"Spectacular achievement is
always preceded by unspectacular preparation." - Robert H. Schuller
The title sounds strange for both
teachers and students right! You must be thinking how a professor can write in a
military jargon while sending his message across to teachers and students. Yes! It is a novel way of reaching out to
teachers and students. I would like to write in a different perspective where I
would like the preparation of a solider during peace time to that of a teacher
who prepares during non-teaching hours, and the fighting of a soldier in the
battlefield to that of a teaching of a teacher in the classroom. Soldiers sweat
hard during peace time and find out various tools and techniques to fight with
their enemies during war to protect their motherland. They sacrifice everything
including their lives during war for the sake of their country. Similarly,
teachers sweat hard during non-teaching hours to update and upgrade themselves
so that they stand firmly on their feet during the classroom session. Some of
the civilians think that soldiers do nothing during peace time, and it is a
myth. Similarly, some students and
non-teaching staff in educational institutions think that teaching staff earn a
lot of money by sitting and reading in front of the computer systems. In fact, they must know that teaching is an
intellectual activity where teachers influence not only the studies of students
but also their lives.
During non-teaching hours teachers
read extensively about various teaching tools and techniques to upgrade
themselves to meet the rising aspirations and expectations the students. They
also do research about the subject they teach, and like to stay ahead of
students as students of this generation of more intelligent than the teachers
who studied much long ago with old concepts.
In addition, students have access to internet, and teachers have to go
beyond books and internet to earn respect from students.
Great teachers not only prepare during
non-teaching hours but also prepare during non-working hours so as to acquire
command over their subjects. It sounds like preparation for chopping of a tree.
You need a sharpened axe to chop the tree.
Therefore, you grind your axe before to chop the tree easily. Similarly,
teachers must sweat more during non-teaching hours to strain less during the
classroom session. No teacher can afford to stand dumbstruck when students
shoot questions in the classroom. No soldier can afford to lose a battle when
enemies attack. Hence, not only soldiers
and teachers but also the people of all professions must sweat more during
peace time to bleed less during execution of their professional roles and
responsibilities.
Sometimes I feel that soldiers and
teachers are more or less the same as soldiers serve the country by fighting on
the battlefield while the teachers serve students by sharing their knowledge in
the classroom. Soldiers fire with guns
while teachers write with pens. Regardless
of the profession, those who work hard during the normal time will deliver amazing
results when the time approaches. Remember the words of Horace: “No one can
ever reach to excellence in any one art or profession without having passed
through the slow and painful process of study and preparation.”
"The foundation of confidence in
virtually every field is preparation." -- Brian Tracy
Email: profmsr12@gmail.com
Born for the Students
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I would appreciate your comments about
this article.
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