As a prof, you do not just teach, you learn

“Don’t you get bored of the routine, don’t you need a break?”, I asked myself.

With a job that offers one to be at the centre of energetic currents around oneself and a position of authority from where you direct and channelise the future of our country, the answer is definitely negative most of the times.
Teaching may not be my first love, but it is definitely an area of work that I am enjoying with each passing day. And there are reasons for the same.

As a student I had always been a six-seven point someone who lacked the right communication and oratory skills. This coupled with a lot of mischief was never the right recipe to be a teacher.  Nobody, including me, ever thought that I would be a part of this noble profession.

But I believe that it is this imperfection that is helping me sustain and enjoy this career path. Teachers need to look at their students with this lens of ‘nobody is perfect and every student is a gem in his/her own special way’.
Let us accept that as teachers we were and are not perfect. This fundamental realisation will make us understand and accept the diversity that exists in students — the intellectual ones, the creative ones, the curious ones and the mischievous ones. And all of them are special in their own way.

While our current academic set-up may not provide enough mechanism to reward creativity, it is the responsibility of the teachers to spare a word or two of appreciation for such students.

I clearly remember a student of second year Mass Media requesting me to be more appreciative and critical to the minimum for better outcomes. And it worked. I learnt my very important lesson then. Teaching isn’t about delivering, it’s also about listening and being receptive to ideas from students.

The energy with which students execute an idea and covert it into success is something I have always been in awe of. Their teamwork, dedication and the ‘killer’ spirit enthuses teachers like me to contribute more and more every day towards creating successful professionals.

As a professor, you do not just teach, you learn. And the day you refuse to learn is the day you stop growing. This learning and enriching shouldn’t be just at the academic level but includes holistic learning. With so much of diverse talent and skills around me, I feel a constant motivation within to learn a thing or two from my students.

With my little experience, I have realised that this profession has lot to offer and teaches one the virtues of patience, tolerance and offers one a position of respect with immense job satisfaction.