"A good teacher is like the
rising sun that comes to fill the empty and dark minds with the light of the
education”
On the auspicious day of “5th September” also known as “Teacher’s Day” in our country to celebrate the birthday of a great
teacher our country has ever produced and was also the second president of our
country Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, I would like convey my best wishes, love
and deep affections to all the students I have taught so far in my teaching
career of 31 years at Sikkim Government
College (known as NBBGC), Tadong, Gangtok and my present students as well! Also on this very auspicious day, I would like
to express my feelings “Why I have become
a Teacher”?
To me the most nobel, honourable, respectful and dedicated
service for mankind is the profession of teaching! This profession is the most
“Powerful bond making process between a
teacher a student”. To me there are two beautiful scenes exists in the
society where unconditional pure love only exists; a baby in mother's arm and
the other is a teacher teaching and disseminating knowledge to his or her
students.
I didn't have an ambition to become a teacher up to the
level of my educational journey to Master's programme! But when I entered into
the vast area of research in my chosen field of activities and met Prof. Tapan
Dasgupta and Prof. Uday Maitra my ambition of life has been completely changed.
I was fortunate to come across many
brilliant professors and researcher's of my research field and was blessed to
listen to them and latter on they helped me to attract towards being a
dedicated teacher. During the course of my research career, I had the
opportunity to see how a particular topic in any field of study can be made
attractive to the students and how critical concepts can be simply converted
into more easier one’s by comparing with the known facts or ideas already
learned by the students with their basic fundamental concepts. So, I
wanted to become a teacher and had a wish in my mind to make a difference in
young people's lives and also to inspire passion and interest in my subject
that I have learned.
After joining my institution Sikkim Government College, Tadong in 1994, slowly I started
realizing that education is a gift and a privilege that everyone must have
access to. As a teacher, I facilitate that process and make learning accessible
through ideas that are fun and engaging. I also started feeling that teaching
as a career option is that it gives you the opportunity to share your
knowledge, skills, and love for a subject with your dear students. It gives a
platform for the students to develop their curiosity and passion for learning.
During those days I started believing that as a teacher I
may may have the best options to create positive and inspiring impact on
student's lives. A teacher can achieve this by being kind, caring, empathic,
passionate and also ae a good friend for my students. These are great qualities
that I believe a teacher should possess. Teaching was really becoming enjoyable
and rewarding to me and it was so satisfying for me to see my student’s progress
both academically and non-academically as rounded people and future citizens.
You might not realise it but you may become their “Role Model”. I also started believing those days that if I have to
become a “Good Teacher” I must possesses qualities such as strong communication
skills, empathy and a passion for lifelong learning so that I can always update
myself with the current trends going around the world in my subject and I can
blend the new information with the conventional theories written in the standard
text books to the students.
Since, simultaneously I was engaged myself in “Active Research” therefore, I had to go through regularly with the current discoveries in my field of (Chemistry) and that helped me quite a lot to benefit my dear students. I could understand that if I have to keep improving the standards of my students initially I need to know the unique strengths and weaknesses of each student which will help me in nurturing their talent fully. Students often have self doubt and a good teacher makes sure that students are reminded of their talents and skills and encouraged to pursue them..
During
my 31 years of teaching career, I am
lucky and always feel myself blessed to see, intereact and also enjoy the
association of many eminent teachers across various famous institutions of our
country (Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, Raja Bazar Science College,
Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Indian Institute of Chemical
Biology, University of Hyderabad, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology,
University of Bombay, Delhi University, JNU, JNCASR, Bangalore University,
Pondicherry University, Saurashtra University, IISc Bangalore, University of
Madras, North Bengal University and many more) and abroad (University College
London, Imperial College London, University of Shefield, Cardiff University,
University of Paris-Sud, Universiry of Greece).
This
write-up will remain incomplete if I do not mention the names of few of my most
respected and dearest teachers whom I admire most and learned many new concepts
of teaching, learning and research methodologies.
Prof.
Ian Coldham (University of Shefield & Imperial College, London); Prof.
David Knight (Cardiff University); Prof. Duncan D. Browne (Cardiff University
& University College London); Prof. Uday Maitra (IISc, Bangalore), Prof. S.
Chandrasekhara (IISc, Bangalore); Prof. B.C Ranu (IACS, Calcutta): Prof. Ashish
De (IACS, Calcutta); Prof. Abhijit Banerjee
& Juli Banerjee (Calcutta University); Prof. Samaresh Bhattacharya
(Jadavpur University); Prof. Amalesh Samanta (Jadavpur University); Prof. H.S
Joshi (Saurashtra University); Prof. Annunay Samanta (University of Hyderabad),
Prof. Amiya Panda (Vidhyasagar University); Prof. Tapan Dasgupta (NBU); Prof.
