All through my life I have been taught by a number of teachers, all of whom have had some form of influence on me. However, through this intellectual journey I have discovered many qualities that have distinguished great teachers from the rest. A Great teacher shows qualities such as patience, kindness, flexibility, resourcefulness, tolerance and open-mindedness.
He/she also has a good sense of humour and is honest, humble, enthusiastic and, most importantly, enjoys teaching. Teacher is the person who shapes the future of any human being. Teachers are the people who hold the candle of enlightenment, knowledge, and, prosperity. Any nation that does not respect its candle bearers can never prosper and will always remain in darkness. Advancement of society depends upon teachers. Promoting the everlasting significance of teachers "World Teachers' Day" is held annually on 5th October to celebrate the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels.
Teachers through instilling value of education in someone, protect and promote the dignity of teaching as a noble profession, and are worthy of profound regard. This kind of education can mold a human being for life. Teachers bear an enormous responsibility of passing on their wisdom and knowledge. Italian astronomer and mathematician Galileo expressed, "You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself." Good teachers help in enabling this discovery. They open new avenues, and encourage students to explore and achieve their true potential.
The teacher can be rightly called a nation builder. Teachers through their perseverance love and sacrifices have shown us the right path in which great men have built our nation. It is our dear teachers who mould our character, our personality and show us the right direction which leads us to our final destination.
Flourishing national development and a society truly prosperous with knowledge all begins from its teachers. While the role of knowledge and a skilled society with visions and aspirations in the success of a nation cannot be stressed enough, it should also be remembered that knowledge cannot be acquired if it is not sought and received through the help of the teacher. This is why everyone should put efforts into seeking as much knowledge as possible, and appreciate the teacher's importance in guiding us and the generations to come, to become knowledgeable and morally upright people.
Knowledge received without a teacher's guidance can be compared to a blind man walking without his stick. Because of this, teachers need to have a high level of commitment towards their duties and responsibilities which have been entrusted to them. The teacher is a judge who gives marks and ratings. He differentiates children on the basis of their intellectual, and often social skills in preparation for the social and occupational roles which they eventually play. He does this by recommending promotions and demotions within the school, appreciating children to take certain examinations and counseling children and their parents with regard to appropriate school courses, and employment possibilities.
The teacher is a representative of the society who inculcates moral precepts. In the development of a country, great attention has to be paid to education and learning, as well as good morals, and nobody is more suited to assist in this process than the humble teachers. Without teachers, both knowledge and morals would suffer.
The role of the teachers is a multi-faceted one comprising academic, pedagogical and social roles. Academic roles comprise teaching, counseling and supervisory roles while pedagogical roles include instructional, evaluation and facilitating roles. As a facilitator of learning, the teacher is involved in motivating pupils to learn, maintaining control in the classroom and the school in general, and creating a conducive environment for learning to take place. Social roles of the teacher includes among others socializing roles which is preparing pupils to participate in the way of life of the society; others include reference roles, detective roles, parent substitute, confidants and affectionate roles.
No other personality can have an influence more profound than that of a teacher. Students are deeply affected by the teacher's love and affection, his character, his competence, and his moral commitment. A popular teacher becomes a model for his students. The students try to follow their teacher in his manners, customs, etiquette, style of conversation and his get up.
He is their ideal. He can lead them anywhere. During their early education, the students tend to determine their aims in life and their future plans, in consultation with their teachers. Therefore, a corrupt and decadent class of teachers can harm a nation more seriously than a class of corrupt and perverted judiciary, army, police, bureaucracy, politicians or technocrats. A corrupt and incompetent teacher is not only a bad individual, but also the harbinger of a corrupt and incompetent generation. A nation with corrupt teachers is a nation at risk; every coming day announces the advent of its approaching destruction.
Teachers have to play a cardinal role in the building up of the character of the next generation. It is a fact that a civilization cannot rise out of a skeleton of mere ideas and abstract concepts. Civilization finds a concrete shape in the practical behaviour of a nation, based on these principles and concepts.
Once the practical aspect is gone, the civilization also disappears and can only be studied through its remnants preserved in museums and chronicles. This necessitates the provision of a learning atmosphere throbbing with life in our educational institutions through the presence of the teacher, with a view to infuse confidence in our students and to enable them to be proud of their culture, to respect their national character and national emblems, and to ornament themselves with societal conduct and morals. They should stand firm on the centuries old foundations of their cultural tradition and at the same time should establish standards of excellence in their academic performance.
The essence of the teacher as a nation builder cannot be over-emphasized. Good teachers need to be themselves constantly seeking knowledge, be of good character, have high motivation and be creative, innovative and effective in their teaching strategies. The good deeds of teachers are great; because of them, we will grow to become knowledgeable people who will be of use to society, religion and our nation and country.
Besides this, we live in a materialistic world. Only those command respect and position in society who have enough money. The teacher, being poor, with lowest remuneration rewarded, makes their accommodation difficult, consequently, he/she does not enjoy any prestige in society. He suffers in many other ways also. It has become a common feeling with the people that, one who fails everywhere else and has been rejected at all other places, becomes teacher as a last resort. In this way also teaching profession has been down-graded, their services are considered non essential and thus they do not get necessary recognition from society.
Indeed, it will be unfortunate for our country, if conditions of the teaching profession are allowed to deteriorate further. Let all round improvement be made in the conditions of the teachers without any further delay. Then only they will be able to play their vital role as nation builders. Then alone will education become a vital source of national integration.