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Importance of Teachers

Aparna Jadhav
Have you ever thought about the importance of teachers in your life? Well, read on and find out if the following story helps you to do so.

Did You Know?

  • The World Teachers' Day is celebrated internationally on the 5th of October, annually.
  • In the United States, the first week of May is marked as the Teacher Appreciation Week and the Tuesday of that week is celebrated as the National Teacher Day.
  • In India, 5th of September is celebrated as Teachers' Day.
Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well. ~ Aristotle
I agree! As much as parents are responsible for the upbringing of their own children, the personal development of everyone else's children comes under the aegis of a teacher's responsibility towards the society.
The influence a teacher has on his/her students may not be direct or obvious, but if he/she is truly worth his/her salt, traces of his/her ideals, principles, and philosophy trickle into the psyche of his/her students. These, then, find expression in the personalities of those students and the way they conduct themselves in various walks of their lives.
This phenomenon is what we call INSPIRATION. All teachers impart valuable life lessons to their students, but those who manage to do so by making the students absorb all the wisdom with as less mugging up of knowledge as possible, are the ones that are truly looked up to.
In essence, the best teacher is one who can awaken, in his/her students, an eternal thirst for knowledge and kill any inkling of inhibition in them, that keeps them from asking questions. Herein lies the greatest importance of a teacher - he/she should show students the way to accumulate knowledge, instead of serving it to them on a platter.
A teacher can be your friend when you need a shoulder to cry on, a parent when you need support, and a critic when you are going the wrong way. Each one of us has experienced some or the other qualities of a teacher which have taught us a lesson about life.
The good teachers taught us to stay away from the wrong things and make the right choices. Even though the significance of teachers in our lives doesn't need to be told, there are a few parts of our lives which only teachers can influence.
A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others. ~ Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
A teacher's primary duty is to impart education to his/her students, on subjects that would help in sharpening their practical, social, cultural, and creative cognizance. Understanding a particular concept of any subject may be easy for someone who has studied it for years, but explaining it to young scholars in simple, comprehensive manner is no mean task!
For this reason, I have always been in awe of primary school teachers. They are entrusted with teaching academically relevant subjects to children so young that they haven't even fully developed their sense of self - as if the mere prospect of putting up with twenty screaming, teary-eyed, 'leaky', bawling kids on a routine basis isn't scary enough!
The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher. ~ Elbert Hubbard
A good teacher is one who enforces a sense of management in his/her students, be it management of time, space, material resources, or conflict. This is an extremely important lesson and should be incorporated while an individual is in his/her formative years as early influences often stick with us the longest.
When teachers attend to each of their students personally and take care of their needs, there is a special bond that is created, which develops into respect and trust for each other. When there is respect for a particular teacher, the students immediately listen to what he/she has to say.
Such a cooperative relation makes the learning environment conducive to open communication, which leads to maximum absorption of intellectual influence by the students.
The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~ Dan Rather
Young students are individuals who are dealing with change in their lives, be it physical, psychological, intellectual, or social. They are the ones who need motivation the most. The mere knowledge that someone believes in them, that someone just knows they'll get up no matter how many times they fall, is a huge confidence booster.
This knowledge itself can inject encouragement and perseverance in the student's system. This is where a teacher plays the role of a friendly guide, a mentor who shows the way but is willing to lend you a sympathetic ear and understand your point of view as well.
This kind of moral support strengthens the trust of a student in his/her teacher and we all know how far we can go when urged by the people we trust.
Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater. ~ Gail Godwin
Indeed, histrionics are an inseparable part of the clockworks of influence! Look at world leaders and great orators - their obvious knack at moving entire communities and nations towards a common objective lies in their innate ability to word their ideals in such a way as to appeal to the emotions of their audience. 
Even if you know your gig by heart, it has every possibility of falling flat if you don't package it appropriately! Children and young people being the most impressionable segment of any society, a good impression effectively made would stay stamped upon their personalities for life!
In fact, when their turn comes, these students will imbibe this influence with the lessons that they impart to their succeeding generation!
A teacher can be an inspiration to millions without even knowing it. With the way they teach, connect and bring out the best, teachers play a very important role in the self-improvement efforts of children. There have been many great people in the history of this world, who owe their teachers the credit for the directions their lives took.
The teacher is an extremely important figure in Oriental, Indian, and Latin American cultures. Teachers are not restricted to educational institutions alone. If you ever met anyone who touched your life in any of the aforementioned ways, thank Life for introducing you to a wonderful teacher when you weren't even looking for one!