A Teacher’s Influence.

A teacher’s influence extends into eternity. While Emerson declared that men are what their mothers make them, Aristotle placed teachers on a higher plane when he said: “They who educate children are to be honoured more than those who bear them, for these only give life, those the art of living well.”

A teacher is considered to be a second mother to the children whom they teach, and a school a second home to them. If only a teacher could realize that a year of negative influence by a teacher in a child’s life, is a year lost many problems could be averted. A teacher’s duty is to bring the light of knowledge into the darkness of the mind, have patience to deal with the exuberance and waywardness of a child, so that each child thought of their teachers with respect, gratitude and love.

Children don’t learn to walk, just because they want to be able to get somewhere efficiently. So too with reading and learning, they want to read and learn so that they can make sense of the world around them. It is here a teacher can capitalize on the intrinsic motivation and inspire children. How can schools and teachers change to keep up with the current educational landscape, a world in which young children can learn how to ask the right questions, not merely parrot back the 'right' answers? This is an urgent and insightful area which needs to be thought about.

A teacher’s influence reaches far beyond the classroom. A teacher, first and foremost,  should see each student as an individual with hopes, dreams, strengths, and vulnerabilities. A  teacher  should work to create a classroom atmosphere in which every student sees every other student in this light – an area where respect for each other is the guiding light, an atmosphere in which every student should feel safe enough to share their thoughts and feelings,  a place in which making a mistake is seen as an opportunity to learn rather than an opportunity to feel like a failure. A place where the teacher knows about the academic strengths and needs, but more about their interests, fears, hopes and worries. Each child should be helped in learning about themselves and also help each other.

A considerate teacher should see through the child’s eye as well, working hard enough to be fair, empathetic and encouraging, not ridiculing and punishing if a child is problematic. The teacher should be strong, firm, and determined and show students that learning and doing one’s best are the objectives to excel and that grades are just means to reach a higher path. It should be exciting to help each child areas of interest to explore and master. A teacher plays the key role in shaping the future of a child.

As in life, so it is in school – it’s “the little things” that matter the most.  Teachers should  take time to celebrate all the small accomplishments in life, as well as focusing on the child being taught in the best way possible.  They should never feel that a child is a burden and influence a child too to think so. Hopefully the role should be a positive one that possess the qualities of a charismatic and inspiring  person who not only touches  the child’s mind, but also their spirits in  such a way  that the child sees and feels assured  for the rest of their lives. Such influence is a truly rare privilege that can be prized and nurtured. Hope and wish each school and teacher works with a motive of influencing each child in the best positive way with commitment and not as a means of money making. A teacher can make or break a child’s confidence in life.

How much influence does a teacher have on a child’s achievements? The answer may surprise many because it can influence a child in varying degrees. The fact is that the classroom teacher has a high degree of influence on the child’s life and learning. The power of a teacher to inspire, motivate and support a child is immense. Though it is not an easy work, it is the most rewarding one and also difficult. But if a teacher decides to do it, it can be a fruitful one with a little extra effort.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”Henry Adams.