Today is teachers’ day and I wish to speak my mind, one thought that has been popping up in my mind for some time. I feel there are basically two types of teachers: type one, whose level of teaching may be good or average but their level of ethics and morals is very high. You can look up to them and see a guiding star. You are deeply affected by their goodness and somewhere start idolizing them.
The type two are those whose teaching may be good or even the very best but they have virtually no ethical code and are sort of unscrupulous beings. These are foul mouthed, show their importance all the time and misuse (read enjoy) their power as much as they can.
I would rather consider it an opportunity that I saw the two types in juxtaposition. We had one of the teachers of the type two, who would keep us waiting outside his office for long time just to make one petty announcement, fiddle with marks, favor his chosen few, crack jokes crossing the limits of decency and then scold us for not laughing (eww! strange but true), would insult us over our (so called) ‘mistakes’ and devised new ways of inflicting mental torture,. The list is endless. Although I, rather we (the entire class) had to bear with a cynical teacher but you value light because you know what darkness is. I would have never seen the goodness and values of one such teacher had the other been not so very devilish.
There was another teacher, the type one, who was really worth calling teacher and was gentle and caring. He would always be available for any help, went of his way to help and would make the class less stressing. Students could count on him for help in any moment of distress and that confidence of pupils in him was his real worth and wealth.
I feel it’s not just the academic gyaan, but a lot of virtues and character that a student imbibes from a teacher. The type two people, I feel, should not enter a sacred profession like teaching. Even now, mere thought of such teachers fills our hearts with hatred and a frown comes unintentionally. The other ones we all still love calling ‘sir’ again and again.
