We the teachers

Greetings at every step, walking in an aura of pride, welcoming smiles and bowing heads. Welcome to the world of a teacher. A glance at our life will make you believe that each one of us is no less than a queen in ourselves. There is an aura of royalty attached to the life of a teacher. The students always make you feel on top of the world. Our words are their commands. They adulate us. Imagine 10 students rushing to lift your pen when you accidentally drop it. Isn’t it flattering?

The best part of the teaching profession is that one gets to relive her childhood everyday. The kids remind me about my days in school. Sometimes their mischiefs make me laugh because they remind me of my long forgotten ones. I see a reflection of me in them. They have the ability to bring out the best in me. A glimpse on their face makes me proud because they all belong to me. I feel responsible for their actions. Their success delights me while their failures are my failures. I cherish the moments when I actually look at myself in some of my students. A school girl which I was. Plain, simple and so ignorant of the world outside. With eyes full of dreams and ambition to take on the world. Did we ever imagine as kids that life could be so complicated? Weren’t those the best days of our life? I feel blessed because I get to play my part of a kid everyday. Blessed are the ones who love and are loved in return. I am beholden to my students who shower me with affection everyday.

Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition. It is heartening to see that in the time of cut throat competition and corporate rivalry, teaching is not looked upon as a first career option. Most of us take to teaching not out of choice but by compulsion. It is only considered to be the best career option for a married woman or a mother. Reason, it allows ample time for family and kids. To be honest, I also gave it a try only out of compulsion. But I am happy that I did. Today I am on my path of discovering a new me in myself. I feel elated when my kids look upon me as a friend, philosopher and guide. We must not forget that teaching is a profession that teaches all the other professions.

The teaching profession provides a challenging and enriching career with varied fields of excellence that cater to your talents, abilities and aspirations. Our professional duties may extend beyond formal teaching. Outside of the classroom we also accompany students on field trips. We make them learn the nuisances of dance during school celebrations. I tried my hand at choreography during our annual day celebrations and was amazed to discover this new part in me. School picnic was an all and all awesome experience. I was pampered to the hilt with everybody offering something to me before having it first. The students’ enthusiasm to serve their teachers was unexplainable. And I was reminded about every bit of my school picnic.

But at the same time, teaching is not an easy task. In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so maybe for years. A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image. We have to make an image in the minds of our students. We have to prove our worth as their role model which is no less than a Herculean task in itself. As it is said, “It is difficult to win confidence but easy to lose it.” And we cannot to afford to lose our students’ confidence even for a moment.



Besides recently, I was told by someone that I have always loved to shout at my own mistakes. And my profession gives me ample opportunities to shout at people. What more can I ask for? Therefore, instead of being slaughtered everyday in a corporate environment, why not be surrounded by angels all the time? Give it a thought……..