Teaching Through Living

Teachers are wonderful gifts to society. Some may contest this view, but I would resolutely stick to it, although conceding to the fact that all teachers are not so wonderful and many cause more harm than good. Nonetheless, teachers are important figures. This begs the question: Why are teachers important? Teachers, in many ways shape us into the persons we are today. The knowledge they impart to us and the way they relate to us help us and influence us in our quest for self-realization.

Although many view teaching as a profession, I would side with those who see it as more than a profession-a vocation. What distinguishes a profession from a vocation is firstly, attitude. In a profession, the aim is to make money whereas in a vocation, the aim is to offer service, irrespective of the payment. Secondly, profession looks merely at what must be done or at the job description, whereas vocation looks beyond. It looks at how best and effectively the job can be done. It usually implies working beyond the hours specified, going out of one’s way and making sacrifices. Profession gratifies whereas vocation fulfills.

Teachers are storehouses of knowledge but teaching is not only about sharing knowledge, ideas, theories, facts and other data, it also involves sharing of values, attitudes, experiences, beliefs, hopes, dreams-humanity. Albert Einstein said, “Education is what remains after one has finished his/her schooling.” This education he is referring to is composed precisely of all that I have said above, particularly the latter part. All of these elements come together and contribute to shaping our personalities.

Reminiscing my school days, I remember very little or nothing of what my teachers taught me, but I remember vividly the kind of people they were and the way they interacted with me. It is said that ‘education is a matter of the heart’ and I would agree. If education restricts itself only to the head-level than we will be producing smart robots, who do as they have been programmed, whereas if we take education to be a holistic activity-encompassing every aspect of the person, than we will produce responsible and humane men and women.

Today is the death anniversary of Mother Teresa, a great teacher in her own right. She was a beloved teacher while at the Loretto convent school in Entally, Kolkata. Reading her life, we realize that it was not what she taught academically but rather what she witnessed to concretely that delivered the stronger lesson. If today we remember her fondly, it is because of what she did more than because of what she said. While there are people who have become famous for what they have said, the greater impact is made by people who have dared to walk the talk and have lived what they preached. We are well-versed with the saying “Actions speak louder than words”, in education, this saying is strongly relevant and inescapably pertinent. As we commemorate Teachers Day today, let us be grateful to all our teachers who have shared much more than knowledge and data with us; their lives have taught us much more than any lesson from the textbooks. If we talk about an effective education system, than we must acknowledge the salubrious influence of the teacher in the education process.