It is common knowledge that after family, schools become the most significant socializing agents in a child’s life, and teachers play an important role in this process. In this process of socializing we build attitudes and mindset besides delivering a course content. The course content is forgotten but the attitudes remain forever thereby, shaping the child’s overall personality.
It sends a chill down my spine when I think of how we influence the child and in turn the society! Have you ever thought of this!?
If this is the role of educators, why has the value of the teacher and the teaching profession diminished?
Where is the autonomy of an educator that can help him / her design tools to suit the needs of different learners?
How do we as educators regain the lost glory and respect?
If we come from the land of Gurukuls and the Shantiniketan, how did we come to create schools that we see today?
If we have to rebuild a broken system, we need to start somewhere!
Here is where I think we can begin…
• Knowing about the Universe. No one must be unaware of the laws of Nature, they are the greatest teachers for us to draw inspiration from. Nature inspires us towards a life of interdependence and coexistence that is in perfect balance and harmony.
• Deepening our understanding of our subject
• Being a lifelong learner
• Furthering our knowledge of the Child
• Being aware of our responses to tough situations, our reactions to our mistakes and those of others
Some of us are already are on this path.
The teacher is an ideal being in the eyes of the child!
Today, social, economic, political and religious unrest has become normal and spread far and wide from the most developed to the least developed societies.
Our socio-economic and political/religious lives cross each other’s path too often and create a complex web of beliefs, values, cultures and emotions.
The society has always been divided on some ground or the other …We know very well that a small percentage of people makes huge gains through such stratification, yet we believe in them and support them in one way or the other.
In this backdrop it is but evident that ‘education must thrive for peace’ and if the role of education is peace then ‘what is the duty of the teacher?’
I think as educators our role is to constantly be in search of the truth. Truth that is buried deep under political and religious propaganda.
Our role is to skim through myths, lies and deceit and uncover the truth that enlightens and educates… illuminates and rids us of our ignorance.
Only an aware teacher can lead children towards true learning.
Our role as educators is to help students seek the truth, not only the middle part, the end or the beginning, but the complete truth.
Our role becomes to help children get prepared for the future. Not just to become successful professionally but to also be prepared to face a highly corrupt society, which is going to exert a lot of pressure on them. Prepared to evaluate challenges that life and society will put forth. The future will be uncertain, sometimes grim and dark even… we know that; and children must be prepared to become aware, of the choices they make and of paths they tread when things around them are uncertain.
Our role as educators is to ignite hope within each child, the hope that change can happen any time, that change is possible and that children can drive the change. We need to help children believe in themselves so that they find the strength to stand up and fight back.
We need to help them see us walk the path towards a pluralistic and egalitarian society, which our forefathers dreamt of!
I cannot imagine this world in any other way, when I look around me, my colleagues, neighbours and friends, I know there is no difference among us. I find kind and warm people around me. I am surrounded with affection, warmth and great friendships.
It’s another thing when you step into the cyber world and you go into a different kind of tizzy…
You lose hope in people and wonder … really, is this the thought process that has gripped us?
Our role as educators is to understand these dynamics and strengthen our student’s belief in equality and equity. We must help them believe that no man or woman is born unequal, and no one must leave this Earth with a sense of being discriminated and marginalized.
I think this is the greatest injustice against humanity that humans greatly indulge in, knowingly or unknowingly, by believing in discrimination & prejudice that fosters inequalities!
These values have little affect if we only uphold them in an assembly or in a Social Science class. We must uphold these values in every act of ours; these values must reflect in our dealings with people
The greatest duty of a teacher is to rise above the chaos, and help children make sense of it by understanding the history and science of things, and not just pass on mere opinions.
May our influence as educators on the children always be a positive one for a peaceful world!
Moiza Rafath
Founder Director
Pebble Creek Schools & Indah Erdkinder