How should a modern-day teacher be like?

Change seems to be like a constant variable of time and beyond. And when it’s said, it signifies the need for having the pieces of puzzle being constantly rotated and even changed until you find the right one that fits in. The world is a puzzle too, a never ending one in fact.

Everybody here is trying to find the right piece to complete their puzzle, which in turn highlights the very need of the conscious to keep trying every piece and in every angle until you find the right one. 

But just imagine how important it is to also have people around to tell us about the different angles of the same piece of puzzle and also that sometimes some pieces just don’t fit in, and there is then need to put it back and try a new one. And keep trying until you complete your part of puzzle which is an unending process.

And this is where the education jumps in, more precisely a Teacher.

A teacher plays an important role in shaping the future of the children is known. But how well are the teachers prepared to do the same with the modern age kids, still remains an unsolved mystery. The aim of education system back then was an entirely a different nut to crack. The major job a teacher had was to create skilled factory workers and clerks, workers who could repetitively do a task and follow instructions perfectly.

But the 21st century only demands creativity and innovation and they are the main aims of learning. The need to understand that the tables have turned now is very important. A simple answer to what a teacher needs to be would be “A teacher should love to teach and not teach just for the sake of teaching. Passion to learn and to teach must be in perfect ratio”, in order to be even called as a teacher.

Access to information is a piece of cake. So that isn’t something what the learner looks forward to when it comes to teachers of this and future generations to come.

So below are few top things which have become the need of the hour for every modern day teacher:

A teacher must be able to create reflective and decisive kids: Students should be encouraged to understand the need and decide for themselves rather than just blindly follow instructions. But the system of education that we follow has very little to do with this.

Empathy needed: Research shows that empathy is a crucial skill that is lacking in our education system. Understanding the learning environment and observing a child’s progress plays a critical role in delivering a personalized learning outcome, which a modern day teacher must excel at.

A teacher must both believe and promote the fact, that every kid is capable: We often come across teachers who always complain about how one kid fails at something. But they don’t see it a need to understand why and improvise it. A modern day teacher must be capable of doing this.

A big no to manipulation: A general trend that follows in our education system is to tell kids what is right and wrong based on their experience and manipulate their thought processes, which is why so many kids fail to see the world in different colors. So a teacher should help kids discover who they can be and not tell them what they are.

We relate to those who we see ourselves in: Everyone is more likely to allow someone they think are alike help them, than the one who is telling them that they need to change. So teachers need to respect and be a friend of the child first in order to gain the confidence of the child. Being bossy doesn’t help anymore.

Continuous improvement: So to conclude, it is neither a time bound process nor it comes with a strict manual of do’s and don’ts. Every brain is different and approach to understand every child needs to be different too. Teachers are not till the course ends, they are for life. So anyone who aspires to be a teacher needs to be prepared to be one forever.

These are some few top things which have become the need of the hour for every modern day teacher!

If you liked this blog, you should definitely watch a 22 yr young teacher with a vision Mr.Sarvesh Kakkeri's TedX talk on the topic 'A New Age Teacher' on the link given below.

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