“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” -Confucius
Confucius (551–479 BCE), a great philosopher (also a teacher, advisor, and many more) in Chinese history has taught the world about the importance of education and how one should acquire it. Philosophers and scholars have taught us that there is a huge difference between education, knowledge, and wisdom. These can be considered as three separate stages, with wisdom being the one that everyone should aim to attain.
Education is all about gathering information and theories. Knowledge is merely the organisation of the information learnt and internalising the meaning behind them. Wisdom, however, is utilising knowledge in a profound way to do something for the greater good. The realisation that it is not possible to know everything, and to know that there is always someone better than us is true wisdom.
ROLE OF TEACHERS IN EDUCATION
Teachers are the pillars of support and the guiding light for students in their journey through education. This noble profession is used to be slightly underrated, however, it has gained importance over time. Many are realising the value of teaching, and today, more and more people are aware of how difficult it is to be good teacher.
A good school teacher, a good private tuition teacher, or even a good online tutor must have one thing in common; and that is, the passion for teaching. The beauty of teaching lies in the joy that a good teacher has in sharing his or her knowledge with students and continuing to learn more and more so that they can teach their students more each and every single day.
Here are some things that are great about being in the profession of teaching
PASSION
Being a teacher allows you to express your passion for the subject that you are teaching. As a teacher you will get to spend every day talking about, sharing and teaching the subject that you fell in love with when you were young.
Creating lesson plans, questions for students to practice, slides for lessons, etc. will be fun instead of being a boring task. Teaching and preparing for lessons will also provide a different view on the subject for you and allow you to continue learning more and more about the subject.
You also get to learn from your students’ unique perspectives on the subject which will make you think about it in ways you would never have thought about before. As a tutor, you are not answerable to anyone for your method or strategy of teaching! You can take the creative liberty to execute the lessons whichever way wanted, as long as the guidelines given to you are followed.
IMPACT ON LIVES
Teachers have this amazing power to create a positive impact on numerous students’ lives on a very personal level. Regardless of the age group that you are teaching, you can definitely be a role model for many of these students.
When interacting with so many students on a daily basis, many teachers tend to forget the huge impact they actually have on each of their students. Sometimes it may be frustrating as some students may be too playful and rude during lessons but receiving a heartfelt note from a student during teacher’s day on how much you have improved their life will be one of the most rewarding feelings in life!
Seeing your students improve from not understanding basic concepts to scoring decently well on their examination will also be very fulfilling. However, it is important to note that to impact a student’s life positively, a great amount of hard work and dedication is necessary!
RESPECT
Teaching is a profession held in high regard in our society. Teachers earn the praise and respect of people for putting in the effort to teach the next generation of leaders. Teaching can become very demanding and taxing and those who know about this will realise that teachers deserve all the respect in this world.
The love, care, and affection gained from students and from their parents will be extremely rewarding. This motivates tutors to continue working hard and honing their teaching skills over time.
VARIETY
When you are a teacher, every day will be a dynamic and eventful day. Every day you will step into class without knowing what to expect. Some days it can be filled with laughter, joking and having fun with students while learning. Some days will be challenging with students not cooperating and playing when it’s time for work.
In the long run, all these moments will create lasting memories that you can reminisce upon and cherish. Every year your batch of students will also constantly change, providing a new and unique experience not only every day but also every year/semester.
However, for some this may be a sad experience as you will have to see the students you have bonded with for 1 full year leave. Yet this is what makes it so much more special when you see old students come to visit you to remind you of the impact you have made on them!