To hear a student say, "I had a wonderful teacher" is the greatest honour a teacher could ever receive.
"The best books are yet to be written, the best paintings have not yet been painted; the best governments are yet to be formed; the best is yet to be done - by you". This was the exhortation of John Erskine, one of the world's best teachers. He was a versatile man of his time - an educator, concert pianist, author of 60 books, head of a school and a popular and witty lecturer. But it was not all these credits that made him an impressive teacher. It was his dynamic enthusiasm by which he convinced his students, that they were unique and the world was theirs to explore and conquer.
The best teachers are those who impart to their not only the necessary subject knowledge, but also the encouragement to keep going without giving up. It is the teacher who has the greatest influence on the life of a child. Teachers play an important part in helping children feel good about themselves. A simple positive comment from a teacher will go a long way to give confidence. "You have a magnetic personality. You are a joy to me and I know you will go far in life" - was a comment written in the high school yearbook of a not very bright student. But it was the key to change the student's entire outlook, which made her live up to the teacher's comment in later life.
A 14-year-old boy had worked hard, all evening to produce an excellent essay, but when his teacher read it, she refused to accept it. She said, "This is not your own work." The boy was expecting an excellent grade and he lost all interest in the subject and the teacher. Many years ago, a professor had his Sociology class go into the poorer areas of the city to get case histories of 50 boys. They were asked to write an evaluation of each boy's future. In every case, the student wrote, "He does not stand a chance due to his environment and lack of ability."
Another Sociology professor, 25 years later, came across the earlier study. He had his students to follow up on the project, to see what had happened to these boys. With the exception of a few who had moved away or died, the students learnt that most of them had achieved more than ordinary success as professionals, businessmen and officials.
The teacher and students were astonished and decided to pursue the matter further. They were able to locate them and asked, "How do you account for your success?" In each case, the reply was, "I had a wonderful teacher". They sought out the teacher who was still alive and asked her what magic formula she had used to turn these boys into achievers. The teacher replied, "It's really very simple. I loved these boys and I made each of them feel special."
If every adult could say, "I had a wonderful teacher", the world would be a better place.
"The best books are yet to be written, the best paintings have not yet been painted; the best governments are yet to be formed; the best is yet to be done - by you". This was the exhortation of John Erskine, one of the world's best teachers. He was a versatile man of his time - an educator, concert pianist, author of 60 books, head of a school and a popular and witty lecturer. But it was not all these credits that made him an impressive teacher. It was his dynamic enthusiasm by which he convinced his students, that they were unique and the world was theirs to explore and conquer.
The best teachers are those who impart to their not only the necessary subject knowledge, but also the encouragement to keep going without giving up. It is the teacher who has the greatest influence on the life of a child. Teachers play an important part in helping children feel good about themselves. A simple positive comment from a teacher will go a long way to give confidence. "You have a magnetic personality. You are a joy to me and I know you will go far in life" - was a comment written in the high school yearbook of a not very bright student. But it was the key to change the student's entire outlook, which made her live up to the teacher's comment in later life.
A 14-year-old boy had worked hard, all evening to produce an excellent essay, but when his teacher read it, she refused to accept it. She said, "This is not your own work." The boy was expecting an excellent grade and he lost all interest in the subject and the teacher. Many years ago, a professor had his Sociology class go into the poorer areas of the city to get case histories of 50 boys. They were asked to write an evaluation of each boy's future. In every case, the student wrote, "He does not stand a chance due to his environment and lack of ability."
Another Sociology professor, 25 years later, came across the earlier study. He had his students to follow up on the project, to see what had happened to these boys. With the exception of a few who had moved away or died, the students learnt that most of them had achieved more than ordinary success as professionals, businessmen and officials.
The teacher and students were astonished and decided to pursue the matter further. They were able to locate them and asked, "How do you account for your success?" In each case, the reply was, "I had a wonderful teacher". They sought out the teacher who was still alive and asked her what magic formula she had used to turn these boys into achievers. The teacher replied, "It's really very simple. I loved these boys and I made each of them feel special."
If every adult could say, "I had a wonderful teacher", the world would be a better place.
Courtesy : Young World, The Hindu, 7.9.2002
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