Choosing a career: What it takes to be a teacher

Choosing a career that does justice to one's traits and dreams plays a key role in finding happiness in life. After graduating, people become over-burdened with the pressure of getting absorbed by the job market as soon as possible. In the process, they ignore some factors that are crucial to choosing a career. Sometimes people get carried away and go with the flow, only to pay the price in terms of frustration, failure and disregard for one's own capabilities and possibilities later on. Today, let's see what it takes when it comes to choosing teaching as a profession.

HAVING THE RIGHT VISION

A strong and clear vision is required because one must be able to imagine herself or himself as a teacher in practice. The person must have no discomfort with the idea of being a teacher and interacting with a class full of people at a time.

PREPARATION LED BY PASSION

One needs passion to start and sustain a career in teaching. Unlike most professions, it is best to decide to become a teacher at an early stage in life. Observing faculty members, their lifestyles, and their body of work will help a student preparing for his or her career.

LOVE OF PERFORMING

Today, teaching is not about indoctrinating. Think of it as a performance art instead. The aspiring candidate must have a love of performing and presenting in front of a class in a classroom setting. Strong communication skills and use of humour are requisite, along with persuasion skills. Sometimes the subject matter might not be that interesting, but it's the duty of the teacher to make it seem like the most happening thing around, and to grab and hold the attention of students.

COMPASSION FOR OTHERS

A person becomes a teacher and enjoys the status because of his or her students. The teacher must possess compassion for this target group. There will be all kinds of students, in terms of attitude, level of knowledge, learning ability, means of self-expression, and problems faced. The teacher needs to accommodate all and mould his or her style with love and care.

People look up to teachers. So a teacher must show characteristics that scream that he or she loves to work with people and encourage others to work. A teacher has to analyse the unique traits of students and inspire them to sharpen those to excel. In this regard, a teacher should be the epitome of inspiration and motivation.

STAYING RELEVANT

A teacher has to bring as many real life examples of concepts as required in the classroom to complement the text. The teacher must be expert in picking relevant examples from the factors affecting our lives from local and global standpoints.

LEARN AND GROW

One must accept the fact before becoming a teacher that continuous learning and growing are prime features of the job. Observing the environment, pursuing higher studies and conducting research are requirements of all higher level teachers.

Teaching is a sacred duty and we can see that certain factors must be met in order to truly shine as a teacher. Maintaining strong ethics with a sense of morality is the basic assumption in acquiring those qualities. Considering these facts, if you think you've got what it takes, don't waste any time to embrace teaching. You were made for each other.

The writer is an Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business Administration, Eastern University