“A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future.” – Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Teachers are the hands that guide us through the phase of our childhood. They play a major role in our school lives. They are the first people who encourage us to be creative, trigger our curiosity and activate logical questioning and reasoning. Let us remember our mentors on this Teacher’s Day.
Role of teachers
Teachers are the people who mold children’s career and future. The primary role of a teacher is to deliver classroom instructions that will help them learn. Teachers prepare effective lessons to ensure that students excel in their academics. Apart from this, there are limitless roles a teacher plays in the lives of children.
Teachers become guardians
Schools tremendously contribute to a child’s development. Teachers are a major part of the formative years that shape their personality. Children spend most of their time with teachers where they develop a comfort zone. They feed the children when in need, they become friends that share joys and sorrows, resulting in a strong bond of trust.
With the guidance of teachers, children learn certain values like they would learn at home from their parents. They learn social skills like making friends, distinguishing between right and wrong, when to seek help from others or when to be independent.
Teachers are mentors
Students always look up to their teachers and may unknowingly imitate them too. Often children walk up to their teacher for small and big issues and the teachers reciprocate amicably to solve their issues. Teachers also provide guidance to their aspirations so that children have a clearer picture of their goals and the ways to achieve it.
Stories of children who have taken inspiration from their teachers
Shruti is a 3rd standard from Telangana who is inspired by her Biology teacher. Though she is not sure of what she wants to be when she grows up yet, becoming a teacher is definitely one of her options. Her school, Margons Ragon School hosted a Science Exhibition that Shruti was a part of. Her teacher slid a slide of what looked like a dead piece of algae, under a microscope. To Shruti’s surprise, the algae that she saw in the microscope was moving! She was inspired to teach such interesting topics to other children.
Shravani is a 9th standard student who aims to be a teacher. Her desire to be a teacher grew stronger as she entered high school. If there was an issue that she encountered, be it study-related or anything related to academics, she would share it with her favourite teacher – Ms. Usha Rani. She was inspired by how her problems would vanish as soon as she shared with her teacher. On growing up, she wants to become a teacher who is very close to her students where all of them confide and her.
Munna is a 14-year-old boy studying in M.P Prathamika Patashala, Telangana who wants to be a Telugu teacher. He feels that values, morals and education should be imparted in the local language since it is easily understood. He is inspired to be a Telugu teacher from his Telugu teacher whom he was able to connect with ease. Munna says, the amount of impact a local language has on children will not have the same impact as a foreign language.
Conclusion
On this Teacher’s Day, honour your favourite teacher by taking care of children who aspire to take forward this profession. Donate for children’s Happiness Bags with Akshaya Patra. The NGO that works towards its core cause of feeding mid-day meals to children has initiated the Happiness Bag Programme to support health and education of children amid the COVID-19 crisis.
