Teaching isn’t just about helping a student understand concepts or get better marks. It is about evolving their thought process, and changing their life. A good teacher helps you learn. A great teacher helps you grow.
As we celebrate their impact this Teacher’s Day, My Kolkata speaks to city-based students from schools and colleges about the qualities that they think makes an ideal teacher.
Saloni Roy
For Saloni Roy, a class XII student of Techno India Group Public School, Garia, an ideal teacher isn’t just someone who aids your academics. Roy feels that a tutor should guide you through life, and be a parental substitute outside home. She shares a heartfelt poem on the same, “An ideal teacher holds your hand when you go from home to school, much like a fairy with a magic wand to make all your dreams come true. They ignite the candles of knowledge that glow, and nurture and care so that little saplings can grow. They are potters who mould God’s creations into human beings, and the umbrella that holds us secure and protects us from stormy winds.”
Arya Bhattacharya
Arya Bhattacharya, a Class X student of Birla High School draws attention to the transformative power of a teacher’s kindness, and believes that emotional awareness is the most sacred quality of a tutor. “My ideal teacher is someone who has imbibed the values of empathy and kindness in themselves. An educated person may have virtuous knowledge, but only a true teacher can share that knowledge in a way where the student doesn’t just understand, but internalise it,” he says.
Aishik Gupta
Aishik Gupta, a third year student of iLead says that an ideal teacher is one who guides through failure and cherishes the achievements, who inspires and motivates. Students need someone “to show us the correct path in life, and also someone to cheer us up when we fail and applaud when we succeed,” he says. “So, when we work our way up to success, we also need to celebrate achievements along the way.” One such guide in Aishik’s life is Bishal Sarkar at iLead, teacher of Multimedia, Animation and Graphic Design.
Meghma Saha
A third year multimedia student at St. Xavier’s College, Meghma Saha feels an ideal teacher is the one who students remember throughout their lives. It is someone who is friendly and approachable and a person you can run to with your problems. She doesn’t discount discipline though, saying, “An ideal teacher is also strict at times because that is something you need for the goodwill of the students. These are the teachers who are usually popular in schools and colleges because they become their students’ favourites. You love them but respect them. They are a perfect balance of friendly and strict.”
Bodhisattwa Panda
Bodhisattwa Panda, second student of Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science feels that an ideal teacher has a different approach to academics, which not only makes learning fun but also helps us understand the subject better. “They inspire you to think out of the box, and support unconventional thinking, opening up several avenues for students to discover their talents,” he adds.
