15th October 2010 - The Scindia School

QILA QUOTES | The Scindia SchoolLiteraryA teacher I WOuld loveto be taught byEveryone in the society even the illiterate, know that the main purpose for the existenceof a school is to educate children. The term ‘education’ in the past had a very limitedconnotation. It generally referred to learning the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic).However, as time passed, the concept underwent a change.17Mayank KaseraXII CEducation now refers to all round development of a child.Today in addition to the mental (intellectual or cognitive)development of a pupil, his/her physical, moral, emotional,spiritual, social, aesthetic and even vocational developmentis emphasized in education. The task of a school and theteachers, therefore, becomes quite complex.A student spends 25,000 hours in the campus. Thereforethe school must have the best of the teachers who have theability to teach, have a passion for teaching and a desire tobuild moral values in their students.“Teachers should be the best minds in the country.” In oneof his lectures, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam fondly recalled thatwhen he was in class VIII his teacher Sri Shiva Subramniamlyer was once discussing the flight of a bird. After the classwhen young Kalam said that he had not understood thelesson the dedicated teacher took him to the seashore. InKalam’s own words “I enjoyed the roaring of the sea watergnawing at the sandy hills in the pleasant evening. Birdswere flying and chirping merrily. It was there that he mademe understand how birds fly”.So I would appreciate a teacher who does not get upsetor irritated when students fail to understand a concept.Instead he should keep devising new methods to simplifythe same till each student has understood it. I would lovea teacher who is clear about what is to be taught and whatcan be done without. In the present times any teachershould also be able to express himself in English as wellas Hindi; English because it is spoken worldwide and Hindibecause it is our national language.I am very sure that an idea can change one’s life! Soimagine the tremendous role of a teacher who for yearstogether fills our mind with ideas and expressions. Theteacher should therefore be a repository of knowledge. Iwould like to be taught by a teacher who is well read andcan help me in choosing the right kind of books to read.I would like a teacher who has joined this noble professionby choice so that he does not feel compelled to teach, toeducate, to interact with young minds because I sincerelybelieve that it is a great privilege to stand before so manypeople and be listened to by them.I like a teacher who does not simply follow the syllabus butalso includes some useful rambling in the class because itis always a curious blend of these two aspects of teachingwhich makes real learning possible. We become completewith the help of the teachers who are caring, intelligent andhave tremendous patience to influence us the way theyperceive us in the years to come.I would love a teacher who could teach me leadershipqualities but at the same time ensure that I do not becomearrogant. He should teach me to treat everyone with dignity.It is often said that the battle of Waterloo was fought inthe playing fields of Eton. This means that Britain’s militarysuccess was based on the values taught to a school boy inthe public schools.J.Krishnamurti said “We are losing life, we are blunting thefeeling for beauty, the sensitivity to cruelty; we are becomingmore and more specialized and less and less integrated” SoI would remember a teacher who rather than making me aspecialist helps me to develop a harmonious personality.A teacher’s purpose is not to create students in their ownimage, but to develop students who can create their ownimage. He has a herculean task at hand. The expectationsfrom him are immense but the fruits of his labour are verysweet.An ideal teacher would be one who instills in his studentsgood values and succeeds in developing in them a spiritof inquiry not just for the various academic disciplines butalso for the marvels of nature.A geography lesson out of the classroomI would conclude by quoting a few lines from AbrahamLincoln’s letter to his son’s teacher where he wrote that“…Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books...But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternalmystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and theflowers on a green hillside.Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even ifeveryone tells him they are wrong. Teach him tobe gentle with gentle people, and tough with thetough of society…”volume 9 | oct 2010