By: Dr Ritu Kamra Kumar
I remember an exceptionally compassionate English teacher of mine who made me stand on the dais and speak. She knew that I had the answer to her question but was shy to speak. At first, I was a bit hesitant, stammered and shivered but gradually I picked up the nuances of public communication. Till today I recall my teacher’s generosity and goodness with reverence and regard. A teacher doesn’t merely teach and research. Her role goes beyond the classroom in inculcating attributes of care and compassion, discipline and dedication, love for the subject and learning with liveliness. She is a friend, confidante, and even a Saviour.
This conviction is shared by an American psychologist Julius Segal “One factor turns out to be the presence in the lives of charismatic adult -a person from whom they gather strength, and in a surprising number of cases that person turns out to be a teacher “Many studies suggest that presence and kind support of a teacher plays a significant role in making or marring the career of a youngster”.
Whenever I conduct Creative Writing Workshops for students or teachers, I often ask this question from both groups and feel elated when students as well as teachers come up with anecdotes how they were guided by their teachers in the crucial junctures of their lives. A teacher narrated that her parents had made up their mind to marry her off when she was perusing her class XII but a visit by her teacher and counselling of her parents by the teacher made them change their decision. The girl could complete her education with emotional and financial support of the teacher and became role model in her extended family and village. That teacher said with pride “whatever little I have achieved today I dedicate it to my teacher and endeavor hard to follow her footsteps” Filled with self -esteem she made her sister-in-law complete her studies when she got married. Such stories are innumerable where teacher has played a pivotal role and her teachings have transcended the four walls of classroom.
Students from sheltered backgrounds may strife and struggle with the transition to the college and succumb to the peer pressure, adopting harmful habits that affect academic performance and mental and physical health. They need guidance. An observant teacher can at once notice the student getting distracted and disillusioned. She would step out of her cursory role of only teaching and discover the cause of her mental state. She can either help them herself or seek professional counselling for the concerned student to pull out such student from that devastating dilemma. So, teachers who are considered second parent can transform a low esteemed student to a well-balanced human being. Robert Brooks in his book ‘The Self -Esteemed Teacher’ aptly mentions that teachers have a life long impact on students’ memories, both positive as well as negative .More over in today’s fast paced world of evolving life style habits ,changing societal expectations and complex family dynamics, I believe a teacher’s job profile need to be comprehensive promoting physical resilience and mental fortitude among the students to cultivate a strong poised foundation that can help children survive the undue harmful temptations and let them thrive in all spheres of life.
Education isn’t static; it is dynamic and ever evolving process that has undergone tremendous transformations. The impact of the teacher evolves not only teaching of particular teaching skills but fostering among students’ self -esteem. Reinforcing self -esteem in the class room is associated with the increased motivation and learning. The use of strategies to foster self -esteem can go hand in glove with teaching academic skills and need not require additional time from teachers. If anything, a focus on self-esteem can create engrossing, enriching and ennobling environment in the classroom and a teacher can revel in satisfaction and sagacity. Self -esteem strategies require only keen sensibility and compassionate demeanor on the part of a teacher
During my Workshops I feel exuberation and elation of participants’ {teachers and students} as they share how their teachers have instilled in them values that weren’t written in books, weren’t part of their curriculum but their erudite teachers weaved them in the narratives of their teachings delightfully and with dexterity. The values and ethics became part of their pilgrimage of scholarship. The students learn to make choices and decision making, communicating with confidence and conviction, caring for others and understand the concept of community service as teachers incorporate such ethics in class room environment. A teacher’s role can never be minimized as most of the time, barring a few exceptions, it is positive possessing qualities of a ‘charismatic adult ‘who not touches students’ minds but also their spirits- the way they see and feel about themselves for the rest of their lives. Apt are the words of Aristotle “Those who educate children well are more honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well’
The writer is a Academician,writer,poet, and a Columnist
