The joy in teaching

As I visited my school the last time I came back to Mumbai, I was reminded of the wonderful days I had spent there, learning, playing and growing up joyfully, unmindful of worries and tensions. As I walk down the corridors of the school, I am forced down memory lane and images of my classes flash through my mind. When I think back about my school days, I realize that I memories of both very good, and very bad teachers were still intact in my mind. I now realize the kind of indelible marks teachers leave in the students’ minds, through their words and actions.

Teaching is one profession that involves great commitment and patience. A teacher has the power to mould or destroy a student’s interest in a subject. I have always believed that the role of a teacher is to teach the student to educate himself. In other words, the teacher’s job is complete if he is able to generate in his students, a genuine interest for the subject. A teacher will be able to generate in his students an interest for the subject only if he himself is passionate about the subject as well as teaching.

Mastery of subject as well as good communication skills are of course important traits for a teacher to have, but more importantly, the teacher must be able to connect with the student, and ensure that the student considers him approachable and understanding. Helping people understand things that they don’t is one of the most gratifying experiences to have, and hence a teacher is privileged to have that opportunity. The satisfaction that can be derived upon seeing the look of realization dawn upon a student’s face, as the teacher explains complex concepts is something that is invaluable.

Teachers hold a position in a child’s life beyond just imparting knowledge and teaching theoretical concepts. Right from the initial years, teachers are a child’s window to the outside world. He understands life through the thoughts of his teachers. A teacher must reflect qualities of confidence, impartiality, intellect, and many more virtues, so that the student is able to imbibe these qualities early in life. A good teacher must be able to also identify areas of talent in a child and encourage him to develop them, so as to ensure complete character development. In a teacher’s hand lies great power to mould the future of the students, and thus the future of the nation. A teacher is like an architect, who can mould the intellect, character as well as culture of his pupil. Being a teacher is a great privilege to have, as well as an immense responsibility.