"No.."
I said into the microphone, standing on stage in front of thousands of students and all my teachers. I had participated in the personality contest for first year engineers organised by the senior students of the college. I was being asked if I would like to be a teacher and why. I was looking at the panel of judges, all teachers, all of them looking at me expectantly. I knew the expected answer was to say yes, and then praise the job of the teachers. But I had already said no impulsively, and everyone in the audience had become silent and was staring at me. I had to continue,
"No, I don't want to be a teacher. I don't think I have the strength and the right qualities that is needed to be a teacher. The job of the teacher is of great responsibility. You have the power to make or break the future of the youth. You are the tools to influence the future of our country. At this moment, I don't know if I can do that."
The face of the judges, and the claps from the students, told me that I had saved myself in that round. I didn't end up winning the competition (due to my lack of knowledge on a current affair question), but that is beside the point now.
The point is do teachers understand what role they are playing in the lives of their student? We don't just go to school/college to study a syllabus, get marks and get jobs. We go there to get an experience. To get an exposure to different aspects of life. We can all read our books and study the chapters on our own. But we all need the motivation. We don't need teachers to teach us the obvious. We need teachers to tell us what is not there in the text book. We need teachers who inspire us and push us and believe in us. We need teachers who are interested in us. Some one who can give us more feedback than just the marks and grades on our test papers. Someone who can touch our lives and send us off on a journey to discover ourselves armed with the some fundamental real world knowledge.
Now then, do you want to be a teacher? And why?
I said into the microphone, standing on stage in front of thousands of students and all my teachers. I had participated in the personality contest for first year engineers organised by the senior students of the college. I was being asked if I would like to be a teacher and why. I was looking at the panel of judges, all teachers, all of them looking at me expectantly. I knew the expected answer was to say yes, and then praise the job of the teachers. But I had already said no impulsively, and everyone in the audience had become silent and was staring at me. I had to continue,
"No, I don't want to be a teacher. I don't think I have the strength and the right qualities that is needed to be a teacher. The job of the teacher is of great responsibility. You have the power to make or break the future of the youth. You are the tools to influence the future of our country. At this moment, I don't know if I can do that."
The face of the judges, and the claps from the students, told me that I had saved myself in that round. I didn't end up winning the competition (due to my lack of knowledge on a current affair question), but that is beside the point now.
The point is do teachers understand what role they are playing in the lives of their student? We don't just go to school/college to study a syllabus, get marks and get jobs. We go there to get an experience. To get an exposure to different aspects of life. We can all read our books and study the chapters on our own. But we all need the motivation. We don't need teachers to teach us the obvious. We need teachers to tell us what is not there in the text book. We need teachers who inspire us and push us and believe in us. We need teachers who are interested in us. Some one who can give us more feedback than just the marks and grades on our test papers. Someone who can touch our lives and send us off on a journey to discover ourselves armed with the some fundamental real world knowledge.
Now then, do you want to be a teacher? And why?
I remember congratulating you on the runner-up. I remember the girl who won. In some sense I am glad that you did not win that competition.
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