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Your letters: Happy Teachers' Day
âThe mediocre teacher tells
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'The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires', William Arthur Ward.
On National Teachers' Day (Nov. 25), my mind flew back to old memories of school. I have the conviction that these memories of teachers persist, continuing to influence my live years later. The bittersweet memories are indeed indelible, sealing the lifelong influence that a teacher can have.
I remember my exceptional English teacher in junior high school in my heart. I was greatly affected by his love of the subject and his teaching talent. English was always hard for me. I didn't understand things the first time. It was made worse by my shyness. Combined, they put me into a torture chamber. Then, this particular teacher went out of his way throughout the year to create a fun way of learning and touched our hearts. The way he joked with the class with his eccentric English accent along with the creative methods he used unlocked the imagination and energy of the class.
Teachers are the foundation upon which a child's character is built. School is the most important laboratory of character building next to the home because a child spends most time in school after home. Therefore, teachers have a great responsibility to educate, to advise, to counsel and to nurture their students in realizing their full potential and shaping their character altogether. They should give their students the tools to become authors of their own life story and builders of a better world. It is not an exaggeration then to say that teachers are the catalysts for the emergence of a revolutionary ideal through knowledge and education.
Having said this, it is significantly important for teachers to build the integrity and characters of children by choosing to do the right thing. It is a case of living by example, providing a good role model. Teachers become the center of gravity of social values, ethics and the set of beliefs their students look up to. Effective teachers unlock the energy, imagination and, most of all, the minds of their students. To be such an ideal, they have to be highly passionate and obsessive about teaching just like a painter is about painting or an artist is about his art. The way they shape and mould their students will leave lasting imprints on their students. Great teachers help their pupils to prepare for their quest in life, and the poor ones thrust them into a dark alley of mistrust and doubt.
It is also worthy to note that teachers have a role of more than just telling, explaining or demonstrating. In today's technological-savvy world, students can get that from the Internet. Every bit of information and knowledge is stored online, and anyone can have access to this massive knowledge repository by simple clicks on their desktop. One thing this virtual world lacks is the power to inspire. This is the sole authority of humans to do so. This is the privilege a teacher has to inspire their students to be better and contribute to help building a better world.
I personally believe that great teachers should become role models and idols for students. Apart from educating students on subjects by touching the students' minds, they have the noble duty to also touch their spirits ' the way they see and feel about themselves for the rest of their lives. Such influence is truly a rare privilege that should be prized and nurtured.
Yuni Herlina
Depok, West Java
