how art and science complement each other).
Speaking of, I read a book called ‘Heart the Lover’ by Lily King, which is Waterstones’ book of the month for fiction. It’s her tribute to life, literature, and longing, has a half-Indian love interest and is compulsively readable, despite its literary merit. Suitable for young adults and old, this book has been my introduction to the author and a break from Indian and British writing in a while.
Back to gazing at the stars, I’m not sure what they hold for me. The kids can name the constellations faster than I can find them. Yet they also try to impress me, which, given that I’m clearly learning along with them, says a lot about the generosity of 10-year-olds. I think I like Wednesdays in London.