Bhishma Patel (IIT Guwahati); Prof. Arun Chattopadhya (IIT Guwahati) &
Prof. Basudeb Basu, Prof. M.N Roy, Prof. Aloke Majumder, Prof. Ashish Nanda, Prof.
Pranab Ghosh, Prof. Anirban Mishra (NBU).
In my
institution, I was fortunate to have many new guidelines of administration and
teaching including research activities from my fatherly figure and most
respected teacher Dr. CB Sunwar and my supervisor respected Late Dr. Aloranjan
Ghosh Sir.
In my opinion, to become a good teacher you need to set
examples to your student's at the very beginning with showcasing your
discipline, punctuality, sincerity, devotion and love! These actions
surely attract your students. The attitude of a teacher should be as such
that when he or she is entering into the classroom students should not be afraid
of him or her but they should feel comfortable with no fear in mind and they
should expect that they will learn many new things in addition to their
prescribed portions of the syllabus! A good teacher never going to start
the portions of the syllabus directly but they first provide or share the
importance and outcome of the topic for the benefit of them, for society, state
and for our country as a whole! To make attractive and catching student's attention
a good teacher should cite various examples of the topic and should make it
lucrative! For a good teacher all of his class's should be always “interactive” where there should not be
any barrier amongst the students and the teacher! This makes teaching learning
process very attractive and fruitful.
A teacher in his career may be exceptionally brilliant but
he or she will not be able become a successful teacher and also to create the “bond of love” among his or her students
if they tries to maintain a gap with students and only fulfilling their regular
duties in the classroom.
Teacher’s are the “unsung
heroes” of our society and can play an invaluable role in our society,
sacrificing their time, personal lives and well-being to ensure that our
student’s receive the best education they deserve. A teacher’s task should not
just simply delivering the lesson inside the four corners of the
classroom but rather serves as the second
parent of the students and therefore loves and cares for his/her students
like their real children.
A good teacher is one who prefers "Black board & Chalk " to explain the topics with his/her
students rather than taking classes enabled with ICT mode which is rather may
be used as presentation of a topic or specified research work in a conferences
but not for clear explanation to the students.
A best teacher is one who don't have any egoistic attitudes
towards his/her loving students and able communicate/ discriminate his or her
best knowledge with the student's! A good teacher teacher is one who always
keeping himself/herself updated with the latest trends of the curriculum and
also should provide the additional inputs along with bookish knowledge! A good
teacher is one who always shares his/ her own experiences during his/ her
tenure of student life and how they tackled the hurdles and overcome them! This
will definitely motivate his/her students.
A good teacher is one who knows the methodology/techniques
how to engage his/her students after the class in many additional activities of
livelihoods, providing inspiring stories of the working procedures of of “Nobel
Laureates” and how to avoid social
networking sites in today's scenario by engaging in various school/college/university
activities which includes sports and
games, music and NSS activities. A good teacher is one who is always
friendly and encouraging his/her students before the examination by helping
them not only with predicting answers to previous year's questions but also
motivating them with the feeling that they are capable of doing best in the
examinations.
A good teacher is one who not only teaches well a particular
topic but also help in growing interest
in them so that in future they may also create a new concept in that topic and
in this way different eminent scientists and novelists are born because once
upon a time eminent persons were also in schools and received the guidance of
good teachers. A good teacher is one who is a pathfinder for his students for the future goals and helping them identifying
which curriculum will be most suitable for him or her in future career.
In my 31 years of teaching life, I have tried and still
trying regularly to fulfil my students desire and to provide them the best ever
education which I have received in my life and will continue till the last day of my bonding with my dearest
students. I always see my students as my own son /daughter and try to act
exactly what I used to do with my own son and daughter! During this long
teaching career, I have come across with many brilliant students and during
interactive sessions in the class I could also learn many things from them.
To me the "Bond
between a Teacher and a Student" is the best relationship.
To me the “reward”
from the students are when they call me and inform that they have qualified in
national level examinations, awarded Ph.D degree, selected for foreign
universities and also their good wishes on Teacher’s Day.
Dedicated to my most Respected and Dearest Professors Tapan Dasgupta & Aloranjan Ghosh
whom I admire most and learnt "What
is teaching and how teaching could be made attractive".
