(discourse of 5-9-1968)

It has sometimes been said that a person turns to the teaching profession when nothing better seems to present itself, but this should not be the attitude. Sathya Sai Baba says that, "of all the professions, that of teacher is the noblest, the most difficult and the most important." (discourse of 17-5-1981) A teacher can help mould the character of the children, and it is the children of today who will make or mar the world of tomorrow. So it can be truly said that the future of the country – any country – is in the hands of its teachers.

When asked what they teach, a teacher will often answer that they teach science, social studies, mathematics, or what have you. No, they teach children. Of course the subjects are important, and the curriculum must be followed, but helping the child to develop his or her full potential is even more important. That includes instilling values into them, helping them to discriminate between what is right and what is wrong. You may wonder how this can be done, in view of the fact that there is a set curriculum that must be gone through. Actually the Education in Human Values Programme (EHV) is specifically designed to be incorporated within any set syllabus. You can integrate values by making them an intrinsic part of any subject.

Just as an example, in a math lesson, the prescribed curriculum gave the following word problem, "A farmer had ten cows. Seven were stolen. How many were left?" The teacher read the problem another way. "A farmer had ten cows. He had a son whom he loved very much and decided, out of love, to give his son seven cows. How many did he have left?" That is integration of values. Instead of absorbing the fact that stealing is commonplace (and even acceptable, as it is being included in a lesson), the thought implanted in the children is that it is good to give. We can teach the same maths, but with values added. Another example: You have three children. Alone, the youngest child can lift ten pounds; the second, fifteen; and the oldest, twenty. If all three work together in unity, helping one another and cooperating, what is the weight they can lift together?

Valuable lessons can also be drawn out from social studies, from history – in fact from any subject. Do we not learn from life? We can help the students in our care to do the same. Sathya Sai tells us that "education is a slow process, like the unfolding of a flower. This unfolding will be helped if the teacher is a fine example of wisdom, discipline, with a keen intellect and justness of decision. Mere repetitive teaching and coaching for examinations is not enough. Example, not precept, is the best teaching aid." (discourse of 9-9-1958)

Teaching is really whatever you do in front of the class. If you want to teach punctuality, you must come on time. You don’t need to teach a lesson on punctuality. The child understands by example. "The tender minds in the classroom are moulded by example. If you speak against smoking, do not smoke. You are under rigorous scrutiny at all times. Any misdemeanour of yours, will be discussed in a hundred homes the same day. Patient effort and steady persistence are indispensable for a teacher." (discourse of 2-3-1970) By nature, children imitate; that is how they learn. They emulate adults, copying what they see. It has been rightly said that "values are not taught, they are caught" – and a lot of the ‘catching’ is from the mental attitude of the teacher, even more than what he or she does.

Whenever you think something, a transfer of energy occurs that children detect, though they may not even be aware of it. If you have a lot of love for them, children know it. They take the love into their hearts. If a teacher is angry or anxious, children stay at a distance. If a teacher is caring and thinks of the children in a loving way, he (or she) automatically attracts the children. Sai tells us that "it is not out of fear that children should respect the teacher, but out of love. The teacher should avoid all methods that frighten or terrorise." (discourse of 9-9-1958)

He says further that, "a teacher should not try to rule through the easiest means of fear, for that is full of dangerous consequences for the pupils. Try, rather, the path of Love. If you sow bitter seeds, you cannot grow sweet grain." (discourse of 25-11-1959) A teacher who rules by fear will find that the more dominating pupils will vent their classroom frustration by bullying and terrorising the weaker ones in the playground. Fear spawns fear. Love attracts love. A child who is treated with understanding, will learn to extend understanding to others. If you want the children to be kind and considerate to one another, be kind and considerate to them. If you walk around smiling, make sure you are smiling from your heart. Children always detect hypocrisy. Only when you are genuine, can you transfer the value of smiling, peace, joy and happiness. No matter what you teach, if you have these qualities, you will touch children with your words. You will transfer values even without talking about them. Children will receive them, gaining an enormous amount from you.

You may be thinking that all this is just "pie in the sky", unrelated to the real world of rebellious kids that you have to face every day, but this is not so. I had a friend who taught in a school in a very rough area – it was well known that many teachers refused to teach there. I asked her one day, "How do you cope?" Her answer was profoundly enlightening: "I have no trouble. I speak to the children in a respectful way, and they respect me." We do not realise to what an extent we build our own world, and create our own difficulties.

Sathya Sai says that, "there are three kinds of teachers: the first type consists of teachers who complain; they are the ones with a grouse of one kind or another. The second type consists of teachers who ‘explain’: they explain what the students have to learn. To the third type belong the teachers who ‘inspire’. This category of teachers arouses the enthusiasm of students and inspires them to take a deep interest in their studies. Such teachers are becoming rare these days. Once the enthusiasm of the student is aroused, learning becomes a creative process. The teacher should patiently understand the problems of the students and help to solve them. Teaching today has become more and more mechanical, with a teacher content to ‘teach’ the prescribed portion of the syllabus. Teachers should see whether the students have properly comprehended the subjects studied. Any deficiency on the student’s part should be scribed to the teacher’s failure to do the job well." (discourse of 16-6-1983)

There have been many very inspiring teachers, and they are remembered with gratitude by their pupils. They have turned what others saw as hopeless children, from disadvantaged neighbourhoods, into shining examples of both right living and academic success. The teaching profession is wonderful opportunity to make the world a better place. "The teacher is the most important asset of a school. Bricks and mortar do not make a school efficient and useful. Nor do the books in its library or the appliances in its laboratory. It is the teachers that make or mar a school. It is the teachers who shape the manners, behaviour, attitudes and even prejudices of the pupils under their care. By taking on this profession, teachers dedicate themselves to a noble task and, in order to worthy of it, they have to, themselves, be what they advise their pupils to be." (discourse of 2-3-1970)

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