TO SIR WITH LOVE |
Knowledge is power. And the force behind the power is none other than the humble teacher. Be it life itself or the human hand of a person infront of the blackboard, everyone has a teacher. CARMEN DE SA E RODRIGUES spells out the importance of September 5th, Teachers Day.
MANY OF US at some point in our lives have had someone who has left an impression in our lives. From whom we have learned to be better, smarter and more worthy then what we were. And September 5 th is �the Day� dedicated to all those individuals from whom we have learned to be proud of who we are. On this day students past and present remember Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna and teachers like him who have made a difference in their lives.
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan was an educationist par-excellence. A brilliant scholar and a truly great philosopher. He was born in September 5 th , 1888, at Tiruttani, near Madras, in South India. He was India�s Vice President from 1952 to 1962 and President from 1962 to 1967. He wrote many books popularising Indian traditions. He always emphasised the need for a casteless, classless society. The contributions of Dr. Radhakrishnan as an academician, a writer and speaker, a philosopher, a diplomat, and as the President have been unique. But whatever the avocations, his activities have always centred round the values of Truth, Beauty and Goodness.
As a tribute to this great teacher, his birthday ahs been observed as Teacher�s Day � this reflects Dr. Radhakrishnan�s love for and attachment to the teaching profession.
Dr. Radhakrishnan opined, �Education is the process of giving the individual, knowledge and skills which he should apply in his life. Inculcating noble traditions, compassion and love in the individual in order to help him lead a full life should be the aim of an educationist. Unless we have dedicated and committed teachers to take to teaching as a mission in their lives, a good educational system cannot be developed.� The goal should be towards commitment to knowledge, advancement of learning, improving the quality of education and fostering of a strong relationship between teachers and students. He said �Buildings do not make a school. It is the teachers and the pupils and their pursuit of knowledge, these make the soul of a school. The school is the sanctuary of the intellectual life of a country. If men lose intellectual vigour, the future of civilisation is bleak indeed.�
This great man passed away on April 17, 1975.
Today when there is such a drastic decline in the quality of education as well as in the relationship between the teacher and the taught, efforts have to be made to bring about a change in the education system so that the quality and the relationship is strengthened. The impact conscientious teachers make and the influence they wield on the young minds, hearts, spirits and lives of those whom they educate is immense, incalculable and enduring. A teacher is the backbone of a child�s progress in life.
Teachers are builders � for they help build up their students into integrated personalities so that they can play their part well on the stage of life.
They are moulders � for they mould the characters of those whom they educate better even than sculptors, by instilling in them principles of morality, both by precept and by example.
They are artists � for they embellish the minds, hearts and lives of the young with the beauty they have contemplated and drunk in, the beauty that is a living reflection of their deep and intense aesthetic sense.
They are leaders - for their noble task is to direct and guide the steps of their pupils towards the heights of truth, goodness and love.
They are lovers - for they love their students whether they are good or bad, clever or dull, hard-working or lazy, rich or poor; for they love to impart knowledge in every form and in every sphere; for they love the children who sit at their feet, with a love that is noble and inspiring.
To the child, the teacher is the key to knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
To the community, the teacher represents the voice of wide understanding needed in the solution of problems in and out of the classroom.
To the nation, the teacher is necessary, for he instils the basic knowledge about the rights and responsibilities of government, so the free citizens can govern themselves.
What else can we say about an ideal teacher? There is a quality of fire about him that burns from some place far below the surface of his life. It is unquenchable, tireless, and enduring. It does not scorch him with sarcasm, but it does encourage him when things seem difficult. He has an airy touch upon all problems. His insight can bring enlightenment to dark places, and it smoothes the path of ignorance where it is rough. It is as if he himself is guided by an inner light, and so he knows how to light the guiding lamp in others, too. He is not a leader, seeing that he himself is led, but he can teach the leadership of light.
So on this great day let us salute all the teachers who richly deserve the respect, the esteem and the gratitude of students and parents, for being serving persons, sharing persons, giving persons and above all loving persons. May the candles of greatness which they light always shine back to cheer them.
HAPPY TEACHER�S DAY!
courtesy: Goan Observer
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