Education

‘It takes time to evolve as a great teacher’

Malcolm Stephens

In a fast changing world, education especially in India is witnessing a shift not only in the way it is being disseminated but also in the way it is being perceived. The school as an institution has also undergone a transition.          Of the all stakeholders in a school, the teachers are the pivots around which the entire process of education evolves. The challenge today is to be a teacher with purpose and substance.  Being a Teacher With Purpose          Knowing the purpose gives meaning to a teacher’s life. A teacher’s life should not be spent carelessly and unthinkingly. There is nothing quite as potent as a focused teacher. What should ultimately matter for a teacher should not be what others say about their life but how as a teacher has he influenced the lives of his students.         A teacher with a purpose weaves an eternal engaging relationship with students. A relationship built on faith, values and strong guiding principles translates into a student surrendering himself to the care of his teacher. This surrender is best demonstrated in obedience and trust students display, a true embodiment of a master-disciple relationship.            In the movie Chariots of Fire, Olympic runner Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” Later he says, “To give up running would be to hold Him in contempt.” Similarly, a teacher of purpose rises above this contempt. There are no uninspiring teaching abilities, just misused ones. Being a Teacher With Substance          The second key factor that drives teaching excellence is being a teacher with substance. Teachers have to constantly evolve to address the changing needs of the society and they should be prepared to transform in their roles since change is the only constant — a society that is not taught to change with times will only perish.        They need to take education beyond books. True education needs to instill the right values, ethics, inculcate a sense of purpose, infuse love and develop children to be wonderful human beings who will ultimately become positively contributing citizens of the world. An inspiring teacher shapes the thoughts of students to think beyond, think big, think positive and create an exciting dream for the child to aim for. A teacher who can motivate, propels the students to act on their thoughts and attain their dreams using their full potential. It also means that the teacher has the requisite levels of knowledge, skills and ability required to positively educate and strive for excellence.  The Road Ahead It takes time to evolve as a great teacher, but there is never a destination for this evolution of excellence that is a never-ending journey. Also it is never too late as a teacher to bring clarity of purpose in one’s role and being a teacher of substance. A teacher who writes his own Teacher’s Creed will lead to the manifestation of that creed in her life. May each one of us as teachers have a blessed and meaningful Teachers Day as we transform ourselves to being teachers with purpose and substance making that big difference in the lives of the precious children entrusted in our care. —Malcolm Stephens, director of Wonderkids Educational Foundation  Published Date:  Sep 05, 2012    Courtesy   (Visited 10.9.12)    http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=26287&boxid=9762&ed_date=2012-09-05&ed_code=820015&ed_page=3