Three great teachers of the old world were undoubtedly Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates was a great philosopher uncompromising in his views, buttressed by his courage of conviction. Plato was his disciple. Plato was a philosopher and a mathematician in classical Greece and an influential figure in philosophy. He founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world. With Socrates and Aristotle, Plato helped lay the foundations of western philosophy and science.
Alexander the Great, who at a young age led the Army to conquer the better part of the world, was shaped by his teacher Aristotle. Aristotle was Alexander’s friend, philosopher and guide, and accompanied him on his expeditions. Aristotle guided Alexander to ask the right questions when he faced a problem. This was indeed a very valuable skill at a time when one had to rely on people for information. Alexander owes his victory and achievement in abundant measure to his master, Aristotle.
The reason why a teacher is held in reverence is that he removes ignorance and lights the path to knowledge.
Kabir succinctly eulogises the teacher in one of his Dohas:
Guru gobind dou khade,
kaake lagoon paay
Balihari guru aapne
gobind diyo batay
Translation:
Guru and god, both are here,
to whom should I first bow
All glory be unto the guru
path to god who did bestow
September 5, former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s birthday, is observed as Teacher’s Day. It is said that teachers are second parents as they hold children’s hands through a magical journey to explore the world beyond the four corners of family and surroundings to make the student a global citizen.
“I think, therefore I am,” said Rene Descartes (French mathematician and philospoher). One should think about ideas, places, events and people. Education should catalyse our thinking in the right direction.
“Nothing is foreign to me,” says French educationist Montaigne. Fernando Reimers of Harvard School of Education says that “great schools should prepare students for the global life and provide them with disposition to transform the world and its circumstances.”
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu aptly describes in a nutshell how learning should be imparted — “If you tell me, I will listen. If you show me, I will see. But if you let me experience, I will learn.” How true that is!
Dr Abdul Kalam never tires of acknowledging the role played by his teacher Sivasubramanium who ignited young minds by letting them experience nature.
However, it devolves on a student to experience the nectar of knowledge and the initiative squarely rests with him. We have the endearing tale in the Mahabharata of a devoted student Ekalavya, who worshipped his guru Dronacharya. Though Ekalavya could not train directly under Dronacharya due to societal conditions, he had him in his prayers, meticulously practised by observation and excelled in archery to the extent of challenging the great Arjuna, one of Dronacharya’s best students.This can be achieved by postponing gratification and fully involving oneself in acquiring different skill sets. There are many distractions for the youth in the current world but at the same time, an ocean of knowledge is available at the click of a button, thanks to the Internet.
Young Manjul Bhargava made India proud by winning the coveted Fields Medal for Mathematics. Bhargava is one of the four recipients of the Fields Medal, officially known as the International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, this year. His study of elliptic curves won him this award. He is truly a global citizen born to Indian parents. Though brought up in Canada and the US he did not lose link with India and its culture. He plays the tabla, teaches in TIFR and IIT-Bombay and spends time in his native place Jaipur.
His mother, a mathematician herself, was his teacher. He would often ask her questions and learned a lot from her. She answered his questions enthusiastically and encouraged him to pursue whatever he was interested in. For all we know, that probably contributed the most to his success and enabled him to enjoy and excel in mathematics.
This, in essence, is true for teachers who are devoted to their noble duty. A good teacher should know what is required and like a seasoned farmer, sow the seeds and nurture growth. He has to instil confidence and courage in his students and should be available when the student is in difficulty. He should not be biased and pay attention only to the first benchers but should give extra care to slow learners too. He should understand the psychology of students and help in bringing out the innate talent of each individual.
Swami Vivekananda, the devout disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, asked his master, “How can I get the best out of life?” Paramahamsa replied, “Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.”
Schooling should prepare students to face challenges ethically. So how to create schools that our youth need and deserve? There are two ways to do it – we can either sit on our hands and wait for god to better our educational systems or we can be sensible and do it ourselves!