In one of our folk tales, a shepherd is mentioned who had developed such an understanding with his sheep and guardian dogs that he hardly needed to do anything to control them. An invisible understanding had been developed between the parties that both understood the expectations of each other. Sheep had automatically adjusted their routine that they always knew when to go out for grazing, when to assemble as a herd and then return to the fold. Dogs could easily understand the message of shepherd hidden in his reactions, or level and tone of his voice and so on. Credit went to the shepherd as well as he knew each one of his animals very well and tried his best to provide them with food, took them out for a stroll or even noticed a small thing that could harm or discomfort his animals.
The above scenario was really fascinating to many a great minds of the world and they also implemented it in their fields and were able to come up with outstanding results. But once again, just like the shepherd, they also had the gifted ability to understand the people who worked with them or they tried sincerely to do so. When they lead an army, their men risked their lives to entitle them as great conquerors. When they lead a company, the employees put all their energies to earn them the title of outstanding managers.
But most interesting use of it was observed in the field of education, as teaching and learning is a process that is carried out by the efforts of teachers and voluntary willingness of students. Teachers who had finely refined personal traits, who loved their work to the level of an obsession, who always worked hard to think of new and improved methods and techniques of teaching and who rendered their jobs with utmost sincerity and responsibility were able to experience the above mechanism. First they loved their job that resulted in their teaching to be exceptional and most interesting, capturing the students in a trance of studies.
Second, they loved and in some cases respected their students which imprinted an unshakable and admiring image of teacher in the minds and hearts of students. And finally, they remained consistent and persevering; whatever was the result in the beginning, they never gave up and at last attained the aimed objective.
The next phase of this process gets functional from the students' side. They see a teacher who has an ideal character and personality, whose classes are the most interesting and who loves them and never lets go a chance to be of any assistance to them, then they feel indebted to this teacher. They follow that teacher in each and everything. Majority of the students who set their aims to be a teacher do so solely by imitating an ideal teacher. They follow eagerly every direction of the teacher and at times they compete with each other to obey the teacher or even to carry out routine classroom chores like cleaning the board or fetch a glass of water for the teacher.
If such a remarkable mental understanding or agreement is developed between a teacher and students, an invisible network or channel of communication is established between them. Teacher understands his students without asking anything from them and students understand the teacher just with his mood and emotions or his likes and dislikes. In such a condition, both teaching and learning become the most fruitful. Teacher loves his profession and students love each and everything that may please their teacher. They love to follow his directions, study and work hard with his subject, promote the manners being emphasized by teacher and even take care of school furniture being advised by their teacher to do so.
The above scenario appears to be very ideal but rather imaginary and hardly achievable but thanks to some great teachers like Ron Clarkwho did even well than what has been described above. Once, I read the story of a great teacher who taught in a backward town where majority of the students dropped out of school and very less of them completed the university. But this lady, who was termed out to be crazy and abnormal in her efforts towards her students, inspired all of his students and in return, they amazed everyone by graduating from well-known universities with distinctions. Even in our remote towns and villages, we often hear about teachers who work tirelessly, without hope of any reward or praise.
I am personally grateful to all the psychologists whose research and efforts have made the works of teachers easy. A rule that has impressed the majority of teachers is the 'Rule of Expectations'. According to this, when a child is given a title, he or she tries his/ her best to come up with the expectations of this title. When a student is termed out to be intelligent, hard working, cooperative and well-mannered, he would do his best to come up with the expectations of the title, no matter how he was previously. The exact opposite of it is assigning a negative title to a student.
When a student is entitled to be undisciplined, lazy or ill-mannered, we fix a connection between him and the above negative traits and chop down his hopes to be associated with the relevant positive traits. Then he tries to appear what he has been entitled of or becomes absolutely indifferent to the good qualities that he possessed and upheld before. That's why teachers are given two instructions in this regard. First, be generous in using positive remarks and assigning positive titles and secondly, avoid any negative remark that might turn a student into your enemy; one who does not like you, does not like your subject, does not like the just classroom or school you are teaching or most alarming, does not like the world you share with.
A newly graduated teacher went to meet his own teacher and his teacher gave him the following golden advices, that I feel pride in sharing with my respectable colleagues:
(1) When a teacher teaches a class of 24 students, 24 students learn a lesson from a single person but teacher is comparatively lucky to acquire 24 lessons from 24 students. It would be really unfortunate if a teacher loses this vision because of the pride of his knowledge or position.
(2) Don't teach them mere ABCD, as they would definitely become a doctor or engineer one day or would be able to earn their livelihood. Tell them about those qualities and manners that make them a human being (word 'humane' should not be ignored here).
(3) Always be ready to learn more and more and never consider yourself to be absolutely perfect. The day you sank down into the ocean of pride, your chances of improvement will also be buried under its sour waters.
(4) Be very careful to be upright in character and sound in appearance. Both of these qualities are going to affect and change the fate of many.
(5) Admit solemnly if you don't know anything. Your this style would further uplift your image in the eyes of students and they would learn to say the truth without considering the consequences.
(6) You shoulder a difficult responsibility of protecting the present and building the future generations. If you cannot fulfill your responsibility properly, it will be your loyalty with the generations of your nation to quit the field and choose some field that might not harm the nation so much.
I salute all those teachers who are indeed teachers and whose sacrifices today would nourish the generations to follow!