The Joy of Being a Teacher

The Joy of Being a Teacher.

It is said, there is happiness in giving; that means there is happiness in teaching.
But I get much more than mere happiness, and derive the true joie de vivre from teaching. What causes it, I can’t tell; may be it’s the vibrations all around, or, well, it could be one’s heart that has found its moorings.

The only other profession which can claim greater joy, I feel, is that of a doctor who may find the true bliss of being a saviour to many. Yet, that profession is ridden with too many risks as well as temptations.

Who else, but teachers can ‘see’ the young minds, sow minute seeds of dreams or plant saplings of thoughts in them? We revel in the wonderful (“wonderstruck”) world of the young ones. In fact, we ‘grow up’ with them, getting renewed and refreshed constantly.

Generally, people tend to carry many prejudices, often the result of staying within a confined environment for too long. Even in such cases, a teacher gets exposed to a wide spectrum of people (or, should I say, pupils) that she learns to accept the differences.

In spite of all those ‘noble’ talks about the profession, it remains a low profile job in India, obviously weighed down by considerations of money. It is not even an option for the bright students. I was indeed surprised and excited to find that teaching is held in the highest esteem in a materialistic country such as Singapore.

I do feel that the profession deserves a re-evaluation. We should feel proud of what we are! Emoluments should not be the criterion for judging the worth of a profession; but its ennobling qualities can be!

Mrs. K S Sasikala ,KV 1 Palakkad.