Teachers

"...teachers must be selected carefully. High academic qualifications do not necessarily confer on a person the right to become at teacher. Teachers must possess such qualities as personal integrity, strength of character, righteousness, a feeling for social service, unselfishness, an inspiring personality and leadership ability.
...Because teachers have an extremely important role to play, their professional standard must be very high." - P.R.Sarkar

A teacher is an adult in a world of children, automatically a model in a position of authority. Their choices, values, and behavior directly impact on the growth of future human beings.

To what degree this is considered "important" depends on how one defines the purpose of school and of education itself. Top universities are now looking for much more than scores, they are looking at the total person. Here is a small sampling of not so easily measured criteria that are a part of education:

• Morality and its choices
• Knowledge put into use
• Confidence and the ability to act
• Creativity and Inventiveness in thought, word and deed
• Problem Solving
• Communication and "People" skills
• Open mindedness
• Global thinking: the ability to see different sides of an issue
• Ability to concentrate and set long term goals
• Contemplation and introspection
• Inquisitive nature, love of learning
• Manners and social graces
• Ability to show some self-restraint, self- discipline, and be balanced in life
• Healthy habits for mind and body
• High level cognitive thinking
• Listening skills -- Care for the welfare of others
• Care for plants and animals

All this leads back to the fact that children need good models to build upon. They find these models in their families and friends, in their teachers, religious leaders, coaches, heroes, and others. Whether they want to be or not, teachers are much more than technicians in the schools we have now. Their non-technical qualities play an even more prominent role in the kind of schools we need. They should be held to the highest personal standards of any job in society. In NHE schools, a teacher needs to learn to do the following things:

• develop a rapport based on mutual affection
• show respect and engender it in others
• be a role model for a child
• promote a love of learning
• be perceptive and intuitive in discovering a child's needs and talents
• show kindness, generosity, patience, humility and selflessness
• inspire their students

Whatever we consider a school or teaching to be, a child learns by seeing, internalizing and imitating. As they build themselves, they draw upon these experiences as their building blocks. A good foundation can be aided by the example and memory of a special teacher. Children deserve such teachers.