A Teacher's Responsibility: Choosing Teaching as a Career

Teaching is a profession with great social and moral responsibility. Teachers directly facilitate the formation of future society and so they should handle this crucial responsibility with poise and care. But teachers themselves should be matured enough to understand this responsibility.

Imagine a class where a teacher walks into the class goes on rambling about a topic with the sole intention of finishing the syllabus for the mid-term tests without bothering a bit about the dozing students, blank faces, and clueless minds. Is this what is expected of a teacher? The students might as well sit at home and gulp the subject matter scribbled in the textbooks. Definitely, here I am talking about students who have fair reading and writing skills and a sound grasping power. I guess each child needs something more from a teacher—may be a role model, may be a guide, may be a friendly philosopher who’ll simplify the code of life for them. But to do all this, first the teacher has to reach a certain level of excellence realizing that teaching is not a piece of cake, it is a tough job.

Overview of Existing Preferences for Teaching as a Career

I have never experienced the situation of teachers and teaching outside India, so the central theme of my discussion will be teachers and teaching in India. But I guess the discussion will be also relevant to other parts of the world.

Teaching, especially at school level, is no longer a preferred option of bright and qualified candidates. Majority of the schools have teachers with average intelligence and some odd degree in education; though two or three exceptions per school can’t be denied. Very few amongst these teachers join teaching out of interest or passion. Most of the teachers opt for teaching as an easy and safe career option, especially female teachers fall in this category. Majority of the women chose this profession as an optional career along with house management. Teaching is only for their inner satisfaction of being occupied in a less demanding career with ample time for their family. Very few actually chose teaching as a passion and those who do so are the ones who do, or at least try to do, justice to the profession. As of men, most of them come to teaching because they couldn’t get something else.

It’s high time for people to understand that teaching is not just a career option, it is also a mission.

Responsibility of a Teacher

A teacher’s prime responsibility is to become a teacher only if he/she is passionate about teaching. Next, teachers must take teaching as a social responsibility and not merely as an earning source. Teachers should be well aware that their actions or behaviour will affect and influence hundreds of lives at a time so they should be very careful about what they say or do. Teachers must broaden their vision and make themselves capable of making morally right choices, only then they can show the students the right path.

Let’s understand this with two real life examples.

Example 1:

A school friend of mine, after trying various career options, took a post graduation degree in teaching special children, and now she is teaching special children in a prominent school. She enjoys being with her students, and she has made them an integral part of her life. Never before had I seen so much satisfaction and confidence on her face. Because of her basic interest in teaching, she is able to contribute far more in the growth of her students than what is expected of her. Now, do you think such a person will make a bad teacher?

Example 2:

Back in college, I had a teacher, who was a university topper and had big dreams in his youth, but due to some situations he had to choose teaching as a career option. He always cribbed about some or the other thing and over the years he had become cynical about everything around. As a person he was good but his lack of satisfaction with his profession made him pass sarcastic comments even on his students. The result, in spite of being intelligent, he spread a negative attitude amongst us—the students. Till date, I couldn't develop a liking for the topic that he taught not because the topic was boring, it was one of the most interesting and advance topics in Physics, but for the way it was conveyed to us. The teacher's attitude was such a setback in learning.

If we try to list our expectations from a teacher, the list will be quite long. But ultimately, it’s the responsibility of a teacher to define his/her role and responsibilities to build a strong education system. Teaching comes from an inner urge to share, help and guide. No one can force that on someone, it gradually comes with self-realization.