LIFE OF A TEACHER

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– Himangi Dhunna

As truly said by Alexander K. Trenfor “The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see”. A teacher is known to be a selfless figure who puts in all the efforts to teach their students all the knowledge that they have gained in their entire life. The profession of teaching brings along numerous responsibilities because it is only profession that shapes the future of the country. Being a teacher is a profession that very much becomes a part of one’s identity. It is so complex, as one needs to interact with many students at the same time. The teacher must be on time, certain traits or skills are required, there should be proper planning and organization, good communication skills are exceedingly important. Also, one must have empathy and open mindedness too. John Steinbeck once said, “Teaching might even be the greatest of   the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” The teachers also need to keep themselves updated so that they can adhere to the queries of her students because if a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. Teachers are not only educators but also motivator, guide, nutritionist, comforters, surrogate parents, emotional and psychological fillers, supporters. A child looks upto the teacher because of this occupancy many a times teachers are unable to interact with well her family, she could not spare time for herself. Her world revolves around her work, her job and specifically with her students. She invests most of her time in catering the needs of the students. Teachers are responsible for promoting growth through additional assistance and meeting with parents to discuss students’ development. They work to create lesson plans. It is rewarding when students perform well but it is frustrating and stressful when dealing with unmotivated students, large classes and heavy workloads. It is the sad reality that teachers have to deal with unruly behavior and violence from students. It becomes difficult to handle notorious child. The race is with time and self, waking up too early, getting dressed perfectly, reaching on time and never losing temper. A teacher cannot afford to wish for any leisure time. The teacher had to stay back to finish up extra duties they have been assigned. The concept of “work from home” continues to run behind. After finishing today’s work they have to begin with the preparations for tomorrow. “If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes”. This has been proved so true during COVID -19 pandemic. With lakhs of school children across India being taught at home, an army of teaching staff has worked very hard. Teachers have to juggle the responsibilities of her work timetable and home life. Organizing lesson plan for the classes to go through at home, teachers have to consider the welfare of the vulnerable students. Teacher are still dividing their time in the lockdown between home and school. “Teachers are the next level of COVID warriors, fighting for the nation and shaping the future of tomorrow”. Teaching in this atmosphere has proven to be extremely challenging. They had to adapt to technology that they weren’t familiar with overnight. As a result working hours have increased. Their phones never seem to stop buzzing. Teachers are accountable for dozens of lives at any given moment which in itself is tremendous. “Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners and the love of bringing the first two loves together”.  

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