Opinion | Teachers: The Architects of Character and Values

Given the situations that Kashmir has witnessed over the years, teachers have had an additional role in nurturing and shaping students. Following the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, many of whom were academicians, teachers and professors, a vacuum in the educational system was felt in the beginning. With the passage of time, however, that vacuum was gradually filled. The moment we begin to think that a teacher is merely someone who teaches us a subject in a classroom is the moment we begin to misunderstand the larger role of a teacher. A teacher who teaches you about life, discipline, habits, values and the things that matter beyond examinations is, to me, as much a teacher, if not more, than someone who only teaches a subject. Nevertheless, I respect every form of teaching and every teacher who contributes to the education of a student. In this article, I want to explore the role of teachers beyond their conventional responsibility of teaching a subject in a classroom.

Once, a renowned academician from Kashmir told me, “Qoum do hi jagah theek ho sakti hai, ya to class mein ya Jummah ke khutbe mein” (A society can be reformed in only two places, either in the classroom or through the Friday sermon). The reasoning is simple. At both places, we have a large cross-section of society gathered before us. If people learn harmony, ethics, love, coexistence, knowledge, values and critical thinking in these spaces, these are the values they are likely to carry into society. This further strengthens my understanding of the role of a teacher. If someone learns these values from an Imam-e-Jumah, then for that individual, the Imam too becomes a teacher. The essence of teaching is not confined to textbooks or examinations. It lies in shaping how a person thinks, behaves and interacts with the world around them. We already understand the role teachers play in academic excellence. My focus here is what they can contribute beyond it. Since parents are a child’s first teachers and the home is often the first school, my discussion naturally includes them as well.

What do we need to do extra in our classrooms?

Being a student myself, I have observed that students generally believe that what a teacher says is largely correct and, more importantly, said for their benefit. This gives teachers a unique opportunity to shape not only what students know, but how they think and behave. Given the situations Kashmir has witnessed, I have consistently advocated introducing Peace Studies from the secondary level. Our children need to understand peace, coexistence, dialogue and conflict resolution. Peace education can help develop a positive outlook towards society and reinforce the understanding that prosperity and development require a peaceful environment.

But education must go beyond even this. Teaching wisdom is perhaps more important than merely teaching information. You cannot teach wisdom by asking a student to memorise a Chemistry, Physics or Biology textbook. Teachers must create situations where students learn to take responsibility, make decisions, listen to others, disagree respectfully and understand consequences. Assigning students roles such as Class Representative or members of a Student Support Team, encouraging debates on social issues, organising student-led activities, introducing case studies and promoting peer learning can help. Even asking a student to defend an argument they disagree with can teach them to understand another perspective. Such exercises teach students that disagreement does not have to become disrespect.

Responsibility develops accountability, accountability encourages critical thinking, and experience helps develop judgment. Over time, judgment contributes to wisdom. These are the qualities that shape character. But this process cannot begin at the school gate. It has to begin at home. Parents naturally have unconditional love for their children, but sometimes, in the shadow of that love, protection becomes overprotection and care becomes dependency. A child should be loved, but also prepared for life. If your child is above 15, gradually teach them independence. Take them with you to buy vegetables and groceries. Let them understand how a household functions. Let them sit in the kitchen while you cook and tell them that cooking is not a gender role. Teach them to wash their clothes, clean their room, make their bed and prepare a basic meal. Give them responsibilities as they grow. The purpose is not to make life difficult for children but to make them familiar with life itself.

The same academician once told me, “Jis bache ko boba ke bapaa ki aadat lagi, woh kharab howa.” In Kashmiri, “boba” refers to the mother. His point was not that a mother’s care is harmful, but that a child who becomes accustomed to being served by his mother may struggle with independence. If a 20-year-old cannot buy vegetables, wash clothes, cook a basic meal or even wash his own cup, we need to ask ourselves whether we have prepared that child for life. I have also observed some schools introducing activities such as asking students to iron their clothes, wash their own cups or undertake household responsibilities and document them. These may seem like small exercises, but they represent an important idea: education should prepare a child for life, not merely for an examination.

There is, however, one lesson that cannot be assigned as homework: leading by example. A teacher can speak for hours about discipline, honesty, punctuality, respect and compassion, but students ultimately observe whether the teacher practises these values. A teacher who arrives on time teaches punctuality. One who listens patiently teaches respect. One who can admit “I was wrong” teaches humility. Students observe how teachers treat weaker students, respond to disagreement and use authority. Much of what a child learns in a classroom is never written in a notebook, but remains with them for years. Ultimately, I believe the real test of education begins when the textbook is closed. Can a child think independently, respect a different opinion, accept responsibility, handle adversity, help at home and distinguish right from wrong? These may not appear in examinations, but they are the examinations life eventually conducts.

I have always felt that our homes and classrooms should not merely produce intelligent people; they should produce intellectuals. An intelligent person may possess knowledge and solve difficult problems. An intellectual, in my understanding, uses knowledge with conscience, questions what needs to be questioned, understands perspectives beyond his own and remains connected to society. Kashmir needs young people who can understand the society they are inheriting and take responsibility for the society they will leave behind. Perhaps this is why I keep returning to the idea that a teacher is much more than someone who teaches a subject. Before we create doctors, engineers, civil servants or entrepreneurs, we create human beings. And before we ask what our children will become, we must ask what values we are giving them with which to become it.

Email: vadiekashmir@gmail.com