Teachers Make a Difference

Times have definitely changed but the young generations of all ages and times have always showcased an untamable passion towards achieving their goals. What has played the key role in their lives is that one power that patiently channelized this passion in the right direction. That power lies in the one who has ever taught you to overcome the hurdle of negatives and focus on the path of positives; that one person who has given us genuine advice and showed us the right path. Undoubtedly, learning is a lifelong process, and if we want to constantly learn then there is definitely a someone is needed to facilitate the same and he is a teacher. When teacher is so important in the life of all then why isn’t teaching considered a high-end profession and why does it not ever come in the top list of most sought after profession? Dear readers, how many of you ever aspired to be a teacher and would like your child to take up this most challenging and noble job?

Well, there is this one statement that I hear most of the times when I am in conversation with the students and that is, “we want to create an impact”. Listening to this, I wonder how people can miss on the fact that teaching is the only profession that is solely dedicated to create impact and change lives, unconditionally. When you read the scriptures and delve deep in the history of any country, teaching has always been given a place on a high pedestal. Particularly in India, “If we look at the Sanskrit language for synonyms for “teacher”, many exist, but they share a common feature. They do not give a meaning i.e. “teach”, rather they mean, ‘to facilitate or cause someone to learn’.

So, the question arises, why the youth these days do not consider it as an option or looks at it as the last option, professionally. In ancient India teaching wasn’t considered a profession but it was a lifelong journey of transforming lives. Even today, the idea of “making a difference” and “creating an impact” remains the same when it comes to teaching. In my previous articles, I have given many examples from the ancient and modern contexts where teachers have played a key role in the lives of the students thereby contributing to the future of the world as a whole. So, what made these teachers choose this path? What made them sure about it as their calling?

To find answers, I asked my teachers the above-mentioned questions. The answers were surely inspiring. Most of them believe that there is nothing more satisfactory than sharing knowledge and facilitating learning. One of the enthusiastic answers was that a teacher has to be a teacher 24/7. There isn’t a switch from work life to personal life and vice versa because students look up to them and emulate them. Yes, it might be tedious and challenging but is worth it at the end of the day. Another teacher answered with deep sincerity that the feeling of encouraging and motivating young kids to dream big is unfathomably fulfilling. The answers I received were so heartwarming. The teachers believe that being a teacher actually helps you to be a learner for life, to create, innovate and bring change through education. It helps one ignite the spark of learning and the joy of being a part of the community of intellectuals is simply marvelous. The satisfaction of helping an underdog and being that one caring adult in a child’s life is unmatched. It is a profession that helps you pay back and contribute to the society that you are a part of and positively impact the future of the world. Not just this, it also helps one experience personal growth and at the same time give and receive unconditional love. For some, it is their true calling and gives them a great sense of purpose too.

Prof. Avijit Pathak`s thought provoking article was published in Indian Express in which he stated that teachers in India are feeling low as they aren’t able to derive professional satisfaction out of their work for many reasons which he explained in detail. But at the he writes which I quote “Yet, I believe, we have to resist, and with our rebellion as prayer, we have to strive for life-affirming education. We ought to renew faith in the very meaning of the vocation of teaching. No, we are not “loyal soldiers”; nor are we cogs in a bureaucratic machine. We are wanderers. We are explorers. We are poets, philosophers, thinkers, visionaries. And unless we begin to trust ourselves, none can save us, and heal the wound caused by an unholy alliance of techno-managers and practitioners of what Herbert Marcuse would have regarded as “one-dimensional” thought.”

For a long time now, this profession is not receiving the due respect it deserves. I know it’s a strong statement to make but to an extent both government and school management have to be blamed for it, for gradually pushing this profession from noble to ordinary and not paying sincere attention on teacher’s development and their present state. Also, with the spread of the coaching business, there is an unfortunate commercialization of education. In this system teachers have reduced to mere workers. It might sound rude but I must say that somewhere teachers are also to be blamed equally. They have somehow allowed it to happen by not actually taking a sense of pride in their work.

I strongly believe that the community of teachers should now realize that the onus lies on them to maintain the dignity and respect that is associated with this profession. For this, they need to first take pride in what they are doing and should never let their zeal shun. Secondly, the sanctity of this profession can only be maintained if it is freed from the clutches of coaching centers. Only unconditional love and dedication brings unadulterated reverence. Good teaching, coupled with an unshakable belief in the capacity of kids, is extremely powerful. Indeed, nobody is more important to our country’s future than those who will serve the nation as the builders of the future.

So, how can one maintain the dignity and reverence associated with teaching in this material world?

A few days ago I read a powerful piece titled ‘what teachers make’ and I would like to share it with you. It resonates with a teacher’s pride in what he makes: A renowned lawyer meets his friend, who is a teacher, in a get together after a long time. The conversation intensifies as he comments on his profession saying, “The problem with teachers is what a kid is going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers: Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. The teacher decided to bite his tongue and resist the temptation to remind the dinner guests that it’s also true what they say about lawyers. The lawyer continued, “Because we’re eating, after all, and this is polite conversation, I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor. Be honest. What do you make?”

The teacher said, “You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A-­ feel like a slap in the face. How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best? I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence. 
I constantly communicate with the parents to tell them the qualities of their child, “Hi. This is Mr. Mali. I hope I haven’t called at a bad time; I just wanted to talk to you about something your son said today. To the biggest bully in the grade, he said, “Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you? It’s no big deal.” And that was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen. I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be. You want to know what I make. I make kids wonder, I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, over and over and over again until they will never misspell either one of those words again. I make them understand that if you’ve got this, then you follow this, and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you give them this. Here, let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true: Teachers make a difference! Now what about you?

(Source: Mali. Taylor. “What Teachers Make.” What Learning Leaves. Newtown, CT: Hanover Press, 2002. Print. (ISBN: 1-­‐887012-­‐17-­‐6)