September 12, 2012

The noble profession

(First published online on April 2, 2010)

In the formative years of every man’s life, they are always present. They vary from different character and names but their duty stays the same. To stand as our second parent and give us the right information that will be valuable as we unfold the mysteries of our life.

Sometimes, they are the people who care for us when no one else does. For more than a decade, we are meeting them everyday and we look up to them as our modern-day heroes. They are our teachers.

They teach us almost everything, from the basic mathematical operations to the proper mannerism in communicating with other people. Truly, they can come as our best buddy and they can also be more terrifying than our parents. There are no good or bad professor, everything boils down also to the students that if they will only act enthusiastically in the class then same excitement will be given by the teachers. Their favorite word is discipline and that is what they inculcate in our senses.

Teachers are ordinary individuals with extraordinary talent in influencing others. Sometimes, the most stubborn child may act otherwise when in front of a teacher. They attain their happiness by imparting knowledge. A perfect example of an individual who follows the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, that people has an infinite responsibility for others and that their highest satisfaction is obtained through serving others.

But do you know what the saddest part in being a teacher is?

Looking from another perspective perhaps from the students’ view, even though teachers become satisfied with what they’re doing, still, they are making one of the greatest sacrifice and that what makes their profession noble.

They relate with others to the best of their capability but their relationship always has to end. Even if they put their life for their students, at the end of the day, they will still think that they could not own them. Every year, they face new sets of students and the feelings that they gave to their former class will have to be withdrawn and be given to the bunch of new kids.

Think of it this way, if you feel hard in letting go of that someone that you love and that someone that you’ve been with for a couple of months, how much more does our teachers feel that they are obliged to do that every year.

In accordance to the Social Penetration Theory of Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, a relationship changes if people are no longer with each other because their communication is lost and the breadth of their knowledge towards the other decreases. Such factors contribute in making the relationship cold. Communication is a very vital tool in order to overcome that feeling.

For a teacher, even if they want to extend their communication with their previous students, still, they will come to a point that they will have to focus with their new students and if that moment comes, tendency of forgetting the previous kids might arise.

For a student, even if you treat your teacher as your best buddy or companion or another parent, you will have to accept that as you move outside the premises of your campus, you will face new people with new experiences that might help you to survive in this complex world. As the saying goes, nothing is permanent except change. So while you’re still experiencing the love that your teacher is giving, nurture it for you never know when will this warm feelings end.


P.S.
A short thought to ponder…


Can you still remember all your teachers from the very first moment that you stepped foot in a class up to your last days in College? Chances are, you will only remember those who made a big contribution to your life. But another question goes like this; do you think that they can still remember you?

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