By M L Satyan

Bengaluru, Sept 4, 2023: In June this year I had an opportunity to conduct training for teachers in Jharkhand. During the training I found most of them “syllabus-focussed.” Their main concern was completing their syllabus and preparing students for examinations. This seems to be the case in most schools.

Whenever I conduct training for teachers, I ask them a question why they became teachers. Obviously, I get answers like these:
• “My parents or my uncle/aunty wanted me to be a teacher and I chose this profession.”
• “For many generations my family has been producing one or two teachers. So, automatically I too have become a teacher.”
• “This is a safe job for female teachers.”
• “Teaching job is a respectable one in society.”
• “This job gives an opportunity to me and my school-going children to enjoy holidays together.”
• “I tried for various jobs but could not succeed. There was no other choice for me and hence I became a teacher.”

The above answers and the syllabus-oriented attitude of the teachers have always worried me. Every year Teachers’ Day is celebrated with grandeur in every school. But…do our teachers really understand and feel proud that they have selected a noble profession? This remains a million-dollar question.

In education, a teacher has a crucial role of moulding the character of a student. Through a story let us try to understand this.

Once upon a time, while walking through the forest, a certain man found a young eagle. He took it home and put it in his Poultry Farm. The eagle soon learned to eat chicken-feed and to behave like chickens.

One day a Naturalist, who was passing by the Poultry Farm, noticed a young eagle inside. He asked the owner why the eagle, the king of the birds, should be confined to live in a Poultry Farm with chickens.

The Poultry Farm owner said, “I thought that this bird was chicken. Since I have given it the chicken-feed and lives inside the Farm it has never learnt to fly. The Naturalist said, “Still, this bird has the heart of an eagle and it can surely be taught to fly.” They discussed this matter and agreed to find out whether this was possible.

Standing near the Poultry Farm, the Naturalist gently took the eagle in his hands and said, “You belong to the sky, not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.” The bird was confused. It did not know what to do. It jumped down to be with the other chickens.

On the next day, the Naturalist took the eagle to the terrace of the Poultry Farm and urged the bird, “You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly.” The eagle was afraid and did not know about its unknown self. The confused bird jumped down again, joined the chickens and started eating the chicken-feed.

On the third day, the Naturalist rose early in the morning when it was still dark. He took the eagle and climbed on the nearby mountain. By this time the sun started rising. He held the eagle straight towards the sun and encouraged it by saying, “You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly. The eagle looked around for some time and started to tremble with fear.

The Naturalist said loudly, “You are an eagle. You are the king of the bird. You stretch forth your wings and fly.” Suddenly, with a big cry, the eagle flew away into the sky. It may be that the eagle still remembers the Poultry Farm, the chickens and the chicken feed. But the eagle never returned to the Poultry Farm to live there.

We need to put a teacher in the place of the Naturalist and the student in the place of the eagle. In today’s education system the students are locked up in a poultry farm like school where they are rarely taught to understand their potentials, skills, talents and abilities. Their true self remains unknown.

A teacher has to assume the role of a Naturalist and must
 Recognize and respect the individuality of students
 Be available, accessible and approachable
 Have love for nature
 Have love and compassion for students
 Dialogue with students and parents
 Demonstrate assertiveness
 Set a high target for students and continue to motivate them
 Have self-confidence and place confidence in the students
 Be open, honest and fair in every dealing
 Do continuous experiments and work hard
 Create conducive atmosphere for growth
 Give encouragement and recognition to every student
 Act consistently
 Give needed information to students to do their jobs
 Impart training effectively
 Accept mistakes and initiate corrective measures
 Keep focused through proper follow-ups
 Take up risks and challenges
 Make sacrifices to achieve the goal
 Display tolerance and flexibility
 Take ownership for students’ decisions
 Have a clear vision and dream for the students

Other important tips:
 Education means “drawing out the hidden talents and abilities”. Hence, a teacher must try to draw out the best in every student.
 A teacher must realise that the students are not “Useless”. But they are “Used Less”. Hence, a teacher must make the best use of the students.
 A teacher needs to remember that every student in the classroom is like an eagle and has the potential to fly and become great.
 A teacher needs to help students to have a Vision that is broad-minded rather than Ambition that is narrow-minded.

Former Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said, “Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, calibre, and future of an individual.”

May the teachers in our society understand this truth and feel proud of their noble profession of character building! Let the teachers exercise this role with greater responsibility!

Every student must experience the loving touch of the teacher. In future a student must proudly confess, “Today what I am is because of my teacher.” This will be the real achievement for every teacher.