by: Masroof Manzoor
Alexander the Great, while indicating the notability of a teacher said, “I am beholden to my parents for my life but for living a good life i am beholden to my teacher”.It means the difference between our parents and a teacher is only that our Parents are the very source of our existence and a teacher is the cradle to embellish & illustrate our life, playing a vital role in guiding us through the highs & lows of life and shaping us into the successful individuals we become. Just recall, when a person opens his eyes to life in this world, he is even unaccustomed to his self & attributes. His first school is his mother’s lap who then hands over her piece of the heart to a teacher at the time when he is equivalent to a worthless stone only, which a teacher then carves out & turns into a diamond by bringing out his dormant knacks, making him the uncrowned king of his time.
Behind every successful person, there is a teacher. A teacher not only teaches educational subjects to children but also inculcates moral values among them. He nurtures them with all-round development & social welfare awareness. So, a teacher is like a lamp that illuminates the dark paths inviolately. He is like a flower that conveys a message of peace, love & friendship to society with its fragrance. He is a leader who takes a person out of the lost ways of life towards his destination. He is an artist who takes a man out of the clutches of animalism by making him aware of the evils of humanity. Being a teacher is not as easy as it seems because it is the same personality who is a maker of a nation by building the future of a nation.
Every religion glorifies and extols a teacher. Islam highlighted the honorable status of a teacher long ago. The Prophet (PBUH) gave honor to the class of teachers by saying, “I am sent as a teacher.” Imam Ali said about a teacher,”If a person teaches me one single word, he has made me his servant for a lifetime.” It clearly shows that the status of a teacher is the highest of all the professions around.
There is no bond as chaste as the teacher-student bond, it is similar to that parent-child relationship. A teacher is considered a spiritual father, who must treat every apprentice like his own children. But unfortunately, there are few teachers who not only take this noble profession as a mere means of employment but have also spoiled this sacred bond due to their sacrilegious acts. But these few instances will not cast any dark shadow over this noble & sacred profession.
To conclude, It is the collective responsibility of society, teachers, and students as well to know the worth of this noble profession to ensconce the sanctity of this bond. If justice is not done with this sacred profession, it surely is going to generate hostile consequences upon the whole society by disrupting the development progress of society. Therefore, the Need of the hour is, that a teacher must be sincere in his profession & play his full role to shape the character of his apprentices in a way where they can become useful citizens of society. Tomorrow these same students will lay the foundation of a good society, raise the dignity of teachers, and use all their energies for the country and nation.
The author can be mailed at masroof950@gmail.com
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