“Learning gives creativity, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge, knowledge makes you great.” – Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
On the momentous occasion of World Students’ Day, celebrated on 15th October every year, which commemorates the birth anniversary of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, celebrated scientist and former President of India, Brainfeed extended an invitation to all educators and school leaders to contribute articles. Dr. Kalam passionately believed that students are the future, and their progressive minds are the key to achieving great success for our nation. As part of our celebration of World Students’ Day, Brainfeed will be presenting these valuable articles in the coming days.
The article featured below is by Dr. Anupama Mishra, Principal, Sunbeam School, Varuna, Varanasi.
Today as I start talking about the profound impact of educators on students’ lives, I feel that educators are not only teachers but they actually sculpt more than the minds of children. They are the ones who build characters and initiate curiosity that actually paves the way for lifelong learning among students. It’s not only about teaching the facts or teaching information, but in the real sense they believe that the real potential within the students can be carved out with a beautiful connection and a little extra care. Students have the capacity to go beyond their limits, through which they can make their lives.
In today’s classrooms, teachers, despite grappling with a hybrid model involving both physical presence and virtual classes, forge futures and leave an indelible mark on students’ minds. They do not teach English, Hindi, Math, Science, and other subjects merely to fulfill quotas; they nurture aspirations and dreams so that these children can carry them forward as they stride ahead. A teacher’s impact extends beyond the classroom; it not only shapes and motivates students to pursue their academic goals but also molds their inner integrity and character.
Though the digital world has always taken up the classrooms with a sweep, making children addicted to gadgets, compromising their innocence, and their childhood lost, still teachers keep on imparting knowledge and keep on igniting the flame of curiosity and fostering a lifelong love for learning. Teachers are the ones who introduce Shakespeare, who introduce Jaishankar Prasad, who discuss Heron’s formula, who talk about the periodic table in chemistry, but these are the teachers only who make their words resonate beyond the pages of a textbook, who make the literature come into life, who motivate the children to bring Science and its applications into their daily life.
Moreover, teachers actually are the navigators of the classroom who play a very crucial role in imparting values and ethics beyond the teaching of Algebra, History, Geography, etc. They offer teachings like empathy, resilience, patience, integrity, caring, and sharing, and many more. They not only introduce the world and its complexities to them, but also make the students aware of their own innate and hidden talents, their own image, and their own capacity to go beyond. It is the teacher who develops the moral compass within them that keeps on steering them throughout life and difficult situations.
However much the transformation the digital world has brought into the classroom and introduced children to a variety of colorful plethora of enthusiasm and excitement, it cannot replace a passionate teacher who becomes the ultimate catalyst, motivating and forcing students to discover their hidden talents and potentials and encouraging them to explore the areas where they can prove their vocation or skills. The inclusion of Multiple intelligences in the lesson plan design or preparation of Integrated blended learning designs gives many opportunities to teachers to identify the students’ dominant and dormant intelligence and plan the lessons to suit the child’s individual needs.
Encouraging self-discovery, exploring their interests, and pursuing their passions is something a teacher passionately does. I find children coming back to their Alma mater, meeting their teachers, and telling them very specifically that today, whatever they are, has been the result of the teacher’s impact on their minds and their hearts. In this digital age, where actual classroom teaching ensures that all students have learned equally and carried the teachings of the classroom into their lives, educators are still navigating and exploring uncharted territories that were once beyond their own potential. They are equipping students with essential skills beyond conventional academics and the classrooms. 21st-century skills essential for a child, such as communication, creative thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, do not come from the digital domain, but it is actually the teacher who embeds in the students all these qualities along with the vastness of information. The teacher makes them champions of adaptability, providing them with the tools of preparedness for a future that not only demands the rote memory of information but also the application of their dreams.
In a nutshell, the great impact of educators on students’ lives can always be compared to a piece of art that has been painted with the colors of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration and also aimed at aspirations that are high and far beyond the students’ capacity. It’s not only about examinations, assessments, and grades or marks, but yes, the attempt is to create human beings who are full of values and ethics, who are empathetic in this era of chaos and who are concerned for the environment around them, who are global citizens, and who have the discretionary power to make their own choices leading to their own achievements and, in turn, making a change in the lives of the people with whom they come in contact. So, in no way can we defy the fact that no one can replace the teachers in the classroom because without teachers, without their caring hands, I think we may fail to create such human beings who are soft and young and still getting ready with the wings to fly high over this vastness of turmoil and the age of ambiguity. In no way can the importance of a teacher be put back on a neutral platform.
