The Preceptor
A special day to appreciate honor for their special contributions in a particular field on September 5th, an annual observance and to mark the birthday of the second President of India, Sarvapalli.R.Radhakrishnan and a source of inspiration to the students, Teacher’s Day is celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm all over our country. The UNESCO coins Teacher’s Day, to remind society about the right to education which means the right to a qualified teacher.
I come from a teaching family, comprising of my father, and mother-in-law, who have put their heart and soul into the welfare of the students with many hardships made me have more regard for a teacher.
A good teacher apart from imparting knowledge inspires, and encourages academic and non-academic talents and is an apt role model for all human.
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire"
- William Butter Yeats
An ideal teacher should possess knowledge, character, self-confidence, talent, elegance, be admirable, cherished, efficient, and responsible to give good citizens to the society. Teaching should be etched and nailed in young minds, as the tireless efforts of the teacher's fraternity during the pandemic to upgrade themselves, on par with the current trends and make them technologically sound, to be too good as a communicator to overcome fear in the young minds became mandatory for them. According to Hindu mythology, "A Guru" holds the greatest position and is on the heels towering to the top most than God.
“Teachers, I believe are the most responsible and one of the most important members of the society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the Earth.” - Helen Caldicott.
A student should value the teacher, for what she is, not losing or attenuating her identity among them by instilling values in their day-to-day life, so that they can move forward with dignity. Life lessons are taught to them, to be followed systematically and regularly in their progress in their profession.
Qualities of a good teacher
A good teacher should have effective listening skills, interactive communication, commitment, time consciousness, showing empathy, understanding, and altering their educational needs based on every student’s adaptability. Also to help them in focussing on collaborative work with an open mind and also to learn from other educators, transform the concept of learning into reality, promote a positive attitude, be patient, more importantly, the teacher’s willingness to share their knowledge and experiences during their lifetime make them an efficient educator.
“A gifted teacher is not only prepared to meet the needs of today’s child but is also prepared to foresee the hopes and dreams in every child’s future” - Robert John Meehan
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires” -William Arthur Ward
Teachers make a significant impact and leave an everlasting impression in the lives of students, shaping children’s futures. Compassionate to students and colleagues in analyzing the problems faced by students through understanding, and putting more effort to make the classroom a lively one, renders teachers still effective.
“What all good teachers have in common, however, is that they set high standards for their students and do not settle for anything else” - Marva Collins
“The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day” - Todd Whitaker
Role of a teacher
The role of a teacher in every student’s life should purely be a role model, to follow their words and be strong, lend the right guidance to know the strength and weaknesses of the students, and take correct and valid decisions. The true success of a teacher lies when the student emerges as an excellent and successful person as the teacher stands as a guiding force and the backbone of perseverance.
“It is the supreme art of the Teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge” - Albert Einstein
“A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself” - Bruce Lee
Teachers are those who are dedicated to their subjects, with a passion for learning to keep them abreast of the current happenings in their field, and are the best professionals compared to others as they possess the desire to pass knowledge to their students. Teachers are the studious learners, the craftsperson willing to learn more and keep themselves open to new real-world experiences in their life with strong knowledge and motivation in all domains and thereby helping us in reaching the goal we have set in our life.
Teacher’s Impact
Teachers’ impact can help in fostering the self-esteem of students, making it significant and resulting in a life-long positive outcome in their life.
Teachers are a special group of people who nurture young minds and ensure that children are successful in their personal and professional lives.
"Let us remember one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world" - Malala Yousafzai
“Teachers are the bows from which the children as living arrows are sent forth” - Khalil Gibran
Accolades to the teaching community
In 1984, Ronald Reagen (President of USA) announced that this program(‘Teacher in Space’) was designed to inspire students and honor teachers all over the world. This was mainly done to send these pioneering educators to space as “payload specialists” (non - astronauts civilians) to return to the classroom and share their experiences with the students.
One such teacher named “Christa Mc Auliffe” created history, as she was a living example in the profession and was selected to go to space as a part of NASA’s ‘Teacher in Space project.
The teacher then and now / past and present
Earlier in classrooms, students sit in rows, dutifully listening, answering, writing tests, getting marks, writing class work, homework corrections, etc., and following a routine makeup of the exhibition, projects, celebrations, etc., But, nowadays the educational environment is not confined to the classroom but instead extends into the home and community around them.
“Teaching kids to count is fine but teaching them what counts is best” - Bob Talbert
“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher” - Japanese Proverb
The students are not “bookworms” but, active creators of knowledge, so teaching has become a challenging career with the great revolution in knowledge and technology. This has paved the way for the teachers to re-invent their job, by equipping themselves and transforming their standards to form the content and curriculum, learning technology, to match with ongoing professional development to serve better to the students. So, every teacher is re-renovated to understand the essence of education and make students create their learning plans. This enables them to search and construct meaningful educational experiences in solving real-world problems and to know powerful appropriate skills and use them when needed.
“No teacher has ever gotten lost going the extra mile for a student” - Joe Martin
“A good teacher knows what to do, but a great teacher knows how to get students to do it!” - Joe Martin
At St. Britto’s various activities have been held as conducting games in general for their motivation happiness and relaxation. At times they had their day out as a picnic to break from the monotony of their daily school work and to relieve their stress. At school, programs are conducted like singing dancing painting, giving away appreciation cards to value their traits, etc.,
Teachers can not only identify children with learning difficulties but find out various ways in solving problems to make choices, and decisions and know their real strengths of them. Teachers leave a positive and hopeful note for students as "I am there for you like a shadow, Go ahead!", “Face the world with challenges".
I feel that it is a blessing to have good teachers fulfilling my expectations and it gives immense happiness on seeing the success of the students and fills my heart with contentment.
Testimonial
I am Sherlin Bellfia, currently a graduate student who completed my 11th and 12th grade in St. Britto’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School. Teacher’s day has always been the day we pay respect to all our teachers for guiding and leading us to be good human beings and our school always takes it up an extra notch. Programs are exclusively conducted to entertain our teachers and make them happy. It also allows us to convey our gratitude to them for everything they do for us. It also was an eye-opener on how noble the teaching profession is which nurtures and guides children in becoming responsible citizens of the country we live in. The emphasis on this day made me respect my teachers as well as my professors in college as it always made me realize that they are the ones who would mold the path we need to go and would always pick us in times of distress thereby motivating us to start over and finally lead us towards what we are destined for. Till today I respect my teachers and my professors and am humbled as they are the reason for where I stand today in life and for who I am as a person.
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