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Quality of teacher–student relationships being the keystone
for making intellectual sparks fly… and lightening strike every now and then,
teacher-student relationship has meant the following:
1. Be friendly with your students but not their friend
Which is why attending parties, socializing with students or
inviting them to their homes- even talking via mobile phone, SMS, internet chat
breeds familiarity and can compromise teacher/student relationships.
2. Give to your student, never take
Give them your knowledge, time, experience, patience- and
never take gifts, favors, complementary dinners, diwali gifts etc. Being a
teacher requires conviction of ‘only to give’ and courage ‘never to take’.
3. Learn from them too, for learning is something that we
all do
Teaching is about helping students learn, grow, form
trusting relationships but it is also about ‘learning from them.
4. Be fair to them, even extra generous… but not for
negative acts
Treat all students with courtesy and dignity, regardless of
gender, race, class, religion, nationality, or politics yet do not overlook
negative traits that you may see building in them eg. carelessness, bully
behavior, cheating.
5. Discipline with firmness not harshness
Yelling, using sarcasm, overreacting with threats and
possible punishments must be replaced with firmness.
6. Don’t be whistleblower yet must inform parents
A teacher is a student’s guidance counselor too, keeping a
watchful eye on students’ academic performance as ell as other behavior- and
not hesitate to inform parents about deviations and questionable actions.
7. Help your students, don’t just offload your duties onto
them
Undoubtedly there is pressure of syllabus/ examinations but
merely dumping assignments on the students is bound to make them see teachers
as the villain responsible for their not having much ‘free time’ for movies,
parties, chatting with friends etc.
There is no reward for the thankless pursuit of teaching,
and though teachers will seldom become rich, those having a genuine desire to
inspire student growth continue to make this profession grow.
CA Rajiv Soni
G-14/3 DLF City 1
Gurgaon 122002, Haryana, India
Mobile: 98-993-28283
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