This post is dedicated to all my teachers. A Guru Vandana.
Very few people have that capacity to teach and inspire their students; be it your kind-hearted and loving kindergarten or primary school teacher, the professor at college/ grad school, the mentor at workplace, the guru (dispeller of darkness) when it comes to music, spirituality, or whatever. Having said this, it doesn't hurt to mention that people who can teach, teach. I have been fortunate enough to come across a few amazing teachers in my real life.
It surprises many when I tell them about the fabulous maths tuition teacher during high school. He covered the entire math syllabus for IIT-JEE without using a black (for that matter, white) board. Not to forget those two amazing chemistry teachers. Having studied in a variety of schools, the author was fortunate to interact with so many good-natured people. Despite the occasional scoldings and "punishments", they were all good at heart.
Most school teachers were passionate about what they taught. But then, when this becomes the very source of livelihood, the reality does tend to portray a different scenario. Most schools start early to avoid the typical "rush-hour". This just makes it all the more tougher for the lady teachers because of their inherent responsibilities in a typical Indian home. Sadly, their pay is not that high (as compared to those what-miracle-happened kind of jobs) with meagre if not nil insurance benefits.
At college, it is a totally different scenario. It is a completely difficult prospect to teach adults. But then, the importance of a sound undergraduate education cannot be overemphasized. Here is where, the youth gets inspired on what they would want to do for their life. But for people who do not attend classes, they learn it the hard way. A sound understanding of the fundamentals cannot be obtained by just cramming at the last minute without attending classes. But then, this is a common feature in most undergraduate places of learning. Does this require a change in the mindset of the student or the teachers.
The most difficult task at hand is to impart the right knowledge in the right fashion to people who are undergoing their graduate study. Too much spoonfeeding is not warranted, and making the course as a catalog of all there is in the world totally unwanted. Here is where the idiom, "People who can teach, teach" comes to my mind. I have met a few teachers who are more interested in imparting the depth than the breadth. Likewise, a great researcher need not be a great teacher and vice-versa. But then, there are those few people, who achieve greatness in both.
The fundamental reason why teachers become teachers is because of their passion for the field of their interest. To inspire, disseminate and to learn. As Richard Feynman had said somewhere, "No question is profound or silly. More often than not, the doubt a student asks is on the neighbourhood of a potentially important problem. And for researchers whose neurons get tired of thinking out of the box at times, teaching thus becomes a highly refreshing activity". Thus, teachers also gain a lot from this venture.
Lastly, but most importantly, the most important set of teachers are those related to a person's personal life. And amongst the umpteen, only a few, do something to possibly bring a remarkable sense of direction in the student's life.
PS: The reader is recommended to read this post on a similar theme, posted long ago.
