A school is a place where we
shape the mind and character of the next generation. Schools are not meant to
emphasize upon academic goals only or to provide students a clearly defined
procedure for achieving those goals. They must also widen the interest of the
children in the world around them, by developing their intellectual resources.
Teachers can also be called the
builders of a nation’s future. A teacher’s role in nation building is to develop
a student’s cognitive functioning, emotional maturity, character formation and
social skills, so that in the future, they could become responsible citizens.
Since almost half of a school day, a student is with the teacher; hence they
have an indelible effect on the whole personality of the student. There is a
dire need for teachers to understand the importance of their duties. In addition
to the need to plan the curriculum, teach, assign and grade work, a teacher
should also be able to help the students in positively directing their
intellectual competence, enhancing their emotional stability and making them
aware of social values. These three areas merit further deliberation.
Intellectual Competence: In the context of intellectual competence, at least
five important aspects collectively contribute to the building blocks of
personality. First, the use of language is the back-bone of intellectual
sharpness. While basic language skills evolve at home, a teacher plays an
important role in its acquisition and development. A teacher’s instruction must
be clear and without any ambiguity. Secondly, thinking skills help manipulate
information in the form of images or concepts for decision-making and
problem-solving. In Violet T. lbera’s words “More than hammering lessons into
their students’ heads, teachers must provide them the tools to make them
thinking individuals”. Thirdly, intelligence, which includes the ability to work
on a variety of tasks, especially those related to academic success. A teacher’s
approach towards education should be based on a student’s natural curiosity and
tendency to act in the world in order to understand it. Knowledge is most
meaningful when students construct it themselves rather than having it imposed
on them. Fourthly, memory, which is a process by which the product or results
are stored for future use, is an essential element as well. A teacher can make
use of different mnemonic devices like imagery, grouping or coding to make
materials more simple and easy to learn for the students. Fifth factor is
creativity, as the ability to produce work that is both novel and appropriate.
It can be enhanced by creating the right attitude and environment which is
receptive to new ideas and being alert to potential problems that might be
solved. Nike shoes invention is a classic case in point that led to the
significant success of the commodity.
While working for enhancing the intellectual competence, a teacher might have to
face problems, like lower intellectual capacity, dyslexia or attention deficit
disorder; etc. They should have the skill to recognize the problem and know how
to handle it.
Emotional Stability: Although several aspects are involved in emotional
stability of a young person, five simple steps are most important in this
regard. First, a positive self-image of the student can be projected by the
teachers through their attitude towards the students; second, trust builds the
primary foundation for the development of a healthy emotional attitude; third, a
teacher’s support and affection will give the student adequate courage and
strength to move forward in life; fourth, unwavering patience on the part of the
teacher would give hope and persistence to students to go on, despite
difficulties; fifth, impartiality in student handling is very important for the
emotional well-being of a child. Favoritism and biased attitude can give rise to
feelings of being neglected or inferiority. Finally, the way a teacher makes use
of reward and punishment also has a very lasting effect on the emotional
stability of the student. Rewards should be positively and liberally used to
make a child repeat or inculcate any desirable behavior. To change any
undesirable behavior of the student, punishment should only be used sparingly
but positively by the teacher.
Social Values: A teacher must introduce social values by being a role model for
character building of students. Teachers can help the students to inculcate
three positive traits to function in the society. First such trait is
consistency- by organizing, planning and executing the academic or curricular
activities; secondly, time management, through an ability to communicate one’s
point of view without being aggressive or losing control; thirdly, ethical
values, that can help students in deciding what is right or wrong. These should
be based on the cultural values that shape our views on child guidance.
A teacher should bring out the best in the students. They should be able to
guide, inspire and motivate the youth to strive for the best and to aspire for
higher learning. A good mentor should be able to share life’s experiences to
produce graduates who can speak their minds and not parrot anyone, thereby
contributing towards nation-building by becoming independent, confident and
competent beings.
The quality of learning that children experience is of crucial importance for
both their future and that of their nation. In guiding student’s learning and
development, a teacher must possess the knowledge, skills and sensitivity to
interact successfully with not only the child but also parents, management and
others whose action can affect children throughout their lives. All of them can
collaboratively work like a team and play a pivotal part in nation-building.