Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Ashram organised a workshop for teachers here on Monday. Jyotirmayananda and personality development trainer Ramesh Umrani spoke to teachers from government and private schools about their roles and responsibilities.
“Teaching is a sacred responsibility. It is not just a job that ensures a monthly salary and benefits. Teachers should realise that they carry a responsibility of shaping the future of the country,” Mr. Umrani said.
“Wherever I go, I keep asking young teachers why they wanted to be teachers. But, none seems to have a proper answer. Most people tend to think it is the easiest way to get a government job. Such an attitude is defeating,” he said.
The youth should become teachers only if they love teaching. Otherwise, they should learn to love their job. “That comes when you try to understand the responsibilities of the profession. Actually, it is such an important job that responsibility of primary teachers is more than that of university professors. They are supposed to build a nation full of responsible citizens. They need to mould the character of young students. But then, that is not an easy task. Values can never be taught. They need to be demonstrated. Students will respect teachers only if they live by those standards. After all, if you don’t practice what you preach, why should others respect you,” Mr. Umrani asked.
He asked teachers to invest in themselves. “You invest in land and shares as you know that they will fetch returns. Therefore, if you don’t invest in yourselves by buying books or multi media tools for personality development, it means that you are not confident that that investment will not fetch returns,” Mr. Umrani said.
Teachers should not try to give information to students. They should realise that all knowledge resides within students and ignite their minds so that it comes out at appropriate times. “Teachers should help students learn to introspect and apologise. Teachers should create a craving among students in a particular subject and help them find a passion.”
All this is possible if teachers developed a positive thinking and find solutions to problems. Half of this would be achieved if you leave your worries at home and start your day at school with an open mind, Mr. Umrani added.
