Role of a Teacher in Life

Dr. S. M. Yahiya Ibrahim

(This is a talk delivered on All India Radio, Jamshedpur on the occasion of Teacher's Day 5th September 2021) 

Here goes a famous Japanese proverb; “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a good teacher”.

Teachers, without doubt, are a major support system for our life. They can be our role models, mentors, motivators, influencers, prompters, delegators, demonstrators as well as instructors, tutors, resource managers and counselors.

Of course their primary role is to deliver instructions, impart lessons and teach the curriculum inside the classroom but outside it they play a major role in our lives.

Preparing conducive lesson plans, ensuring effective curriculum delivery through updated pedagogy, testing and evaluating the learning outcomes, keeping an eye on the grades scored, and looking up for the follow-ups and the feedbacks are certainly the required roles of the teachers for which they are paid off. But is this enough? NO – The teacher actually needs to go beyond this. He or she has a major role to play in the lives of the students and this role varies from society to society and as per the circumstances.

A teacher can be a substitute to the parents. He can be a confidante of his student. A surrogate of ethics and morality, a guiding force of the behaviour of his student and an agent for social change.  

A teacher not only helps the students to learn by imparting knowledge and skill to them but also create an effective situation for learning. On one hand he is a strong disciplinarian, authoritative and in control of the behaviour of his students while on the other he is patient and calm in stressful situations, behaving in a very friendly manner. He is highly authoritative yet highly involved, strong and principled yet flexible.

Inside the classroom he is a curriculum specialist, classroom supporter, learning facilitator, while outside the class he is a mentor, a leader and a coach. Apart from planning, preparing and delivering lessons he is a guiding force too. He guides and counsels not only in the educational and professional spheres of his students but in the personal and social arena also.

A teacher is also seen as a scholar and a researcher, an academic and an expert of his field but he is also seen as a bureaucrat who can effectively look after the issues of academic administration. He is a public servant too who performs not only at the institutional level but also at the level of the community, the locality and the society. He can be an opinion maker, a catalyst for social change and a tool for growth.

If the teacher is in possession of all those qualities that are desirable in him he is sure to inculcate the same in the life of his students. A good teacher needs to have excellent communication skills. He is not only a good speaker but a great listener too. He is punctual and time-bound and practices excellent work ethics. He is supposed to have better organizational skills, a friendly attitude, warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. He needs to have dignity, truthfulness, fairness, fearlessness, sensitivity, sensibility, responsibility, and love for freedom.

If a teacher has these characteristics it is quite certain that his students will be inspired to develop these qualities in them.

A good teacher is not only engaging and adaptable but also updated with the latest in his field. He owns a pragmatic, scientific and realistic approach towards life through which he will surely influence his students. Through his excellence in content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and curricular knowledge he is able to bring out the best in his students and plays the role of a nation builder.

A teacher is not only an educator but he awakens various generations of students. He makes you think, ponder, reflect, realize and feel. Through his teachings he touches the future of the nation. He elevates not only the mind but the character of his student also. He is the one who mixes the chalks with the challenges of life. In the words of Sidney J. Harris “the whole purpose of education is to turn the mirrors into windows”. It is the teacher who does this. It is the teacher, not the classroom that makes the difference.

In the present era of internet and digital media we have witnessed a change in the role of a teacher. With digital media and internet information is now easily accessible. A vast ocean of information and a deep sea of data are before us with just a few keystrokes away. Teachers are no more the keepers of resources and the gateways to information. So the question arises that what the teachers will do in connection with their primary duty. Well, one must understand that there is a huge difference between information and education. Real knowledge with real life experiences is not possible through the virtual. Distance creates indifference. The teacher, in these changed and compelling circumstances needs to get closer to the soul of his student. As we know that good teaching is one fourth preparation and three fourth theatre. So the teachers are required to act like the thespians of the human soul.

You must have heard about the problem of plenty. Digital media and internet has created this problem of plenty in front of our students making them confused about the standard study material and the internet waste. It is the teacher who can play a very major role here. So if you are a teacher you need to understand your role. There is a lot more to do than just standing and speaking monotonously in the class. We have to lead, to motivate and to inspire the coming generations of students. We, as teachers need to create a space for them. Gone are the days of pre-written notes and power point presentations. We need to understand what the new time is looking for. We are here for a big game – so let’s take a shot.