DESH RAJ SIRSWAL
Here we are taking the problem of ‘Teacher–Student Relationship”। Positive teacher –student relationship are associated with positive attitudes towards school, increased academic achievement and more positive behaviour and with a dedication to work। Let’s see how?
We have generally discussed about the teacher’s role in the development of their students. It was a trend of medieval thinking that a child’s mind is like soft clay and can be moulded to any desired shape. But it is a basic problem that students sometimes experience a lack of caring from teachers. Several students have complained that the teachers don’t care about them. They only care what they want to do in their classroom. The importance of socially connecting with the students is devalued by these kinds of teachers. Education is an important tool for change and transformation in the society. It is a kind of dialogue and interaction among people. There are some assumptions about the teacher in society but these are very rarely found in them, in present times:
Teachers are conscious of the role they are expected to play in the regeneration of society.
Teachers are confident of their capacity to bring about the desired change.
Teachers are pained at the progressive erosion of values around.
Teachers have a genuine wish to make things better.1
Teachers must take care to respond to students so that they feel cared for. Otherwise, the students do not feel the care that they need. Students also need support. Teachers must understand that “if the student has not learnt, it means teacher has not taught.” There are some lacunae somewhere which need to be plugged by none other than the teacher. 2“Students want school to be personal. They need to be able to relate to teachers on a personal level and to relate to the academics on a level that is relevant to them. They should not be expected to seek out learning experiences that are related to the boring, uninteresting and dislikeable teachers who provide punishing experiences.”3
They often do not see teachers as real human beings but as “the big mean people who won’t let you make up work when you are absent and can’t remember your name for the first week of school.” Students like to see that teachers have spouses and kids, second jobs, boyfriends, apartments to move into, private problems, and their own house work. It makes the teacher more real to the students, more humane. To see that teachers really are human and deal the same issues that students deal with, is educational in itself.4 Rabindernath Tagore said that, “A most important truth which we are apt to forget is that a teacher can never truly teach unless he is leaning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame.”5 We can find a good relationship of teacher-student in Upanishdic story of Brahmrishi Dadhichi when he gave Brahamvidhya to the Ashav Kumars. So here we are giving a code of conduct or fundamental to remember and follow to a teacher:
They are only one force to influence the society in general and their students in particular.
There are many other institutions like home, religion, professional, social and cultural organizations, media and so on, which play no less a role in shaping the personality of people.
Students don’t like any pessimism or inaction from a teacher regarding their problem solution.
Teachers would command real prestige among students only if they have a genuine concern for their welfare and development.
And lastly, they should sincerely try to make “Towards Better Living” and “Towards Better Teaching” as permanent values in their personal and professional lives। Continuous development both as a person and as a teacher would make their lives enjoyable, fruitful and worthwhile in the truest sense.6
Teaching is influencing for their own personality as well as their students. Nothing good can happen unless they are well behaved with their students. Students learn from the teacher because there is something to learn form the teacher. If it is not, books are the best friends for learning. But there is no personal touch in books learning as it is with the teacher student relationship. It is the key of success in the teaching profession.7 And more, “These connections also fulfill the personal need of teachers….teachers usually desire to be liked by their students just as any human wishes to be liked by others. When the connections between students and teachers are made, they can make the teacher feel fulfilled as well. This puts the teachers on a direct line of affecting future generations. This can be very rewarding as teachers pursue acts of purpose and contribute to the greater society.”8
We have generally discussed about the teacher’s role in the development of their students. It was a trend of medieval thinking that a child’s mind is like soft clay and can be moulded to any desired shape. But it is a basic problem that students sometimes experience a lack of caring from teachers. Several students have complained that the teachers don’t care about them. They only care what they want to do in their classroom. The importance of socially connecting with the students is devalued by these kinds of teachers. Education is an important tool for change and transformation in the society. It is a kind of dialogue and interaction among people. There are some assumptions about the teacher in society but these are very rarely found in them, in present times:
Teachers are conscious of the role they are expected to play in the regeneration of society.
