Teachers' Day observed on September 5 every year in India is being celebrated in about 70 countries, but on different dates. The birthday of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, second President, who started his career as a teacher, was chosen as Teachers' day in India as he preferred to be remembered as a teacher always. Teaching is known as the noblest profession because every teacher functions as a ladder for his/her pupils to go up in life while he/she stays at the same place. Teachers are the real nation builders and function as the pivot on which the entire nation revolves. They spread the light of knowledge all over as a candle does and a day to remember their contribution to society is a fitting tribute that the nation can do for them.
William A. Ward said: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” When our class teacher wrote something on the blackboard in English about 55 years ago, on the first day of my entry in to IV form (present IX Std) all 40 of us, who belonged to the Tamil medium, were sitting blissfully ignorant of what he wrote and what it meant. But, that famous quotation from Thomas Alva Edison, “Genius is one per cent inspiration; 99 per cent perspiration” became my motto in life later.
Explaining the quotation, he spoke for one full hour, quoting examples from the life of Edison to imprint in our minds what hard work could do for students like us. Teachers should aim at making sustained and sustentative influence on the intellect of students and inspire them, encouraging creative thinking and positive questioning. Ancient teachers Confucius, Socrates and Aristotle followed this method. I am not sure how many of the teachers today are capable of enchanting and carrying their students with them as these great teachers did.
Involvement
A teacher is considered venerable next only to the parents. He should have a genuine interest and cent per cent involvement in the job. Pythagoras, the mathematician, and Sir Isaac Newton, the scientist, were celebrated teachers who exhibited this quality. I cannot forget my English professor who taught us Shakespeare's King Lear more than five decades ago when I was in my UG class. While teaching the famous tragedy, he would become King Lear himself, making everyone in the class shed tears so that we could forget neither Shakespeare nor our professor. The teachers become illustrious and everlasting characters in our memory because of their deep involvement in the subject. Such teachers achieve unattainable recognition and everlasting respect from the entire student community.
Teachers cannot enjoy unending rapport with their students just by teaching the subject given to them alone. They should also instil morals and discipline in the minds of students to help them lead a successful and happy life later. Classic examples of teachers of precepts and preachers of morals are King Solomon and the Buddha. Nowadays teachers prepare the students for the exams no doubt; but it is doubtful if they prepare them for their life too. Incidentally, there used to be one full period allotted for ‘Moral Instructions' in all schools those days. Now it has been conveniently removed for reasons not known.
Alexander the Great once said: “I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.” The whole society is concerned with the future of children which is in the hands of teachers because the teacher is the one and only person capable of influencing the thoughts and deeds of the future generation.
Every eminent teacher, dead or alive, stays in the minds of the students forever and his/her degree of distinction very much depends on how efficiently the sacred job is handled.
( The writer's email id is: eden.alexander@yahoo.co.in )
