THE ROLE OF A TEACHER

Imagine yourself in a the classroom of 2nd grade. You are sitting there in a group of 10 friends laughing, giggling, shouting and making so much fun. You are not aware or not at all bothered about the stern guidelines of discipline in the class, when suddenly a teacher comes in. She is quite strict and stops you from making noise. She keeps her class in discipline. Will you love such a teacher who stops you from having your own fun at class, who stops you from talking to your dear friends ? 

Well now, I guess, your answer to this would be to obey the teacher and stop yourself from anything that opposes the norms of a classroom. A teacher, here in the context of a classroom situation is supposed to maintain discipline and teach the students . But the role of a teacher in the life of a student isn’t to gain knowledge on a particular subject and proceed further. A student considers a teacher more than just a knowledge-provider or a discipline maker. The real role of a teacher in a classroom situation is to allow students to talk, make them laugh and let them construct their own knowledge out of it. Rather than being an authority figure, she is supposed to be a facilitator who can actually facilitate students to construct their own knowledge from what they have seen or what they love to talk about. The teacher is supposed to develop an insight among the students to maintain discipline according to the situation. Discipline is never taught, it neither comes from authority nor by confining the students ability to interact. Discipline comes from inside the heart, from one’s own consciousness. The duty of  a teacher is to assist the student when he is learning things rather than teaching him.

The role of a teacher not only comes in the classroom situation, it is omnipresent. One cannot deny the presence of a teacher in his/her life. Behind the growth of every individual is the hand of a true facilitator who helped him in his flow of actions. A teacher doesn’t transform the direction of an individual, rather he allows the individual to flow perfectly in the direction chosen by him/her.  A teacher is indeed a role model for an individual . A teacher, a facilitator, a guide just has to understand the person and assist him/her in the problems of life so that he can grow on his own. A teacher does not necessarily has to be a learned person, a teacher can be any normal person who can understand an individual and help him in refining his thoughts and actions. The role of a teacher just never ends. Its ongoing. Just like, the sun shines and provides us a direction to work throughout the day, in the same way, a teacher is like sunshine who guides an individual in the path of life. 

In the end, I would just wish, may you all be blessed with such a teacher in your life, who guides you in the stream of life. May you all receive the privilege of true guidance in life.