Globally 5th October is the date that commensurate celebration of the teachers worldwide. In India the occasion is graced a month prior.
If asked of my opinion about the day, I won’t limit it to celebrating the ones who are imparting formal education in an academic institution but will expand it to a much wider range to anyone and everyone whom we get a chance to learn from, the ones who inspire us for betterment in any way possible and it is irrespective of them hailing from any walk of life.
Not only during the history but in the contemporary Zeitgeist, A teacher inspires through words and through actions. Hands down!
One size doesn’t fit all !
Remembering an anecdote, a respondent shares – A year back a Senior ( I prefer calling him a Mediocre teacher and a Gab-monger) with whom I had a direct reporting relationship told me first subtly and later in a direct manner to not utilize my brain and play underdog.
In his words -You are too Smart and it’s not yours but mine job to think.
His words turned into a driving force for me to act exactly in the opposite manner as expected by him.
The ask became a turning point and testimony of “Striving for Superiority” convincing me enough to not look up to and rely little on him as a leader.
I dwelled into the territory, was motivated and inspired to use my grey cells to the optimum capacity.
It taught me about how a big part of becoming a student is unlearning a lot of gibber one is subjected to by people who are in constant search to boost sense of authority and perhaps some level of ego massage.
“As they say – Sometimes, it’s not Do that enrich you more but Don’t”
Differentiating Sense from Sensationalism !
The same respondent shared another narrative – During my initial days at a recently joined firm, a self-proclaimed mentor walked out of his cabin towards my workstation and asked sarcastically if my actions are directed towards impressing a certain someone.
What an Epic thought!
Completely nonchalant by the statement, I didn’t let this statement rent any space in my head. But it didn’t take Einstein brain to understand what and who he referred to.
During that point of time, any thought of this sort was far-fetched. But the remark didn’t go un-noticed and did etch a memory in my sub-conscious mind providing an insight into his puny and phoney way of thinking. The individual also provided an insight about the limited outlook one could have.
Learning from him was a re-emphasis on the importance of having a wider and progressive outlook toward matters / issues and at the same time understanding the detractor mentality and not getting affected by it.
“Only a broader mind map understand that Smart people aren’t longing to be impressed and ordinary people like me just do what they do“
Simple. Period !
Eric Carlson, a teacher for 30 years once heard a colleague say, I am not paid to inspire people. His response “People don’t learn from the ones they are not inspired from”.
“A genuine teacher and a leader opens the mind and touches the heart”