An Article Engendered by a Question from One of My Readers >>>>> Teaching as A Sacred Mission Calling for Conscientious Transmission of Knowledge and Deep Respect for Students as Human Beings

I had such a thoughtful question from one of my readers in response to one of my articles ("Focus, Focus, Focus, and Cut the Hocus Pocus") that I wanted to share our exchange as a mainline article for posting on the blog, as follows:


The reader's question:


"I liked your approach to students (as given in the article, 'Focus, Focus, Focus, and Cut the Hocus Pocus') and the way you're motivating them to be more productive!


"Sir, I have a question for you:


"As a professional educator, what in your opinion are the qualities of a good teacher?


"And what if the teacher is bullying the students and harassing them?


"How can one deal with this kind of problem?"




My Response


Thanks for your comments, and for your question  >>>>> 


In many places on my blog, I define an excellent teacher as


a professional of deep and broad knowledge who has the pedagogical ability to impart that knowledge to students of all demographic descriptors. 


Education professors have ruined generations of teachers and other professionals in the education establishment by devaluing knowledge and asserting that the role of a teacher is to guide students in their personal quest for information on topics of burning interest. 


This is nonsense. 


The proper role of the teacher is to transmit knowledge that has accumulated from centuries of experience across the globe and to ignite student enthusiasm in many realms of knowledge---  rather than to focus exclusively on the particularistic interest that most animates a student. 


Thus, we want our students ultimately to pursue their own passion on the basis of a comprehensive knowledge base from the liberal arts (natural science, mathematics, history, economics, literature, fine arts, world languages), as well as acquiring skills in the industrial and technological arts. 


As to a teacher who is bullying and harassing students, she or he should be removed from the classroom and given a chance to change the behavior through counseling---  but then to be terminated in the teaching position if the behavior persists after high-quality counseling.  There is absolutely no excuse for bullying and harassing students.  A true teacher loves knowledge and the students to whom her or his knowledge is being transmitted. 


The teacher's mission is sacred, and every teacher-student interaction should be considered correspondingly sacred.