TEACHER –THE IRREPLACEABLE

 TEACHER –THE IRREPLACEABLE

The present assertion of mine pertains to persons who by ‘heart and soul’ ensure that ideas reach the wards in quick time and are free of ambiguities. Everyone on the payrolls of Institutions for teaching IS NOT A TEACHER, even by the wildest of imaginations. At best they are Teachers by designation. We recognize two versions- Teacher by Choice and Teacher by Chance. The former are few and far between while the latter are numerically rich despite personal penury in the Art of the Game. Be that as it may. Let us figure out how certain persons carve out a niche for themselves in the arena of effective teaching.

The foremost requirement for a teacher worth the name is that [s]he ought to feel proud of self that “I am among the chosen few to shape the destiny of children who themselves would later be proud citizens of our Nation. When in later life they revisit their formative days mentally, I should be an unforgettable mentor, deeply etched in their memory whether or not I stand any reward or award for my work”. For anyone, to develop a commitment as a teacher, a few ‘conditioning parameters’ would prove vital in his /her life. Without ever being under the brilliance of some teacher or the other, it looks nearly impossible to have an abiding interest to the profession. We too often speak of ‘role models’. Perhaps the most vital role model for anyone to emulate is that of the teacher. This is because, a well-knit close interaction between the teacher and the taught is unique and has no parallel. When the teacher proves the most dependable support, students readily get drawn to the teacher’s mode of functioning. They willingly submit themselves to the dictates of the teacher and keep looking forward to him / her and do not ever trespass his/her guidance.  Invariably, such teachers of reckoning trigger the latent spirit of teaching within every one. Such is the indomitable spirit of teacher legacy. In my perception, a good teacher is a product of some other good teacher. Spontaneous emergence of brilliant teachers IS A DISTANT DREAM as a first-hand familiarity of the nuances of teaching are gathered from functional models rather than by any vivid imagination. If not anything, a good teacher can be a source of building Human resources for a fairly long time to come.

Knowing something for self is far different from making many others understand the same thing.  That in a nutshell clarifies what the role of a teacher is -all about.    

Having the training from authentic teachers / Professors gives the all-important impetus to do things the right way.  Even as they go about their daily schedules of teaching, students drawn by their skills of handling lessons and some crude boys, come to recognize their methods and in later life make the best use of the experience. So, class room learning confers on to students such advantages of reading from functional examples, use of language to take control of even volatile situations and pruning of skills for ready wit. Such life-situation trainings can never be acquired from ‘on-line’ training. Too often ‘on-line’ classes lack the solemn seriousness typical of live-teaching. This advantage is precisely the major benefit of class-room training. Also, students who have learnt their syllabi from full time lectures/ teaching stand in good stead to face examinations be it written or oral or any other format. After all, learning ought to dismantle fear for examinations. The best option to achieve fearless minds is to put them through classroom learning, where good faculty is available.

Why Teacher is irreplaceable

So long as teachers are available, it is wise to join institutions. This is because learning is much simpler by listening to teachers. Kindly consider as to how after a miss of couple of classes, our attempt to gather ideas direct from text books demands more time and repeated visits to the chapter. Besides, we cannot, quickly grasp details by reading books. A mere learning from listening makes the process simpler than by referring to videos or other such facility. A live teaching session makes the teacher to recognize the need to explain more clearly. [S]he realizes that the some more effort is required and accordingly     re-orients ideas to suit wider audience. Face-reading is an act integral to teaching. All successful teachers have the habit of assessing receptivity and retuning the approach to make lessons clear. Such instant interventions are truly the strategy behind success of teachers. Pre-recorded video lessons cannot come to the rescue of students, who need clarification. Whatever be the infrastructural facilities, the ultimate care taker is the teacher who can never be replaced even at the zenith of any technology. Teaching is a mind game and avid teachers mind the game to its ultimate clarity in portrayal. Live sessions by vibrant teachers have no parallel, as teaching is an art of exchange between minds.

There would no blog post on -07-07-2022.

Prof. K.Raman