Teachers as Human Molders

“Teacher as Human Molder”

I came across a book entitled, The Four Greatest Teachers in the World written by J. Maurus. The top in the list were Socrates, Plato, Confucius and Jesus Christ. Based on the narration, Socrates dwelt oftentimes in Agora. He engaged himself in discussion with men of wit to mentally empower him. Because of his intellectual acumen, he had avidly been adhered by the youth. Their constant association with him placed him in controversy because the Greeks suspected that he corrupted their minds by swerving their conventional orientation without realizing that Socrates taught the youth to explore their individuality to know the truth behind the concealed reality. Socrates inculcated in them independence of ASSIMILATING AND LEARNING THROUGH EXPLORING. Not even an instance that SOCRATES answered question laconically.

Plato on the other hand was far different from his master, SOCRATES. He never confined his students within the four corners of the room. Formal setting in learning was beyond his thinking. He believed that, ‘physical activeness determines mental alertness’. In an open space with luxury of air, sunlight and view, he discussed his lessons with them. In such kind of setting, he impliedly emphasized, “lightness in confronting the hard challenges in learning”. This belief has been confirmed in his philosophical essay entitled, “Allegory of the Cave” wherein readers as well as learners must surpass human analysis to fathom the deepness of his thoughts yet appreciation is guaranteed once understood. Why? Its free flowing presentation eases their uneasiness to understand.

Confucius, the most revered among the philosophers in China believed that, “LEARNING EFFECTS PROPRIETENESS OF BEHAVIOR”. This belief is reflected in his FIVE CLASSICS. Since the Chinese exhaust their resources, time, and energy in education, they have higher sense of morality for they have comprehended deeply every angle of the sphere of life.

And among the three, Jesus Christ identified himself distinctly from them. His approach in teaching was simply modest. He used parables to expose man about life, its follies and ironies. He drove his followers to contemplate the implications of his teachings. No doubt, his followers perceived vicissitudes of life as temporal conquests for man to respond boldly to bizarre situations and to discover the travesty of truth behind superficiality.

Evaluating their academic convictions, I have come to realize that TEACHER must be an epitome of perfection. The students are his handiworks. What will become of them is the result of his assiduousness and meticulousness in perfecting them. Such personal impression reminds me of an anecdote shared by a certain priest during our seminar with a theme “Teacher as Human Molder ” .He told us that if a doctor commits a mistake, his mistake can be buried six feet below the ground. But once a teacher commits a mistake, his mistake can be carried by his student up to his tomb.