Teachers are confident of their capacity to bring about the desired change.
Teachers are pained at the progressive erosion of values around.
Teachers have a genuine wish to make things better.1
Teachers must take care to respond to students so that they feel cared for. Otherwise, the students do not feel the care that they need. Students also need support. Teachers must understand that “if the student has not learnt, it means teacher has not taught.” There are some lacunae somewhere which need to be plugged by none other than the teacher. 2“Students want school to be personal. They need to be able to relate to teachers on a personal level and to relate to the academics on a level that is relevant to them. They should not be expected to seek out learning experiences that are related to the boring, uninteresting and dislikeable teachers who provide punishing experiences.”3
They often do not see teachers as real human beings but as “the big mean people who won’t let you make up work when you are absent and can’t remember your name for the first week of school.” Students like to see that teachers have spouses and kids, second jobs, boyfriends, apartments to move into, private problems, and their own house work. It makes the teacher more real to the students, more humane. To see that teachers really are human and deal the same issues that students deal with, is educational in itself.4 Rabindernath Tagore said that, “A most important truth which we are apt to forget is that a teacher can never truly teach unless he is leaning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame.”5 We can find a good relationship of teacher-student in Upanishdic story of Brahmrishi Dadhichi when he gave Brahamvidhya to the Ashav Kumars. So here we are giving a code of conduct or fundamental to remember and follow to a teacher:
They are only one force to influence the society in general and their students in particular.
There are many other institutions like home, religion, professional, social and cultural organizations, media and so on, which play no less a role in shaping the personality of people.
Students don’t like any pessimism or inaction from a teacher regarding their problem solution.
Teachers would command real prestige among students only if they have a genuine concern for their welfare and development.
And lastly, they should sincerely try to make “Towards Better Living” and “Towards Better Teaching” as permanent values in their personal and professional lives। Continuous development both as a person and as a teacher would make their lives enjoyable, fruitful and worthwhile in the truest sense.6
Teaching is influencing for their own personality as well as their students. Nothing good can happen unless they are well behaved with their students. Students learn from the teacher because there is something to learn form the teacher. If it is not, books are the best friends for learning. But there is no personal touch in books learning as it is with the teacher student relationship. It is the key of success in the teaching profession.7 And more, “These connections also fulfill the personal need of teachers….teachers usually desire to be liked by their students just as any human wishes to be liked by others. When the connections between students and teachers are made, they can make the teacher feel fulfilled as well. This puts the teachers on a direct line of affecting future generations. This can be very rewarding as teachers pursue acts of purpose and contribute to the greater society.”8
Reference:
1. D.R.Vij, “Value-Crisis, We and The Present Times”, Philosophy of Value-Oriented Education,p।371.
2. C.K.Sardana, “Teacher must First be a Student”, University News, 45(36), Sept. 03-09, 2007, p.36.
3. Alka Ahuja,Teacher Education, Mittal Publication, New Delhi,2004,p.55
4. ibid, p.64.
5. E.N.Gawande, Value Oriented Education (Vision for better Living), Sarup & Sons, New Delhi,2004,p.130.
6. D.R.Vij, “Value-Crisis, We and The present Times”,Philosophy of Value-Oriented Education,p.372.
7. E.N.Gawande, Value Oriented Education (Vision for better Living), p.13
8. Alka Ahuja,Teacher Education,p.67-68.
2. C.K.Sardana, “Teacher must First be a Student”, University News, 45(36), Sept. 03-09, 2007, p.36.
3. Alka Ahuja,Teacher Education, Mittal Publication, New Delhi,2004,p.55
4. ibid, p.64.
5. E.N.Gawande, Value Oriented Education (Vision for better Living), Sarup & Sons, New Delhi,2004,p.130.
6. D.R.Vij, “Value-Crisis, We and The present Times”,Philosophy of Value-Oriented Education,p.372.
7. E.N.Gawande, Value Oriented Education (Vision for better Living), p.13
8. Alka Ahuja,Teacher Education,p.67-68.
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