It was the last day of the term test. I was proctoring in room 201 in the first shift. The second proctor in my classroom was taking care of their students’ queries in the Auditorium, little above the 4th floor.
I have always noticed invigilators/proctors while taking exams since my school days that:
- They sit on chairs very less often.
- They walk slowly in the classroom. (a) First to see if any student has any issues. (b) Second to prevent unfair practices in examination
And, I also have been doing this for years while proctoring in different examinations. So, I don’t check my phone while proctoring. There are two reasons for that:
- It is not a good attitude to do this while students are taking the exam.
- And, It stops you from doing your responsibility as a proctor.
My students in class 401 on the fourth floor got some queries in their science exam paper.
A teacher proctoring in class 401 sent me a message on hangout. As I was not using my phone during proctoring, so I had no idea about the message. I believe that keeping phones in ringing mode/vibration can disturb students’ focus.
They were already two proctors in 401 proctoring the exam.
After 30 minutes, he came in 201 on the 2nd floor and asked in an authoritative tone:
“You didn’t come to 401! I sent you a message 40 minutes before.”
But actually it was only 15 minutes only.
I just said: “I didn’t check my phone.”
But he was looking very angry that he had to come down.
Anyways!
After lunch, I was proctoring in the same room 201 without the second proctor again. This time students of grade 9 needed some help in understanding a few questions of Business Studies. A lot of teachers were proctoring in the hall.
Mr. Siva sent me a message on Hangout. Like always, I didn’t check.
Then Mr. Baelz who was in his 50s came down 2 floors and he just said: “Your students need your help. Don’t worry! I will proctor your class until you are here.”
Those words of him won my heart and I always respect him for his generosity.
So, what can we learn from this?
- Though I never suggest being active on your phone, we can keep it in vibration mode. If you are two proctors in a room, it is easy to go outside and check your phone after you got a vibration alert. [ I won’t recommend]
- Always have a generous helping attitude with your co-teachers/staffs, especially when your co-teacher is new or junior to you. [ Strongly recommended]
In next post, I will come up with a new story and message for aspiring teachers.
Till then, Take Care! Stay Safe!
