I still remember my sixth-grade teacher who handled science for us. It’s not because I loved science as a kid but how she taught beyond textbooks.
She made learning fun. It's the stories and fun models she carried and how she enacted things that learning happened as an outcome of the engaging process. Back then, I didn't understand this, but now I can say she surely touched my life and helped me not just in education but in life. It's the connection, the effort and the heart that an educator puts into the job to make it all memorable for a lifetime. I am sure every person reading this can think of their teacher who made them feel the same way.
As quoted by Jerry Whittle, a cherished teacher, mentor and author, "To Teach Is to Touch a Life Forever". This stands true for most of us as students learn much more than academics from their teachers. It's hard to find a student with no favourite teacher who works tirelessly and leads, teaches and inspires generations for the betterment of the world. Children- the most precious resource on the earth is moulded, guided and led by a teacher into a being that can create the future for themselves and the world.
In honour of World Teachers Day, here are five reasons you must pick the profession:
Influence and Inspire
The responsibility of shaping the future lies with the teachers. You'll always see kids look up to teachers and be inspired by them. Especially at an early age, children want to become like their teachers when they grow up. That's the power of this occupation. Students look up to you as a role model. They get inspired by the things they see, and you do. This brings an amazing opportunity for educators to mould the child into a good human being capable of deriving the necessary changes. Educators can help students inculcate the basic and most important things like being responsible, sincere, disciplined and a good being. These small things have a big impact on our lives. We as adults understand this, and educators can propel these qualities in students early. A wholesome feeling. For instance, if an educator can make students understand the concept of climate change and help them make conscious changes, they save the planet.
Continuous Improvement and Lifelong Learning
Teaching and learning are like two sides of a coin; they go hand in hand. Since teachers are around young, curious students every day, they learn from their inquisitiveness and get a chance to improve every day. The education sector is evolving continuously, and these changes require educators to upskill and learn new things. This process is always in action where teachers are learning not just in their subject but for their profession and beyond. Professional development has become an essential component of the job. When you work in an environment where your profession requires you to develop skills and stay relevant to new things, you develop and grow daily. For instance, the pandemic-induced teaching changes led to rapid transformation in the profession and educators who weren't familiar with online teaching learnt about it. Though the journey was challenging, educators sailed through it and polished their skills and techniques per their needs.
This tweet by a teacher is an example of what we mentioned above.
Still amazed by my lesson with Year 9?? improvisation and intuitive thought providing us with learning through enjoyment and laughter ???? #confidencebuidling #classbonding #teachersjourney #drama #ilovethearts
— Miss B (@MissBBlogs19) November 8, 2018Work Satisfaction
It's all about those days when the child with immense struggles shows improvement and all those days when you make a difference, which is almost every day. The joy of making a change in the right direction and for the betterment of others and the world is what a teacher experiences every day. Teaching provides work satisfaction like no other job. It gives you the power for a purpose, which is to bring change, and teachers do that every day. They fulfil the learning needs of every child and ensure that the child learns. All their efforts are focused on ensuring that children learn and grow holistically.
Madhu Wal, an educator, shares her reasons on The Daily Star to pick teaching. She expresses it beautifully, saying, "I realised that through teaching I would be able to fulfil my soul's craving to contribute to shaping the world of tomorrow. I chose teaching because of the passionate conviction that in it lies my special destiny. After nearly four decades in this job, each day I can wake up with a song in my heart, each day I can walk with a lighter step, and each day I can be elevated to higher levels of awareness because each day brings with it a set of new challenges and new situations to be tackled."
Respect
Have you ever met a person who doesn't remember the teacher they admired and looked up to? Me neither. We all have that one teacher who was an inspiration for the value they added to our lives beyond academics. It is a respectful job, and people from all spheres look up to teachers for the value they add to society through their work and their power to positively influence the younger generation. It is a noble profession that allows individuals to ensure that children in their growing age develop good habits, skills, and perspectives and become good human beings. Teachers play a big role in how we turn out to be. Teachers guide and direct students to make better decisions.
Growth Potential
A teaching career offers job security, stability and huge growth potential. A teacher can always do more and improve at the job. A nursery teacher can prepare to take primary classes; the primary teachers can upskill and go for higher classes, and so on. The teaching career offers vast possibilities. With online education in play, there is a huge demand for online educators, tutors, virtual education assistants, language educators, and much more. Geographical restrictions are a thing of the past, and educators today can explore opportunities globally. All you need is the passion for the job and a clear pathway to achieve it.
It's no surprise that most students want to be a teacher growing up. Teachers are the foundation pillar of all advances that exist. They're inspirational, a necessity and irreplaceable. Teachers lend you a safe space to express when you're sad, a voice of reasoning when you're busting with anger and a lifetime of learning. Don't they know everything?
Please share your experiences and teacher-student stories with us in the comment section below.
