A Teacher!

"The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” - Khalil Gibran

A Teacher is a mentor, facilitator, caretaker and sometimes even peer. For students, teacher is a one-stop solution provider for their many problems and challenges of within or outside the contents of their textbook.

We can say that teacher is a multitasking personality (ashtavadhani) an expert not only in content but also in the multi fold life skills that need to be imbibed and instilled in young minds of students.

We can define teacher as a social engineer because by his knowledge and skills he forms and moulds a child in his classroom. He builds a society and thereby a nation.  He shapes a generation. A teacher’s influence in society is so profound that no one else can equal it. Teacher’s love and affection, character and moral commitment affect children so deeply.

A teacher is neither a scientist nor researcher in the field of education although he constantly tries to find the best possible ways to be true to their conscience when reaching out and teaching children.

A teacher of this era is amazing! Both teacher and teaching are redefined. Along with the student, teachers are evolving.

The teacher must be humble. A learned teacher know that knowledge has no boundaries whatever he has learned there is much more than that about which he is ignorant. Hence, he must involve himself in self-examination.

Teaching is more than a job, profession and service; it’s a responsibility and the art of assisting discovery. Teaching is never complete without a balanced mix of theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Society, parents and students expect a lot of thing from teacher. The working culture, the attitude of the principal, management, department policies, parents and students towards teachers may either motivate or de-motivate a teacher. Another de-motivating factor is professional jealousy. Some teachers become jealous of the outstanding performance of their colleague teachers. They may try to put him down. The narrow minded heads of some schools also do the same sometimes.

The teacher must have academic freedom. He should be free to interpret culture. In the pursuit of knowledge any authority of power should not cow him down. He should express his opinion without fear. He should encourage the students to be critical and free in their search for truth.

A good teacher works with a missionary spirit. He thinks that working conditions shall be conducive to get job satisfaction. There may be some short-comings in the working conditions. Teacher shall overlook such short-comings and work with dedication and devotion. Net result will be total job satisfaction and joy in teaching. 

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