“Some are teachers by choice, while quite many others are in this profession by default.” I can vividly recall these lines from a ‘homily’ delivered by a well-known cleric and an exceptionally gifted motivational speaker from Indore. It was at a seminar arranged for school teachers in Goa. That was some years back!
Just recently, my very close friend, a teacher and a renowned figure in the field of Konkani literature, celebrated his seventieth birthday at his residence in Ponda. It was planned as a very small function with a few near and dear ones being asked to join in.
Call it a welcome surprise if you wish to; but the presence of a motley crowd of teachers - some of them principals of their institutions “ who arrived from distant corners of the state to wish their ‘Sir’, and celebrate with him on this memorable occasion, was indeed an emotional moment for my friend.
As each of his ‘students’ hugged him and reminisced about those formative years as wards under his able guidance, one could actually feel the love and respect they had for their ‘Sir’. It is this reverence that goes on to exemplify the greatness of the teacher.
For well over four decades, my friend has mentored several students, and many of them continue to keep in touch with him. As an eminent sociologist and educationist, he continues to be actively associated with anything that has the ‘education’ tag attached to it.
Even today, the presence of youngsters coming to seek his advice on matters pertaining to their studies, and sometimes vocation, could well give one an indication of his commitment to his students and their betterment. My friend quit a lucrative career in banking to take up teaching which in those days amounted to sacrilege. For, teaching then was thought of as the last alternative when it came to choosing professions. Allow me to quote a few lines from a write-up I came across that was as good as an explanation for this strange ‘phenomenon’ that persists in India.
“It is sad that in India the teaching profession is the last choice, one taken as a desperate attempt for those who have no other options left to earn their livelihoods.” (Nirja S, Author and Beta Reader)
It goes on to say that there is no pride left in being a teacher unless you are one of those who teach in swanky schools and get a fat salary.
But then you have the example of my friend who is an antithesis of all that is being argued here and has come across as an exceptional tutor championing the cause of education.
For my friend, all the other career options come second when compared to teaching “ even today!
It is rightly said that teaching should be a passion and not just a profession!
The author of the above piece from which I have extracted a few lines laments the spark of satisfaction in the eyes of those who are in this most noble profession.
But very quickly she adds that she does see it in some very few who outshine all others since they are teachers because they ‘want to be’ and not because they are ‘forced to be’.
That is when I started pondering over the sage words of the clergyman!
As a profession which places the teacher in that position from where he or she commands the respect akin to that reserved for the parents of the child, one can well imagine the responsibilities the teacher is laden with! While teachers, in the traditional sense, play an essential role in imparting education to wards under their care, today their role in education goes beyond teaching.
‘The Role of Teachers in Education’, a blog appearing in the portal ‘Exeed college.com’, very explicitly states that “In today’s world, teaching has different faces, and the teacher has to carry out the part of being an external parent, counsellor, mentor, role model, and so on.” Could there be a better explanation!
Moreover, the contention that teachers are important because they change lives, inspire dreams, and push the limits of human potential goes on to accentuate the fact that teachers nurture, teach and raise children to become useful to society. But teachers have their task cut out for them!
The dynamics of teaching have changed over the period of time, and will continue to do so with the changing times. Just as for a student there is no end to learning, keeping oneself updated with the latest trends in education is the greatest challenge for a teacher.
Here again, the attitude of some tutors towards various approaches to teaching marks out the ‘by default’ category rather starkly - they are averse to any modifications in the existing pattern.
Whereas, as facilitators of learning, those passionate about teaching will leave no stone unturned to ensure that their students reap the benefits of their efforts. No wonder such teachers take pride in the achievements of their students.
As many in the profession will agree, teaching the next generation has never been an easy career. But the way some of them have gone about doing it makes the vocation all the more worthwhile.
At a felicitation ceremony of SSC-toppers that I was invited to last year at ‘Big Foot’ in Loutolim, a retired-teacher was sitting next to me. As the meritorious students went up to the stage to receive their prizes, he would make it a point to inform me - and with a beaming smile at that - that many of the parents and other family members of the awardees were taught by him.
One look at my teacher friend from Ponda, a septuagenarian now - basking in all that adulation and extremely humbled by the love showered upon him by his ex-students - more than convinces me that this person couldn’t have been anything but a TEACHER in his life.
