I know that I have been away from the blogging circuit for quite some time now...I have been up to a lot of things and at present, I am spending some time with my family in my home-town, Kolkata.
Today is September 5th - all over India, this day is widely celebrated as Teachers' Day.
I am not very comfortable with the concept of assigning a particular day of the year to the celebration of a particular relationship. For instance, I find it really awkward when friends wish me 'A Very Happy Friendship Day' on the first Sunday of every August. I like being with friends and spending time with them but I do not feel it is necessary to celebrate that beautiful relationship on that one particular day. The creation of a day poses other problems before me - for example, there is a limit to the number of people that I can meet in a day; it is not possible for me to meet my entire bunch of friends on one Sunday just because it happens to be 'Friendship Day'. I also do not like being subjected to emotional blackmail by the use of sentences like, "You met her on Friendship Day but you could not find even half an hour to meet me!"
Teachers' Day, on the other hand, is a fairly simpler day. I just wish some teachers and thank them for all the things that I have learnt from them. This was the first time I got messages from my students and I was quite overwhelmed after reading some of the messages. It always feels good to know that you have made a difference in someone else's life in a positive manner. However, I realized one thing: while my students have learnt a lot of things from me, there are things that they have managed to teach me as well!
I feel I have learnt something from every person that I have met in life. Each interaction with a person has always taught me something new. I have learnt from the accolades of praise that I have got but I have also learnt from criticisms. I have learnt something from every emotional outburst and I have also learnt from something as simple as a personal opinion, which may have been very different from my own perspective of looking at the same thing. We are always in the process of learning things - we just do not realize it, and even if we do, we only tend to acknowledge the formal institutions of education. Learning is an ongoing lifelong process and on this day, I would like to raise a toast to cheer the teaching spirit that is present in each one of us.
To all the people whose blogs I read and to all the people who are reading this, I wish all of you A Happy Teachers' Day and I thank you profusely for all the knowledge you have consciously or unconsciously bestowed upon me.
Today is September 5th - all over India, this day is widely celebrated as Teachers' Day.
I am not very comfortable with the concept of assigning a particular day of the year to the celebration of a particular relationship. For instance, I find it really awkward when friends wish me 'A Very Happy Friendship Day' on the first Sunday of every August. I like being with friends and spending time with them but I do not feel it is necessary to celebrate that beautiful relationship on that one particular day. The creation of a day poses other problems before me - for example, there is a limit to the number of people that I can meet in a day; it is not possible for me to meet my entire bunch of friends on one Sunday just because it happens to be 'Friendship Day'. I also do not like being subjected to emotional blackmail by the use of sentences like, "You met her on Friendship Day but you could not find even half an hour to meet me!"
Teachers' Day, on the other hand, is a fairly simpler day. I just wish some teachers and thank them for all the things that I have learnt from them. This was the first time I got messages from my students and I was quite overwhelmed after reading some of the messages. It always feels good to know that you have made a difference in someone else's life in a positive manner. However, I realized one thing: while my students have learnt a lot of things from me, there are things that they have managed to teach me as well!
I feel I have learnt something from every person that I have met in life. Each interaction with a person has always taught me something new. I have learnt from the accolades of praise that I have got but I have also learnt from criticisms. I have learnt something from every emotional outburst and I have also learnt from something as simple as a personal opinion, which may have been very different from my own perspective of looking at the same thing. We are always in the process of learning things - we just do not realize it, and even if we do, we only tend to acknowledge the formal institutions of education. Learning is an ongoing lifelong process and on this day, I would like to raise a toast to cheer the teaching spirit that is present in each one of us.
To all the people whose blogs I read and to all the people who are reading this, I wish all of you A Happy Teachers' Day and I thank you profusely for all the knowledge you have consciously or unconsciously bestowed upon me.
Thanks for sharing information..nice Post ..Happy teachers Day
ReplyDeleteExdcellent. Happy Teachers' Day Divya.
ReplyDeleteThank you and wish you the same :)
DeleteWish you the same Div!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nikhil :)
DeleteThat's a nice perspective and a very different way of looking at Teachers's Day, Divya. Liked your post:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Wren :) I am sure you are feeling more at peace now with your mom in law gone ;)
DeleteVery true Divya... I couldn't have agreed with you more on this - everyone around us has taught us something and that makes all of them our teachers!! :o)
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful though!
Heres wishing you too a wonderful teachers day as I have learnt many things from you and your blog too..CHEERS!!
TC and have fun with your family!
Thank You :) I am glad my blog and I could teach you a few things :) :)
DeleteOnce again, cheers to the teachers present in all of us!
Divya you are part of a dying breed- teachers!! There are teachers and more teachers but no committed ones. I had done a post on teachers in Sept 2011 but after seeing some of the awful teachers that my daughter has to put up with I decided against it this year.I think few talented person choose teaching as a profession these days and hence this shortage of good teachers. It is not a job like anyother - it requires commitment as it shapes lives.
ReplyDeleteHi Meera...I agree with you - I remember the time when I was in school - I don't think I really had a lot of good teachers...There were some who actually made my life miserable...Not a lot of people want to choose teaching as a profession - it does not pay well at all...The only people who become teachers are because they have to not because they want to....
DeleteI enjoy teaching a lot! I am a counsellor but I do give tuition to a few children :) And I know what you mean by commitment - there are days when I have holidays but my students have exams and I find myself to be more worried than them!! I don't remember coming across a lot of teachers who feel that way...
That was a very nice way of looking at the whole concept of 'Teaching'. Very nice post Divya !
ReplyDeletethanks Jaish :) :)
DeleteA lovely post from a teacher on the occassion! Best wishes, Divya:)
ReplyDeleteThank you Rahul :)
DeleteI don't believe in assigning a day to a relationship as well, it is all part of a worldwide marketing gimmick. However, because of this, we are forced to acknowledge these relations for at least a day, else probably we never would.
ReplyDeleteTrue...Sometimes we take some relationships for granted :) :) Marketing gimmick or whatever - every thing has positives and negatives :D
DeleteLovely post Divya. I also don't believe assigning a day to a relationship but then at least it makes us stop and acknowledge the people who make our lives so enriching.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
Deletenice post..
ReplyDeletea very fitting tribute to all teachers
PS: I love kolkata and bengalis as they are people of great thinking and intellect.
Thank You :) :)
Delete