Teacher and Respect

I think we all are familiar with the story of Eklavya and Dronacharya. Well, I wasn’t aware of the exact story. Kindly find the entire story here https://www.tell-a-tale.com/story-eklavya-dronacharya-stories-indian-mythology/#:~:text=He%20quietly%20left%20the%20gurukul,master%20the%20art%20of%20archery..

These days I don’t see Eklavya-Dronacharya kind of teacher-student relationship anymore. Neither do I see faith in students’ hearts. I don’t understand why there is a lack of respect for teachers nowadays. I remember my grandmother used to tell me, “Your mother’s face color would turn into yellow (out of fear and respect) whenever she saw her teachers”. My mother was also a great teacher. I heard from her students that she was one of the best teachers and that makes me feel happy.

We all have our favorite teacher(s) in our schools, in colleges, and in life. I don’t see any student touching the feet of the teachers until their parents force them to do so. Quite honestly, because of society’s ridicule, I do not touch my teachers’ feet in public. But, without hesitation, I do touch the feet of my favorite teachers in person and seek blessings. I am not ashamed but I am happy and proud to do so. I am not asking you all to do all that stuff but I want you to think about one thing – “Can we imagine our life without a teacher?” I don’t know about you all but I cannot.

Wholeheartedly, I agree that whatever I am today is only because of my teachers. But today’s scenario is different. Teachers do not get the much-needed respect that they deserve. We all agree with this somewhere. It pains my heart to see young students’ behavior towards their teachers. That is why today I chose to write on this topic today.

There may be many stories of teacher-student relationships but I am familiar with the Eklavya-Dronacharya story mostly. My main intention is to not only to indicate that story but also to make all of us understand the value of a teacher in our lives. This is because somewhere we all are alike in this aspect. I haven’t liked some teachers in my life and my actions may have hurt them. But I realized the value now since I do not find anyone to teach me the way my teachers did.

Honestly speaking, school teachers play the role of our second parents. They teach us how to speak, how to eat, how to walk, how to behave, and so on. My school’s Principal Sir used to mention that “teachers are very much similar to parents as children spend more time with the teachers. Now that I think of it, it seems totally true.

I am not saying teachers are always right. They are human beings and they tend to make mistakes sometimes. But that does not mean that we ought to make fun of them. I have never seen any teacher passing the wrong knowledge to their students. I often hear some students say that teachers are partial towards certain students. Even I was of the same opinion earlier but that is not true.

Probably, the situation would have demanded the teacher to praise a certain student for his/her talent and hard work. If a certain student deserved an award and the teacher gives attention to him/her, the student might have deserved it. As for us, we also need to put in our sincere efforts to be worthy of genuine attention and rewards by our teacher. Sometimes our teachers want us to work on ourselves. I realized these things recently and most of you (who are younger than I) will also realize this when you grow up.

Teachers want nothing from us – they want our happiness and respectful behavior towards them. They give us knowledge, all their time and love but what do we usually do? We disrespect them. You may think that it is the duty of a teacher to teach us. But, what about us? Don’t we have any duty towards them? Ask yourself and you will get an answer. Just do a little bit of thinking on respectful terms.

Since we are young, we want to have fun. But we ought to be mindful not to make fun at the cost of teachers’ respect. I am very close to all my teachers and I wish them on their birthdays, teacher’s day, and so on even today. My earnest and singular message(s) bring smiles on their faces and I receive many blessings and love in return. Just try that. Your simple “thank you” message will bring a smile on teachers’ faces and the same will reciprocate for you in terms of love and blessings.

In conclusion, please respect your teachers in your heart. Teachers can be your best friend, your sister, your mother and your father. They change their roles according to your need. So, just be kind to them and be grateful. We need them.

Thank you Sanjana didi for editing my post.

Thank you,

Riya Om.