What is the role of a teacher ? Is he/she the one who imparts knowledge ? Is he/she the one whom we look upto as a parent ? Is he/she the epitome of discipline ? or is he/she our dartboard, on whom we toss what we can't express in our homes .
Our's is a country in which the "Guru Shishya" parampara was very rampant and relevant. Does it still remain so ? If not , why have the equations changed ?
My octogenarian father says, in their times they could not imagine looking into the eye of their teacher, forget raising their voices at them. Not a reality any more I guess.....not if you read the newspapers !
What or who has changed the equation ? Is it the student or is it the teacher ? I think it is a bit of both.
With the exposure to knowledge , beyond the confines of our textbooks, knowledge is now available through the net , magazines, newspapers , other media and is not just limited to the teacher . Hence ,the teacher's importance gets a little diluted, so the adulation and admiration is not fixated on the teacher alone !
Also, some teacher's, in the course of their teaching, yield their knowledge as a means of empowering themselves to dominate in their roles !
While this might have worked earlier, it cannot yield results anymore. As mentioned earlier, with the kind of availibity of knowledge all around, you cannot ,"control" your students in this manner. Then , what's the solution ?
In the current times , the only way to earn respect from students is to be one with them, never let , "I am the teacher", get the better of you. The more you respect your students, treat them on a one to one basis , allowing them to be friendly without getting familiar, can you touch base with them. And ofcourse...update your knowledge on a day to day basis ! Let them recognise your passion to impart knowledge for their upgradation !
In times where each classroom is packed with more than sixty students, just an acknowledgement of their existence can make him connect with his teacher. Is that too much to ask of the teacher?
In a world , where we shall soon be recognised by a social security number or an email ID, a teacher calling his student by his first name can spell magic.
Well, what is a teacher without his students ? He too is nowhere !
When I see teacher's yielding their power of position over their students, it makes me sad. Because by doing so ,you are digging your own grave of disenchantment with them and eventually the system . Cliched as it may sound, it is true...Respect has to be earned......not demanded !
Students of the cuurent generation have more enlightened thinking , questioning minds and well reasoned out conclusions. You cannot thrust anything on them. They are quick to reject.
So teacher's who still think , they can play GOD........jesbeatit !
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Today, respect for teachers(I agree)is no longer the way it used to be before...but then that's because the generation today expects the teacher to be more of a friend than a Guru to follow...that's where the link is lost...Teachers today do find it a little difficult to connect with the youth who are confused, contradictory and demanding...but nonetheless I am proud of every teacher in my academic life so far...whether they punished or complimented me was never a matter of concern...since each one of them thought me a new page that I could add to the book of my life!
ReplyDeletePerfectly put, Bulbul. I find teachers themselves divided into two distinct modes: one that says "teachers shouldn't get close to students" and the other that's just the opposite. I subscribe to the latter coz the generation today do not enjoy the same amounts of time that the earlier generations had. Time from their parents, time from the teachers, time for themselves, time for relationships, time to be patient... It is natural to crave for time and the only way to do it is to take away time from any of the constituents i have mentioned. That's the reason we find them increasingly nocturnal.
ReplyDeleteWhen I took up teaching six years back, I got connected to a generation that was far different from the one that I was part of when I attended college. And it's not that I am a relic! But over the years, as I got to know them better, I found myself occupying a slot btw them and their parents. And many students started confiding some really deep issues with me - something they probably wouldn't have discussed with anybody, leave alone their parents. And their parents too started to rely on me to 'communicate' with their kids!
So it was a strange yet interesting situation for me. And I realised the role a teacher needs to play today. If a teacher is conscientious and willing to help, he/she can go to great lengths to correct the system so to speak., and also learn hugely from them.
Today's student is also a teacher, and today's teacher should also become a student by learning from the students who he/she is teaching! Today's teacher should not 'teach'; he/she should only share knowledge. It's a level playing ground in many ways, u know.
As a student, I couldn't be happier to read this. It definitely is the time to move on from being 'teacher' teachers to 'friend' teachers. Such a good change. Thanks to you guys. =)
ReplyDeletei love u...can i jes beat u?
ReplyDeleteyes so true and with the gen-next teachers we have things have really become easier n there r no barriers and bulbul maam bear hugs to u
ReplyDeleteu may grow a mustache and a beard but if u cant teach u just cant... jus beat that!!
ReplyDelete