I believe that there is no other profession in the world that is more important to society than that of a teacher: Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

It is really a great privilege and a great honour to be a teacher. A teacher has the potential to influence generations and all other professions. As a teacher, one must always remind oneself that he is a teacher. It has been rightly said that a teacher has the capacity to inspire others to dream more, to learn more, to do more, and to become more. A teacher is a role model for the students and being a role model is the first and the most important skill which results in producing clones. If a teacher feels that by leaving an institution, what would happen to the institution and will it function smoothly in his absence? Then we must say that he fails as a teacher as he has failed to produce his own clones.
Teaching is considered the most noble profession at all times since it is these competent teachers who build the very foundation of a nation. We know that the job of a teacher to teach is not sufficient. A teacher has certain roles to play to become a good teacher which include role as teacher, role as philosopher, role as guide, role as researcher, role as manager, role as leader and many more. But as a teacher, you may at times prove detrimental to the nation if you lack the basic qualities of an ideal teacher. Certain qualities make a teacher really an ideal teacher. The first quality is to be the best in character. What you say, you must do that practically. There should not be any contradiction in what is said and what is done. Your character should be that of a role model for the students. Next is having command over the subject. You must be in touch with the latest techniques and innovations made in the subject and must update and upgrade the subject knowledge accordingly.
One more capacity is that you must be the best communicator. As a teacher, you must know how to impart knowledge and how to make students learn better. To make a learner understand a concept, you have to come down to the level of the learner. Next, the teacher has to be a social genius i.e. you must be a kind of friendly and open-minded person. In a society, you must be the most outspoken and sociable person. For a teacher to be an ideal one, you must possess motivation skills and must have the passion and spark to engage learners. One more quality is to have a learning attitude. A teacher is supposed to be learning all the time and that is why Joseph Joubert remarked, “To teach is to learn twice.”
Moreover, an ideal teacher is one who is progressive in nature and takes the nation forward. A teacher should have the capacity to be a psychologist. As a teacher, you must know your learner. Unless and until you get to know the weaknesses and strengths of learners, you won’t be able to make them learn better. In addition to these capacities, a teacher must have the quality of having a positive learning attitude besides being disciplined and professional. Lastly, a teacher has to be professional and not materialistic. You must teach others for your inner satisfaction and not for material gains. Research has proven that the teacher who teaches for inner satisfaction proves to be more effective than the one who teaches from a materialistic point of view.
The lamp of learning is considered under a cover, says one thinker; the teacher removes it and lets out the light. From ancient times a teacher called ‘guru’ the supreme teacher was considered the ultimate God himself. The entire responsibility rested with such a guru who imparted physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual upliftment of such souls in the form of his disciples. “He who is possessed of supreme knowledge by concentration of mind, must have senses under control like spirited steeds controlled by a charioteer,” says the Katha Upanishad. The person who takes charge of immature children and makes them worthy and useful citizens in society is naturally held in high reverence. It was the function of the teacher to lead the student from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. The teacher was designated as the spiritual father of the student.
During the Buddhist era, a teacher was a practitioner who travelled some territory ahead of students. A teacher in the Brahmanic era was a person who removed ignorance and taught religion. In Gurukulas, the teacher was supposed to be at the heart of ancient India’s educational system. The teacher was regarded as the highest source and head of all knowledge. He was an embodiment of all good qualities and was regarded as the guide, builder and teacher of the society. The teacher had great respect during the Muslim period as well. They were considered as an encouraging factor, confident booster and moral supporter for students.
With so important and of a high calibre, the profession of a teacher is, he must be regarded with high esteem and reverence in present-day society as well. But it is very unfortunate that this profession is looked down upon and lacks that much respect from society nowadays. There may be certain reasons that are responsible for this degradation. Maybe the fault lies in the teachers who lack the basic qualities and ethics of an ideal teacher. Maybe it is due to the growing trend of materialism or maybe it is due to a lack of moral education and moral values that are given very low importance these days. However, what may be the reason, it is the collective responsibility of all the stakeholders at the helm to look into it and try to restore the status of this revered profession. The teachers are also duty-bound to introspect themselves so that any laxity on their part may be corrected at the earliest for the betterment of the whole society in general and the teaching community in particular.
On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, let’s pledge to shower honour and respect to the teaching profession and the persons involved with this profession so that its sanctity is restored and a positive sense may prevail in society.
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Nisar Hussain Hajam