A deity called education
By T.R. Vaid

AN ideal teacher in my opinion is one who combines character with learning, conduct with personality. Character is the sum total of all the qualities that a person possesses. Man is on his highest wings if he possesses character. He will be able to lift up a thing, an institution, an organisation lying on the earth to aloft in the sky when he possesses character. Personality is a dynamic organisation in a person which determines adjustment to environment in life. A teacher is to spread light. He is a fountain of learning where the students, irrespective of caste, creed, colour and clime can drink the water of knowledge in the temple of education deity (goddess).

It is the teachers who make the college. A university may possess magnificent buildings, splendid libraries and charming lawns. Still it will be lifeless if it fails to have on its staff the ideal teachers. "See, who are your teachers? Are they men of knowledge and learning? Do they possess character? Does their personality hold your esteem? Do they inspire you? Do you feel like Arjuna before Dronacharya, Alexander before Aristotle? If you do, then, he is your ideal teacher he is the ideal teacher."

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Rabindra Nath Tagore is my Gurudev." My teacher need not be poor, he need not be very rich either. But he must be poor much in wasting time and very rich in earnestness.

Education is the real glow and beauty of a person. It is the greatest hidden wealth. It fulfils the needs of the body, mind and spirit and is also the giver of name and fame.

It is a deity that is worshipped and is honoured by kings and the governments all over the world. A teacher has a practical bent of mind with ideals embedded in his heart. He has a knack of pursuing his ideals in a practical way.

A good general, it is said, is not the one who can just plan for a battle but one who can select and make the leaders out of his followers and organise the force to a man to become one integrated unit forging themselves into unassailable position. Though they work under his guidance and wings yet they enjoy the freedom to give them the feeling of being the chief performers. The same is true of a teacher who is a fatherly figure overflowing with the milk of human kindness for all. A teacher should have the magnetic power of drawing his students to himself. He has to radiate affection which should make a marked and abiding impressions on all those who come into contact with him. His impressions on his students are eternal and everlasting.

No doubt the true teacher is a rarity because he must possess two things, knowledge and wisdom to be a beacon light for his followers. He must know as far as is knowable. He must be seasoned by the metabolism of experience. Secondly, his wisdom must be born of character. This is a very great thing. Chanakya was Chandra Gupta’s teacher. Marx was Lenin’s teacher. Lenin was Stalin’s teacher. Shri Krishna was Arjuna’s teacher. Swami Dayanand was the teacher of the fallen Hindus. Mahatma Hans Raj was a true teacher of the 20th century in the Punjab.

They were great teachers. They earn our admiration and respect by force of their character and ability. They are smart and giant intellectuals without being cunning, shrewd without being sharp, determined without being obstinate. They are ready to tell a hard and harsh truth; they are ready to refuse a wrong. They are ready to displease you if you are haughty and misbehaved. Of course they have. ‘The heart that does not harden; The temper that does not tire; The touch that does not hurt.

A teacher is a guide, friend and philosopher for his students. He builds up their character when they are in their formative years. The child is the father of man. He brings them out from darkness to light. He fills them with hope and joy. He has to be an authority on his subject — at least the master of his subject. Only then he is creative and not a routine teacher.

There shall be perfect discipline if the students are convinced of the ideal method of teaching of their teacher. Education is learning in a disciplined way. It washes away cobwebs like laziness and lethargy and makes a person shine like unblemished gold or diamond. For an individual it is a road to excellence and urges him to lead a good life. For successful education, there must always be certain freshness in knowledge to be dealt with. A professor, should be well-acquainted with the latest trends in the domain of his subject. A student of today has to face a world where there is passion for money, amusement and intelligence for display, luxury in extravagance, the over-reaching fraud, robbery and violence. There is a spiritual imbalance all around us which brings into limelight the social and economic inequalities of our society.

An institution should be an "idealised epitome of life". This is a challenge to teachers and teachers’ educators. Education should imbibe the virtue of tolerance — the first factor required to succeed in life. To learn to tolerate rival viewpoints is one positive step. This step is the way to live together in happiness. It constitutes the first principle of success. An educated person should be free from the curse of snobbery and ego. Arrogance is the greatest vice in man and humility the greatest virtue. Even if an arrogant man with ability succeeds, he cannot have a successful social life.

In the ethics of humanity which determines whether the results of the work of scientist are used benevolently or malevolently. A great scientist has said:"Only an anti-human ethic would allow the world of scientists to be abused in ways that are anti-human."

An ideal teacher is to give rightful diversion to the human race under his charge. Our educational institutions seem to suffer from periodical outbursts of indiscipline. Students are straight-forward in the expression of their opinions without caring for the consequences. The spirit of rebellion coupled with the atmosphere of delinquency that prevails on the campuses, leads to the kind of situation which we witness every now and then in different institutions.

Students are not the employees of the institution, nor are they customers out to shop for the best bargain. They come to an institution with certain expectations. One of them is that they would be treated not as children but as adults. The secret of success of a teacher lies in respecting his pupils.

The sensibilities of the students are sharp enough to detect any signs of indifference or neglect. That is why when they encounter some of these ugly manifestations of far from academic conduct, they protest vigorously and even violently. Educated boys and girls, pack so much of emotions in their hearts. And give vent to it in a physical way. But the students would be no problem if we know how to handle them. They should be no problem if we look upon, with all sincerity like sons and daughters or like brothers and sisters. Never under-estimate students. They must be treated with kindness and firmness. One must practice before one preaches.

Idealism, if aroused and fulfilled as the result of sagacity of the teacher, can be a tremendous force in favour of serene and congenial atmosphere. If the school and colleges are somehow or other kept immune from politics and politicisation, they would become temples of learning in the true sense of the term. The country is passing through a grave crisis of character. The worth of a man is judged purely by the amount of wealth he possesses and not by virtues or human values. Wealth is all that counts. It does not matter how a man acquires wealth. But students should aspire and get rich through fair means.

Human values should rate higher with them than money. False pride induces self-deception. If one increases the love of man for another man, the importance of wealth will correspondingly diminish. It would be evoking love for humanity. In this way the true teacher trains his students in every way and in every walk of life. The students will follow his example. He sets personal example in everything in a beautiful way. He has to impart wisdom from the books of the lives of others. The country does not need so many politicians but it needs ideal teachers with ideal character.

A teacher has to enlarge his heart then his estate. Every child has to have a place in teacher’s heart. If one has no confidence in one’s integrity, never become a teacher.