“Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” – Rita Pierson
Teaching is a calling that further ignites the calling of countless impressionable young minds. It is a profession that extends beyond the self and is all about transforming the lives of those we teach.
There is nothing more valuable than education in a society that relies on the guidance of its brightest knowledgeable brains and is built on the hard work of its smart and ambitious youth.
Teaching unlocks opportunities, opens minds, and most importantly, it not only shapes young lives, but also their values, their beliefs, and above all their humanity.
While today, our system places extreme importance on education, one often forgets that the primary foundation of education is enabling free thought and creating a safe space for students to explore their gifts and individuality. It is the classroom that can help facilitate freedom of thought, and the teacher who can enable the gift of imagination, creativity, and self-expression.
No one understands better than a teacher that every student is different, and so are their thoughts, dreams, ambitions, and perspectives of the world. While today there is immense pressure on children to excel at their studies, a teacher can help students see far beyond and view themselves and the world in a much more sensitive light.
A teacher can help prepare students for the real world, by practicing empathy and teaching one’s pupils to embrace their flaws and nurture their strengths.
Education has the power to transform the very ethos of humanity, fostering the kind of upbringing that will impact the future of a class, a district, a city, a state, a nation, and indirectly the world.
Teaching hence comes with the greatest responsibility of all…Not only helping pupils understand the syllabus but understand themselves as human beings. Teaching inculcates the healthiest environment to enhance young minds and create human beings who are rich in compassion and have the ability to look at the world with a highly nuanced, empathetic, and aware worldview.
And the power to impart such ties lies in the hand of an educator, who is a firm believer in building a deep sense of responsibility in one’s students, while also allowing their unique abilities and viewpoints to foster, and giving them an encouraging, judgment-free nudge in the direction of their calling.
A teacher holds the power to not only build confidence and instill a deeper sense of consciousness but also a higher degree of emotional understanding, for their students, preparing them for the world that exists beyond school and college. By building an approach that truly extends beyond grades, attendance, and the four walls of a classroom, to taking a keen interest in the overall well-being and emotional state of the pupils, we can create an eco-system that can build a child’s emotional backbone and embrace them for the challenges for the real world.
As students traverse the journey of growing up, they encounter numerous challenges that are often accompanied by painful, awkward, and confusing experiences. Navigating this path as a young adult can be overwhelming, and they often find themselves in need of guidance and support. This is where our role as teachers can be not just pivotal, but invaluable. Having a trusted adult who can provide a helping hand as pupils navigate through the complexities of both the syllabus and life can be a source of great comfort.
Being seen as both a friend and a mentor is infinitely more gratifying for both us and our students than merely serving as a repository of knowledge, wouldn’t you agree?