On the occasion of Teacher’s Day…

As the month of September approaches, we start cherishing the wonderful time spent with our teachers. Teachers have witnessed our growing years and changing personality at every step. Teachers have given us aspirations to soar and corrected us when we went wrong. Teachers have a distinctive identity in our life. Each one of us remembers those special moments with our teachers, may it be pre-school teachers or the highest degree professors!

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a great teacher, philosopher and also the second president of India, introduced the idea of honouring teachers. Since 1962, his birth day i.e. 5th September is celebrated as Teacher’s Day in India. And 5th October is marked as World Teacher’s Day in order to thank all educators across the globe. This special day is the memento for all teachers for their dedication, commitment and responsibility to ensure that the needs of future generation are consistently reviewed and met.

Today, a teacher is not only an instructor, but also a facilitator. This role is getting challenging day by day in the world of advanced technology where search engines are at the fingertips of learners to give sufficient information. Teacher in its true sense converts this information into enquiry and encourages students to discover the joy of learning. Real learning happens when there is healthy interaction between teachers and students.The ‘teacher-student’ relationship is one of the finest relationships full of care, concern and direction. Teachers enjoy being with their students and students also look forward to encouragement and feedback from their teachers.

Very often teachers get victimised by the pressure of various boundaries like unrealistic expectations from students, demanding parents, laws and regulations, curriculum, evaluation system and shorter time frames.Some issues get blown out of proportion and it puts down the entire teacher community. I am not denying the fact that in some cases, teachers are also to be blamed, but all teachers should not be labelled for such fewer negative experiences. Some of the best teachers are around us, we can’t ignore them! Apparently, the younger generation hardly thinks of teaching as the career option. It is the need of the hour to create and value good teachers who in turn will produce experts in all fields.

Learners of the 21st century need certain attributes such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, etc. These skills can be acquired with the joint efforts of teachers and society. We need to highlight the role of teachers in today’s scenario. It is time to remember that teaching is one of the noblest professions. Teachers are the change makers and empowered teachers can change the paradigm and in turn the future of this globe.

On the occasion of this Teacher’s Day, I acknowledge all educators who contribute in their own way and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!