Teacher-student bond has stood the test of time

In spite of the continuous challenges over time this guru-shishya gyan parampara cannot be negated because the role of a teacher as a facilitator and enhancer has an edge over mechanical devices. A guru is no more an instructor or facilitator but also a learner,who needs continuous update not only with information,also with the emerging technical devices in order to grab the attention of learners and make teaching-learning process more effective.

For better prospects more emphasis should be given to this relationship by taking into account all the moral,cultural and ethical values that should be imbibed by the learners with equal dedication and hard work.

Pooja Wason ,TGT English

Cambridge School,Indirapuram

Gone are the gurukul days when students and teachers shared a remarkable relationship. Talking about the gurukul days,reminds me of an incident from the Mahabharata — the story of Eklavya and his guru. Eklavya was a young boy,who aspired to study archery under Guru Dronacharya. When he went to the guru,he was rejected but he embarked on self-study,still believing Dronacharya as his guru. He achieved a level of skill that was superior to that of Arjuna,who was Dronacharya’s favorite. Dronacharya gradually came to know this and asked Eklavya to turn over his right thumb as gurudakshina. The loyal Eklavya without any hesitation cut his thumb off and placed it on Dronacharya’s hand,thus ruining all his abilities as an archer.

This makes me quote: When gurukuls existed,the students had a respect for their gurus,whether they taught them directly or indirectly. Eklavya ruined his chances for a perfect life as an archer; although Dronacharya didn’t teach him archery. The students obeyed their teachers. Nowadays,the students are most likely to threaten teachers. They don’t respect them,they don’t let them teach,which makes the facilitator as well as the class less interested. Today,teachers think teaching is just monotonous and not their duty. They have to hear rude remarks. This makes them feel awful and disrespectful — the reason why today’s youth is not taking up teaching as a profession.

The teacher and the student have to trust and understand each other for a cordial relationship. Trust is the most important tool for any relationship. Adding to this,respect is also needed. As we can clap only with both hands,and not with one hand; similarly,a remarkable relationship can be worked out only by mutual understanding,but,in this case,by putting more responsibility on the students.

Having established a positive relationship with the students will encourage students to seek education and be enthusiastic towards learning. Although we take our teachers and their concern for granted during the time we are in school,their contribution and support is well understood later in our lives.

Navya Bagla X-D

Salwan Public School,Gurgaon

The relationship between students and teachers can be traced from the ancient times. Our famous epics too have their stories where the relation between students and teachers can be seen like in Ramayana — Ram and Laxman were taught by Guru Vasishta and in Mahabharata the Pandavas were taught by Guru Dronacharya. Their relationship is remembered even today. Even in this age,behind a successful person their lies the hand of a teacher who has guided and educated him/her to reach his/her desired goal and the relation between them is just not of a student and a teacher but also of love and respect for each other. The relationship between the two cannot be understood but can be felt by an individual when one goes through the phase.

The values learned at home are developed further at school under a teacher’s guidance and a positive relationship between the two enhances these values to a great extent. A strong relationship helps the child to concentrate and focus more on studies as it helps him/her to perceive what one teaches with a better understanding. But,on the other hand,a weak and bad relationship leads to failures and difficulty for the child and the teacher.

It has shaped the education through the ages as a fun way to learn rather than getting bored of learning. It makes it easier for both the students and the teachers to get the best result out of it. To put it simply,it has made education an enjoyable activity. This relationship has shaped education in a different way.

I as a student passing through the same phase think that it is extremely important for teachers and students to communicate in an effective manner to give school and education a friendly feeling and to adjust suitably to the surroundings and to get the best result out of all the hard work both parties do.

It would be appropriate to say that a Guru will always be the role model for all the Shishyas and will always lead the way that Shishyas would be proud to follow. Their perfect relationship will direct to a better system of education.

Aakriti Bansal,X-A

Salwan Public School,Gurgaon

In the ancient times,children were sent to Gurukul to imbibe knowledge and values of life. It used to be a holistic education where the Guru imparted knowledge about various subjects and human behaviour. The education was all encompassing leading to physical,mental,emotional and spiritual advancement of children. The bond between students and teachers was strong as students had to stay with their guru for a few years till their education was completed. The students respected their gurus a lot and learnt a lot of good qualities which helped them in their later life.

Slowly the concept changed. Schools were opened in various cities and localities where children went for a few hours to learn. One teacher used to teach many subjects and developed a good relationship with the child,thus creating a strong bond. Slowly this concept also changed and now there are different teachers for different subjects. Hence,the students hardly have any relationship with a particular teacher. With technological advancement,even this relationship with the teachers is being further eroded. Now,lessons available on the Net are transmitted through satellites and CDs have been prepared for various subjects. Hence,the bond between teacher and student is further diminishing.

Through the ages,education has changed from holistic teaching to just specific subjects. We meet a number of elderly people who still talk about their teachers and how they imbibed good qualities from them. Today,this link is almost missing. Though we have specialised teachers for different subjects,the stress is only on imparting knowledge with the result that overall development of a student is hardly taken care of.

With further advancement in technology,a stage may come where students don’t meet the teachers at all as everything will be available on their laptops and iPads. This,in fact,is not a healthy growth as the relationship between students and teachers is a very important aspect of imbibing values in life and not just imparting knowledge.

No doubt,modern technology has widened the horizon of education by making it global but the importance of personal relationship between teachers and students is hampered day by day. This is not good for overall development of a child into a responsible citizen. The concept of relationship between the students and teachers should be maintained and nurtured for overall development of the nation.

Tanya Gupta,X-A

Salwan Public School,Gurgaon

A good teacher is like a candle — it consumes itself to illuminate the life of others. A teacher who inspires knows that teaching is like cultivating crops and he tries his best to ensure that every student turn into a good harvest. Indeed,these words might seem too big from a 15-year-old boy. But teachers really deserve all the praise in the world for sparkling the diamond in every student.

Education is very important in our lives and teachers are the ones who help in providing quality education. Education is the path to success created by the sturdy hands of our teachers. Without their support,it would be very difficult for a student to overcome the obstacles in life.

The relationship between teachers and students is like that of a bulb and a cell. The teacher enlightens the filament — the brain of a student — and helps it glow. They are the source of all the vital values and knowledge inculcated in a student. In the olden days,education was provided through gurukuls in an open natural surrounding. Times have changed and now education is imparted in classrooms. One thing which has not changed is the role of teachers. Since the time when we step into a school as toddlers to the time we complete our 12th grade,our teacher holds our hand and guides us through the darkness acting as a ray of light. They correct us when we are wrong and help us choose the right way. They help us leave bad habits and teach us good habits. No wonder teachers are called the second parent to a child.

The relationship between teachers and students has helped uplift the education scenario. The freedom of a child to understand concepts from his teacher helps improve the knowledge of students. The amount of respect for a teacher that a child has for his teacher has not degraded over time. The bond signifies respect and distribution of knowledge to attain quality education. Teachers are like a child’s friend. They talk to them in a friendly manner,look at their problems and provide them with a suitable solution. I think this bond will help us extend the horizons of education to a limit par human imagination. I would like to conclude by a popular proverb: “Education is the mother of leadership and a teacher is like the cement which helps build a strong foundation of leadership for a child. “

Sahil Rohilla,IX-D

Salwan Public School,Gurgaon