You need a mentor, guide or a teacher for learning, understanding and making things easier at every stage of life. For acquiring knowledge you need guidance from a learned man who is a teacher. When a child is born, the parents start acting as his guide. It is mother who makes her baby to learn the habits of feeding, cleansing, toilet habits, etc. We learn our mother tongue or other languages from our parents, teachers or guides at home.
In every field you will need a guru or a teacher. That is the reason why every religion directs us to show respect and reverence to a teacher. The students get the first feel of a teacher in schools. We prefer to send our children for learning to well established and reputed schools so that our wards avail the services of qualified and experienced teachers. A boy or a girl excels in studies if he or she is guided by an efficient, disciplined and well versed teacher. Our society has failed to realize the importance of teacher for the development of cultured and disciplined society. It is unfortunate that they are ignored both socially and economically and least respected in the fraternity of bureaucrats, wealthy businessmen and other influential people. Teachers are the pillars of a nation. Teachers are the basic human resource who make good doctors, engineers, administrators, scholars and teachers.
A good teacher feels and acts as a guide or a model for his students. It is his primary duty to guide the students to be truthful, helpful, patient, honest and respectful towards parents and elders of society.  One of the important qualities of a good teacher is that he or she should be patient and a good learner. He should keep his mental doors open for acquiring knowledge and keep learning from mistakes. If a teacher at any stage of his career stops studies or learning and feels that he has enough knowledge for guiding his or her students, he ceases to be a teacher. That is why the teacher’s knowledge and mental faculty is upgraded by arranging orientation and refresher courses.
A teacher is expected to go thoroughly prepared to his class. Sometimes a teacher despite his preparation is not able to answer or satisfy a student. In such a case he should not feel ashamed and try to dodge or give his student wrong information. Instead, he should clear the doubts of his students after thoroughly studying the topic once again. During my career as a teacher, I have observed that better expression and a complete understanding of concept or topic that one teaches makes a teacher more acceptable and popular among students. So a very important criterion for a teacher is to be a patient learner and go prepared to the class. When you satisfy your students, or a student expresses his satisfaction, one feels immensely delighted and proud.             
Various activities in institutions bring a teacher closer to his or her pupils. Such a teacher who assists students in sports and cultural activities like debates and dramas leaves an indelible mark in the future life of his student. It is expected of a good teacher that he gives moral education while teaching topics of history or languages in a class. Keeping a close watch on activities of students will prevent them from falling prey to bad practice of gambling, drinking or use of drugs.
An ideal teacher’s job, though seemingly simple, is very difficult and needs self sacrifices, dedication and hard work. A well established and progressive society needs economically sound and socially respected teachers

(Prof. A. M. Lone is Former Head Department of Chemistry, Islamia College, Srinagar. Feedback at prof.abdulmajidlone@yahoo.com)

Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST