Teachers – the unsung heroes of our society
Teacher – a role model, a mentor, an ideal, an inspiration! It’s just one person
encompassing so much. Teachers are the ones who lay the base of the infrastructure
of a building a child constructs and decorates throughout his life ahead.
It is a teacher who invests his or her time and energy so that the child
has a bright future ahead! Just think about it, isn’t it rightly said that it is teachers
who create other professions?
To commemorate World Teacher’s Day, Mariha Ghazal interviewed some noted
teachers from various domains. Read on to find out: their motivation for choosing teaching as their profession, the best and hardest part of teaching, the role a teacher plays in the life of students and their message to aspiring teachers. Here goes…
Dr. Faisal Yamin
Dr. Faisal Yamin is an Assistant Professor of Physiotherapy at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IPM&R), Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) Karachi. He has 22 years of clinical experience in physical rehabilitation with almost eight years of experience in teaching neurological rehabilitation. He is also a member of visiting faculty of Isra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isra University, Karachi. So, let’s see what Dr. Faisal Yamin has to say on the topic.
- I was looking for a teaching position rather than a clinical one because it is more dignified than the latter. There is no such thing as being a role model in clinical setting whereas in the teaching profession there is a great potential to set an example. Therefore, I opted to teach as I wanted to be a role model and highlight my profession which is generally ignored.
- What can be the best part of teaching – teaching itself is the best part! You can be a role model; you can set an example for the raw young minds. If I really have to say one or two best parts, one will be the satisfaction I get at the end of the lecture knowing that the student grasped what was intended to be delivered. Also it is great to see a student of mine become a teacher!
- The hardest part is to be compared to those who don’t know how to teach. Added to this, it is difficult to encourage students to adopt conceptual learning rather than rote-learning.
- The role of a teacher is to make a student successful. It is the job of the teacher to guide students about the educational, professional and personal life ahead.
- It’s a great responsibility you have; there’s a student’s life at risk, so be a thorough professional and excel in your subject. Also, realise that every student has a different psychology, capabilities and talents; don’t judge a student’s ability on the basis of marks. Most importantly, stay honest with your profession.
Ms. Hina Khalid
Ms. Hina Khalid has been teaching Social Studies for six years in a renowned school of Karachi. She shared her thoughts with Us about her teaching career.
- I believe that if a teachers claims that he or she reshapes the entire life of an individual, then he is not wrong because behind every professional there stands an outstanding teacher. And that’s what motivates me.
- The best part of this job is to get a chance to interact with enthusiastic learners almost every day and learn from them.
The most difficult part of my job is to pay equal attention to all my students, respecting their social and cultural backgrounds and facilitating them according to their individual needs.
- As already mentioned, the role of a teacher in a student’s life is never ending… In this regard I want to share the role of my English literature’s teacher. It is not very difficult to recount those days when a skinny, self-motivated lady taught us the classics of Shakespeare, Keats and Jane Austen, taking the help of her books written in Braille. She was the one who set the real example of unflinching determination for me.
- They should always remember that teaching is the job of heart and nothing can be as rewarding as their devotion to their profession.
Ms. Kausar Fatima
Ms. Kausar Fatima has been teaching for almost 16 years. Currently teaching at A.E.S. School for Girls, and A- Level Physics at The Fahims School System Karachi, she has quite an experience in teaching under various boards including Edexcel, Federal, CIE and AKU. Let’s see what she has to say in this regard.
- To tell you the truth, I never wanted to become a teacher. I had other goals. Nevertheless, I ended up being a teacher. As far as sincerity towards my profession is concerned, I am very dedicated to it.
- The best – and the hardest - part is challenging young minds, meeting their expectations and satisfying their queries. Every child has different need and we have to cater those needs accordingly.
Another aspect of teaching that’s best is to see a student performing well not only during the educational life but also in their practical life. When I see my students becoming doctors, engineers or teachers or doing something well in life, I feel extremely happy.
- Teachers play a vital role in a student’s life because students value teachers’ ideas, suggestions, and advice, especially when they are young because teachers are their role models. Older children also value their teachers and seek guidance from them for their careers and other related stuff.
- Teachers learn from their individual experiences. My advice to aspire teachers to give respect to their seniors, juniors and their students.
Also, never underestimate or overestimate other’s capabilities, and remember not to harm anyone’s reputation.
Prof. Dr. Zainab F. Zadeh
Prof. Dr. Zainab F. Zadeh is a clinical psychologist and the Director of Institute of Professional Psychology (IPP), Bahria University, Karachi. She has been teaching psychology related subjects for 15 years at various educational institutions including medical colleges and business institutes, computer science departments, along with conducting teacher’s training workshops.
- I never wanted to be a teacher, although according to my family, I always aspired to be one. When I grew up, I never thought of taking it up as a profession. However, due to certain circumstances I came into teaching and from then on I found it addictive and very fulfilling.
- I always want my students to be better than what I am today so it is very rewarding when they do it. It’s a very different feeling, I can’t even share it; I feel out of this world. Besides that, I want to create an environment for my students that I always dreamt of but never had one for whatever reason. My efforts bore fruit and I was blessed to have an opportunity to implement it.
The disappointing part is when you are passionate about your work, and you appreciate people who do good and, for the sake of their personal growth, let those know who don’t. Usually, it is taken up as being biased… It is very different when you are a teacher and it is something else if you hold an authority position while teaching, the role shifts and you are misunderstood…
- It’s tremendous! I strongly believe that teachers can make or break a person. I have seen myself growing because of a teacher, and I have seen myself going down because of teachers. I have seen my students standing on their feet and rising up because of their teachers, and I have seen students feeling low to an extent they don’t even want to live life because of their teachers. Teachers who put their soul in it leave an impact on every student no matter how big a class is…
- I always call teaching an addiction. You can’t know what teaching feels like unless you try that once in your life. We all have teachers in us. Just give it a try and trust me you will not be able to get yourself out. It’s not something that is offered to you with no other option left…
Mr. Sajid Kapadia
Mr. Sajid Kapadia is a certified Chartered Accountant. He is the Managing Director and the Principal at KnS School of Business Studies, one of the leading institutes in Karachi. He started teaching professionally in 2002. Since then, he has taught Audit and Assurance to more than 25,000 students to date. In 2011, he finally left corporate sector to devote his full attention to teaching.
- I never thought of becoming a teacher. Nevertheless, I ended up being a teacher and now I can say teaching is addiction. I can’t live without teaching; it’s my passion to teach…Moreover, the ability to teach 150 students in one class, and be able to motivate them and show them the right direction is what tells about the reason of my existence. I am made to teach!
- Essentially, to be able to play a role in your student’s life is the best part. In a class of 150 students, I have the potential to change 150 lives. It feels great when students say to me ‘I couldn’t understand this before but now I can’. God has given me this opportunity and it has been like this for the last 14 years.
The hardest part is to maintain the stamina and the energy level day in, day out. You can’t get sick, you can’t take a break. Most of the time, I teach students on empty stomach for long hours because if I take a break, students’ precious time will be wasted. So, basically, the hardest part is to neglect yourself for the future of your students every day.
- Teacher’s role, I think, is even more important than the role of parents. A teacher is not just a role model, but also a mentor! A teacher needs to take the ownership of his students, take their career decisions, guide them for the life ahead and change the student’s negativity into positivity.
- One thing that the aspiring teachers need to realize is that teaching is not for commercial purpose. You have to be with the student and for the student all the time. So your love for the profession should be your number one priority and material consideration should come later. Secondly, specialise in one or two subjects, learn those subjects well and then go out into the world.
So readers, we see how far the ripples go as a result of the input of even a single teacher. Here is to saluting all the teachers out there and thanking them for playing their part in constructing this society and hoping many more teachers can play their role dedicatedly and effectively.