Homer

'A teacher is a person who merely lectures on a certain chapter on a daily basis. He gives a speech for half an hour or so, on science, literature or any other subject and takes back a pay package in return of his services'.

In today's world this would be the apt definition of a teacher for most of us.

One of the reasons behind this is that the present generation has an easy access to information from various sources like the internet, the television, and the many reading material available in libraries. Hence, they do not need to reach out to their teachers for queries the way their previous generations would.

Does that mean that the requirement of a teacher has lessened now?

We value the advent of the media as a fine source of information in this modern age. But, does modernisation mean that the need to respect and obey teachers should diminish?

To realise the true value of a teacher, the parents and the teachers, both should go back in time to their own days of education and remember the few teachers and professors of their schools and colleges that were most influential in their life. Their impact was so great that you actually wouldn't have been the same person if you had not come across them in those beautiful, growing years.

It could be something as basic as getting you interested in a particularly boring subject or then, helping you score well in one of your weak subjects. Or else it could be something deeper; like inculcating strong moral values in you. Your teachers planted values like honesty, hard work, kindness, patience, humility and respect in you. They built you into persons of strong character and high will- power.

These are the virtues that remained with you all your life. They helped you sail through the tough times of your life with dignity and self- respect and enjoy the good moments with your feet firmly grounded.

So also, the teachers must recollect their ex-students who must have made them proud by achieving success in various fields. Some of their students must have now become doctors, lawyers, engineers and architects or even settled in the noble profession of teaching, just like them. And they must be feeling eternal bliss when a few of those past students would get in touch with them and thank them on teachers day or wish them on their birthdays. Or when they would come across those grown up kids suddenly at any point of time and they would greet them with a gleam in their eyes and a warm hug. The feeling of déjà vu at that point of time must have been indescribable, for sure.

A child is the reflection of our society and our surroundings; the way people around them behave and also what they absorb from their peers. They notice them and those qualities get imbibed in the child knowingly or unknowingly.

With the changing times and overexposure to all kinds of vulgarity in the outside world it is the duty of a parent and a teacher to explain what is good conduct and what amounts to unpleasant behaviour. If the parent misses out on this correction, the teacher steps in to amend the child's misconduct. It is now imperative that the student absorb the teacher's advice without any malice and with thorough reverence for the authority. If a parent can give sound advice to his offspring why can't a teacher give a suggestion or guidance to the student? The parent has to explain to the child to give his teachers adequate respect and follow his advice. The teacher also needs to, on his part conduct himself with such self- respect that he is an example of a dignified human, worthy of being followed and admired.

Bear in mind that a teacher puts in his mind and heart to explain a difficult chapter to his students so that they understand it in the most simple manner. He stays up all night thinking of ways to teach a complicated sum so that his students do not fail the upcoming maths test. Does he get extra allowance if he explains geometry twice because half of his class did not understand it the first time? Does he get a pat on his back if he takes his students outdoors to teach them about the flora and the fauna to make a chapter more interesting? No.

Your teacher made you stand in front of the entire class to recite a poem not because she wanted you to be laughed at by your peers when you fumbled. But because she knew how important public speaking would be for you at some point of time in your career. Did she get any bonus for this extra effort? No.

As a mother gives birth to a child in her womb, so also a teacher gives birth to the many children whom he teaches because he is moulding and sculpting them into honourable human beings and noble citizens of our future society.

This is a teacher. He taught you about correct posture and now if he is an aging, bent man it doesn't mean you can poke fun at him. The least he expects is some love, obedience and respect from his students. It is the best reward that he can ever get from you besides scoring good grades in your exams. And it is the responsibility of the parents to teach the child to value and abide by this beautiful human being, the teacher. This is a TEACHER.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Arwa_Manasawala/780660

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9513409

_(By Arwa Manasawala).