A teacher is a friend, philosopher, and guide who holds our
hand, opens our minds, and touches our hearts. The contribution of a teacher
cannot be ignored at all.
5th October: World Teachers' Day, is celebrated in more than 100 countries world-wide and was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1994 to commemorate the 1966 joint signing of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status, which is basically a charter of rights for teachers worldwide. The adoption of this recommendation shows that our society recognizes the importance of education and of having motivated and inspiring teachers.
The day is a wonderful opportunity to draw public attention
to the important role of teachers in our local communities.
World Teachers' Day is celebrated on October 05,
every year on the first Friday of October. The day, which is held annually,
commemorates teachers' organizations worldwide. Its aim is to mobilize support
for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue
to be met by teachers. Today World Teachers' Day is observed in more than 100
countries.
World Teacher’s Day was established by UNESCO in
1994 to commemorate the 1966 joint signing of the UNESCO/ ILO Recommendation
concerning the Status, which is basically a charter of rights for teachers
worldwide. The adoption of this recommendation shows that our society
recognizes the importance of education and of having motivated and inspiring
teachers.
According to UNESCO, World Teachers' Day represents a
significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed
for the vital contribution that teachers make to education and development.
Education International (EI), the global union federation that represents
education professionals worldwide, strongly believes that World Teachers' Day
should be internationally recognized and celebrated around the world.
The best gift for Teachers’ Day!
Teachers are superheroes without capes. They go out of their way to make
students feel comfortable and understand things in the classroom. This
dedication and commitment of theirs is appreciated and recognised once every
year, in the month of September, on Teachers’ Day. There are celebrations in
schools, teachers are gifted with cards and flowers, shows are put up,
activities for teachers are organised and the day is made memorable for the
teachers. But come the next day, the celebrations are forgotten, and the
routine is resumed. Why is there only one day of the year dedicated for the
teacher? Why is the recognition of a teacher’s effort restricted to a day? I
think every day of the year should be a celebration of the efforts teachers put
in. Every day is a reminder of the fact that teachers change the way the world
looks. Every day is an acknowledgement that they shape our future.
In terms of gifts and presents, a teacher’s best present is
to see their students perform and do well in life. In a recent chat with a
retired school teacher, she was recalling a conversation with her student who
is now an IPS officer. She was elated that he connected with her after many
years and credited her for the position he is in today. The smile and pride on
her face cannot be described. There have been similar circumstances where
teachers have beamed with joy knowing that their students are now in good,
respectable positions.
In my personal opinion, apart from the presents and the gifts
showered to teachers on one day every year, the following mantras can be
followed every single day.
Acknowledgement – Teachers need to be
acknowledged for the enormous efforts they put in to help students
out. Crediting teachers for the great job they do, I think, is a wonderful
gift which is surely to bring smiles to their faces.
Encouragement & Motivation –
Encouragement is positive reinforcement. It gives anyone the reassurance that
they are doing great work. It is a wonderful reason to persevere and have an
optimistic outlook towards things. Teachers need encouragement too! Frequent
words of encouragement and acknowledgement of their efforts can surely act as a
motivator.
Support – With all the things a teacher handles
– from personal work to school workload, the best help we can provide is support.
Support can be physical and mental. Support can be from school, family, peers
and students. Support can just be being there for the teacher when they require
it the most. Support can be in the form of encouragement and acknowledgement.
Support at home can be helping them out with the household chores. Support from
schools can give them the autonomy to chart out their lesson plans.
Support from peers can help them out in these lesson plans and lend an
ear when required.
Freedom – This is one of the best gifts a
teacher can expect. Freedom here is freedom of thought and freedom to model
lesson plans his/her way. This freedom can help build teachers’ confidence and
reassure them that they are playing their roles well. This will boost their morale in
turn, helping them stay happy and relaxed.
Teachers can follow a few attributes in their day-to-day
lives which can be great gifts for themselves
Trust – Teachers should start trusting
themselves and their wonderful abilities to change and mould lives. This trust
in turn, gives them the confidence to take up new challenges and make their
teaching experience better.
Being pragmatic – Teachers can be open to new
ideas and methodologies to make the interaction with students better. Like
Alvin Toffler said, ‘learning, unlearning and relearning’ becomes very
important. This will help the teacher in a new learning experience, thus
forging a new student-teacher bond.
Giving a teacher all these, with some love and respect, is
the perfect combination for a best gift.
Wishing all the teachers a very happy, fruitful and positive Teachers’ Day!