Teaching is about going an extra mile

By Dr. Indira J Parikh

Indian culture has in its folds many awe-inspiring tales of great teachers and pupils. The most famous is the tale of Guru Drona, Arjun (his favourite student) and Eklavya who idolised Drona as his proxy guru. Both Arjun and Eklavya acquired unparalleled expertise in archery. But Guru Drona asked for guru dakshina (fees) and took away the very skills acquired by Eklavya which might have made him better than Arjun. The debate goes on as to who was really the great teacher and who was the great pupil. Eklavya is famous for his unconditional devotion and trust in his teacher which made him perform an unthinkable sacrifice. Cultures across the world live with their myths, epics and folklore eulogizing  the teacher-pupil relationship.

Teaching is generally considered to be a respected profession, worldwide. While some teachers gain respect, others are loved and idolized, while some go on to shape the conscience and values of their students. These are the teachers who have impacted not only the lives of their students but who have transformed their lives. They have not intended to change, shape or mould lives, but through their philosophy and perspectives, such teachers bring to their role something that touches a different chord with the students -  the dilemmas of life that the students are struggling with, or the issues which they are grappling with , or the dreams they are pursuing.  This happens in both formal (classroom) and informal (dialogue and discussion) encounters. The role of teachers also encompassed being a guide and a counselor.

As times changed, the role of teachers got narrowed to providing knowledge and it got further narrowed to providing subject-specific knowledge. Rules, regulations, policies and guidelines were defined by institutions and regulatory bodies for how teachers needed to interact or relate with students. Over time, the broader context of learning and life got narrowed to teachers having a job in educational institutions as providers of domain knowledge.

As society, culture, external environment, and families evolved, the educational institutions have also changed. And with this change, the role of teachers has seen quite a transformation.

Teachers become teachers as they essentially enjoy the experience of nurturing young minds, helping them blossom into better human beings who are not just educated but also cultured and responsible citizens of the society. There was in a time when knowledge and learning of teachers were cumulated into experience and distilled into wisdom with insights of the world and values of life. Age, experience and a broad appreciation of the world, social structures and their appropriateness gave the teacher  the role of a mentor and advisor – a person to go to for discussion and sound advice.

Times change, roles change, meaning of life in the context of the emerging lifestyle changes , and so does the significance of relationships. Today in the era of Internet and Facebook, Twitter and blogs, the authority to provide answers to questions no more rests with the parents or teachers. It rests with Google. In such a context the teacher - student interface has to be qualitatively different from the years gone by. 

Amid all these transformations, a teacher’s role has to have its continuity. A teacher’s role has to be more interactive and qualitative. It has to be about experiences of life rather than only information or quantitative knowledge sharing. It has to be to push the student to new frontiers of growth with sensitivity and dignity. Teachers are meant to create a space and a learning environment bringing  multiplicity and diversity of thoughts, depths and heights of wisdom anchored in values of human existence.

The author is President, Foundation for Liberal And Management Education (FLAME) in Pune

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