By: Heisnam Lakeshwar Singh
I have worked in numerous profiles for more than ten years. Teaching is also a significant part of my job experience. After my post graduate studiy, I joined a supply chain and logistics organization, as I had an interest in the Human Resource and Training domain, I was placed in the training department and I began working as a trainer. The majorities of my students came from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan and were my age. I enjoyed working as their trainer with them. Then I began working for a startup company, where I joined as a faculty member and learned many things beyond training and teaching. In addition to focusing on the operation, human resources, and accounting aspects of my job, I was also responsible for teaching and training. Over time, I was promoted, and my responsibilities no longer include attending classes, despite the fact that my job entails encouraging all trainers to conduct more effective training. Even when serving as Assistant Director (Admin) for a government entity, I continued to take classes. Now, perhaps due to my desire, I am Head of Academics at a private college, where teaching has become one of the main responsibilities. Since it is my main responsibility, I keep on looking, searching from the books, internet and from my experiences on how to be an effective teacher.
During my MBA studies, I had a professor who is very humble and full of humanity. I have learnt a lot from him. We used to visit him and converse with him while sitting in his cabin. He never exhibited boredom, conversing with us with such zeal that we were glued to his cabin. What I’ve learned from him is that he never viewed us as inferior; he recognised that we, too, had thoughts and knowledge and could converse sensibly. He listened to our dreams and genuinely valued them. Even after 12 years, he recalled the dream I used to discuss with him, and he sent me a note about it. This indicates that he took our aspirations seriously and cared about them, qualities that make him a great teacher in my life.
A teacher must embody the principles he teaches. The subject he teaches is not the primary consideration. Eventually, we forget what we learnt on the curriculum. We learnt that his actions and ethics were consistent. We had a teacher whose punctuality I vividly recall, and because of this, I admire him to this day.
Teaching entails more than simply dictating the syllabus and providing pupils with notes. Sometimes it is crucial to inspire them to change their lives, discover their dreams, and achieve their goals. When I was in college, I had a professor who advised me on how to alter my personality. As our personality is shaped by our upbringing, we are sometimes inhibited from speaking our minds on stage due to our environment, schools, etc. His response, which I still recall to this day, was to take up a water glass and say that our personalities, like this glass, were developed when we were in a molten state, i.e. throughout childhood. If you want to alter its shape, you must break and melt the material. He was taking a class on how to change our behaviour and personalities to make us winners instead of losers.
A great teacher always focuses on students dream; show their teachings with examples, and gives inspiration to his/her students. The most important thing I’ve learned from my experience is that if your heart desires to become a teacher, you will never tire of teaching regardless of the circumstances. Be the teacher of your choice, therefore, not by chance.
(The author is Academic Head, JCRE Global College, Babupara)
