LEAVE BEHIND A LEGACY

“History is full of individuals, where one human being in one lifetime, by the way they lived their life, impacted humanity forever…That’s a teacher for humanity and for the future of the world.” -mahatria

Happiness is a state of mind. It does not depend on any external factor. If we decide to do something happily, that is what we will experience. Everything depends on how we perceive the world or the work we do.

Becoming a teacher is not a simple decision that one makes. But it is something that should be taken after much deliberation. It is a huge responsibility, as the future of students is shaped by a teacher. It is a silent promise that a teacher makes to the parents, that she will take care of the child.

Once we take it up, we have to gear up for all the challenges that come along with it, depending on the level we are handling. Challenges will come from students, parents, as well as colleagues.

In an age where there are several distractions, how does a teacher stay connected and committed? Many may think that teaching is the easiest thing to do. Become one and you will understand that it is easier to work with machines or numbers or data.

                 “To teach is to touch a life forever.”

 It calls for not just academic brilliance, but also a compassionate heart, mindfulness, a perennial source of love, emotional equanimity, personal values, patience, integrity, versatility, resourcefulness, prudence, and so much more, if you are a teacher. Students will remember their teachers much after they leave school for the way they made them feel in class.

Agreed that teaching is a very demanding profession, but are you willing to dedicate yourself to it? Then you are truly a blessing to the world.

It requires high energy levels to keep a class of forty engaged. A mother with two kids will agree how tough it is for her. A teacher should cater to the different intelligences in her class and also address the ones who have learning disabilities, like a juggler in the circus. It is indeed a tight rope walk.

There is a lot of preparation that is required to teach a generation that has vast exposure. The shelf life of knowledge and skills are changing. Today, in the age of AI, knowledge can be easily accessed. Without preparation, the class cannot be engaged. Students respect teachers who are knowledgeable.

If a generation that has a very short attention span has to be attentive for forty minutes, the teacher has to be very resourceful and make her class dynamic. When there is a huge temptation to relax at home, watching television serials and staying long on social media, it needs tremendous will power to set aside time for classroom preparation.

Prioritizing can alone help in resolving the inner conflict

We need to give up mediocrity to embrace excellence, without any compromise. No other profession demands an individual to be a role model as much as it is required of a teacher. Teaching is the mother of all professions.

Students will grow into wholesome individuals by just watching the qualities of the teacher. They will simply dissolve in their presence.

Teachers have to collectively own the vision of the school. It is expected of a teacher to be familiar with the latest trends in education, so that she can be relevant.

When a conflict in the mind to choose between what is easy and convenient or what is right, is resolved, a champion of a teacher emerges.

Schools are waiting to experience teachers who are sorted, who are ethical, who align to the school’s culture, who bring in expertise and excellence in execution, whose intentions are pure, who will mentor the students, making them knowledgeable and skillful, mold them as wholesome individuals, creating them as leaders of the future.

One life can impact one generation by the way we live our life. Let’s aspire to leave behind a beautiful legacy of an inspired and empowered community of students.

Individually as a teacher and collectively as a school, let us gift “inspirational” leaders and role models to make the world beautiful.”- mahatria

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting