Teachers’ Day 2018
The Makers of Destiny
Remembering unsung heroes lost in the humdrum of everyday.

I just remembered the Teachers’ Day Celebrations at our school. It was a special experience; an exchange would occur between students and teachers as they reversed their roles for one whole day. The morning assembly would be hosted by teachers whose roles would be taken over by the Student Cabinet. The Student Cabinet was the supreme student body of the school. At the top, we’d have the Head Boy and Head Girl, followed by the Student Coordinators, the Fine Arts Secretary, the Sports Captain and the House Captains.
This meant that the the Head Boy would play the school Chairman’s role and the Head Girl could actually dress up, talk and behave like the school Principal for the whole of Teachers’ Day, and everyone else in the hierarchy would take up different roles to experience what it’s like to walk in the shoes of the school authorities. The experience was called the Student-Teacher Programme, and was one of the most awaited days of our school life.
This exercise was not just limited to the student cabinet. Students from senior classes had to dress up as teachers and handle classes in the junior sections. It could be smooth sailing for some, an uphill journey for others, and really messy for a select few ;) Whatever it turned out to be like, the Student Teacher Programme left a huge impression on all of us.
At the end of the day, the junior students and teachers would vote for the best Student-Teachers in each section, depending on how well they performed their duties for the day. Although we loved the programme and looked forward to it every year, what appeared as a fun day to us was in fact an exercise in establishing deep bonds with our teachers. Getting to know the pleasures and pains of preparing lessons and putting them across to an audience, although for merely a day, made us empathetic as students. We appreciated each other’s roles for one whole day and the impact, as I see it, has lasted all our life.
I do not know a single person in my life who doesn’t think of at least one teacher from their school life as ultimately responsible for their growth and success so far. It is indeed the toil and effort of a teacher that shines in my grade cards and reflects in my etiquette. Every word of appreciation that is thrown my way will have to be torn into a hundred pieces to be redistributed among the people who truly deserve it.
From the mothers who were always affectionate to the noisy brat in kindergarten to the “strict disciplinarians” who would conceal a playful smile as they kicked me out of class for unruly behavior, teachers in my life have always stood and acted beyond the traditional definition of their role.
And then there are teachers who walk into your life for a few days or months, and then leave you with a whole new perspective of the world, like the professor from my entrance coaching classes did. Male teachers are sadly forgotten (left out of almost all posters?) during Teachers Day, quite ironically, when the day in fact commemorates the birth of one of the finest teachers our land has seen, the first President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.
In short, teachers have crafted the best out of us. However, what do they get in return? It is a well known fact that teaching is one of the most underpaid and undervalued jobs in India. As the creator of every other profession, teaching deserves the highest pay and the greatest respect. Sadly, that doesn’t happen all the time. The result? Unappreciated efforts and no incentive to work make teaching an unrewarding profession in many ways. Students add to the challenge as a severe lack of empathy and cooperation further impair a weakened will.
It is only dangerous to underestimate the role of a teacher in the nation building process. As the Indian Education Commission (1964–66) rightly remarked, “The destiny of a nation is determined in its classrooms.”
A surprise call or a visit to an old teacher will definitely make their day and get them brimming with happiness. Small acts of love cost nothing. So why not make your teacher smile today?
After all, the blessing of a teacher is the single most valuable thing you can sneak out of a classroom.
