Thursday, September 13, 2007

Teaching and Teachers

Today's Asian Age has an interesting article by J S Rajput on the state of teaching and teachers in the country. He makes two interesting references:
  • Rabindranath Tagore had observed: "When we see a living enthusiasm lacking in those who act as guides to their pupils, who are ready to raise to them ruling rods from a distance … they should be reminded that they have chosen a wrong vocation and should, for the sake of humanity, change it without delay for that of a jail warder."
  • Dr S. Radhakrishnan, a legendary teacher, philosopher and statesman wrote in the University Education Commission over five decades ago: "We must habituate students to right emotions, induce to them the formation of good moral, mental and physical habits. Only what one accepts willingly becomes a part of oneself. All else is a mask."
Osho, in one of his discourses, talked about teachers as well. He had this to say:
  • A teacher is one who is respected naturally, so a teacher cannot demand respect. If the teacher demands respect, he simply shows that he is not a teacher; he has chosen the wrong profession, that is not his vocation.
  • Teachers are as much born as poets, it is a great art. Everybody cannot be a teacher, but because of universal education millions of teachers are required. Just think of a society that thinks that poetry is to be taught by poets and everybody is to be taught poetry. Then millions of poets will be required. Of course, then there will be poets' training colleges. Those poets will be bogus, and then they will ask: Applaud us! -- because we are poets. Why are you not respecting us? This has happened with teachers.
  • In the past there were very few teachers. People used to travel thousands of miles to find a teacher, to be with him. There was tremendous respect, but the respect depended on the quality of the teacher. It was not an expectation from the disciple or from the student or the pupil. It simply happened.
More power to teachers that truly teach!