Teacher’s Day

Of late, teachers from various city and district schools have been in the news for all the wrong reasons- hitting the students nastily, molesting them, getting them involved in sleaze rackets etc. We have indeed come a long way from the days of Gurukul when teachers were revered even more than one’s parents.

When I take a journey back in time, I find many fond memories of teachers who not only guided me in my quest for knowledge but also inspired me to look beyond the obvious and dare to dream. However, most of these cherished moments are from my school life. Even after passing out from school, whenever I went back to my alma mater, I was made to feel blessed by my teachers.

So, my question is what has gone wrong in the present age? Is it the dedication that went missing or is it the system that overburdens the teachers?

I have been a teacher myself for quite long and have seen that students are always receptive to learn things. What they desire is a bit of love and care from the teacher’s end. I have handled classes which were branded as the nastiest senior class in the whole school. However, the students, especially the rowdy ones, became the most disciplined ones during my sessions with them. Did I do anything special? No. I only went into the class sans any preconceived notion and made them believe that they were equally good.

Perhaps the teachers of the modern age need to bring that zeal to teach and inspire the “young minds” which is sadly missing in most of the cases. All this needs to be done before it is too late.