A child, as we know, needs models and not critics. These models a child finds, first in his parents, and second in his teachers. It is very correctly said that the influence of the teacher is immense and no one knows when the influence becomes visible and where it sops. Since the teacher is one of the child’s ideal, it is very important for a teacher to have qualities which impress the child and the qualities which he can imitate and thus become good.
A role model is, therefore, one who has some sterling qualities of head and heart, which the child gets impressed by. So now, when we look for the essential qualities in a teacher we have to be clear in what we want the children in her charge to become, for the influence of a teacher is very deep, far reaching and of course permanent.
We want our children, for instance, to develop the quality of honesty. The teacher must then be very honest in all her behaviour with the children she is handling. In this regard, partiality and favouritism are the two most obnoxious qualities that a teacher should not have. This attitude of a teacher is noticed by the children and they do not like her for it, and they also feel that she is not very honest in her dealings with them. In the process they also learn to be dishonest in their dealings with her, and with their classmates. Thus, an ideal teacher must be very honest and transparent in all her dealings with the children and with her colleagues. This folly of favouritism plays a double havoc with the children for, on the one hand, a child who is favoured, becomes unnecessarily pampered and the child who is unduly differentiated against, either gets into his shell, and feels unwanted or, if he is bold by nature, he becomes a revolutionary. In either case this favouritism of the teacher plays hell with both, the favoured and the not-so-favoured. This attitude of the child, shown at this stage of his life becomes a permanent feature of the child’s character, and he starts feeling rightly or wrongly that he is punished for the wrongs that he has not done, and as an adult he becomes a confirmed revolutionary. Thus, in a nutshell we can derive that, in her partiality the teacher damages both the child who is favoured and the child who is not.
The next quality that we would like to find in an ideal teacher is that, he should be very affectionate to all the children in his care. The love they get at this stage of life is what makes them lovable and affectionate adults. Love has got to be inculcated in the children as, it is love only that makes life worth living. So it is very necessary for an ideal teacher to be loving and caring, then only he in turn infuses the finer quality of begetting love in the children in his charge.
A loving teacher is forever remembered and loved by students, who just admire him for his fountain of love, and they start believing that there could be no one more affectionate than their teacher of the past days.
The students believe that their teacher is a fountain-head of all knowledge. This belief of the children must be kept alive by the teacher which is possible, only if he continues to learn together with his teaching assignments. A good teacher is the one who is also a good learner. Besides, if a teacher does not happen to know a particular thing, he should never pose as if he knows it. This is because, if, at any stage, the children come to know that their teacher does not know, he only shows that he knows, they lose all respect for him. The teacher must know that, the children do not take much time to assess the stuff or the capacity of a teacher. It is not that the teacher must know everything on the face of this earth but, the moot point is that, he should not bluff the children into believing that his knowledge is absolutely complete. For an ideal teacher it is advisable to tell the children that he will find out the answer to their query, instead of giving them any wrong information. If he does this, the children will admire him for his honesty, and will not be disappointed in his lack of knowledge, for, they also, know that a teacher is also, besides being a teacher for them, a human being with limitations. This will unwittingly inculcate in the children a habit of accepting their own drawbacks and not nearly justifying whatever they do or say.
Another very important quality for an ideal teacher is to be very understanding in respect of the behaviour of the children. Though the teacher and the children are a generation apart, it would be great quality in a teacher if he could understand the woes of the children, and to help them out of their seemingly little problems, and also feel for them. With this attitude of friendship with the children, the teacher will win the confidence and they will always discuss their problems with him and they will also take him as their confidante. For this, the teacher has to put himself in the shoes of the children, understand their feelings, and he will be loved for this. In turn, his wards will also learn the art of helping their younger siblings or friends in solving their problems.
With all the above mentioned qualities in a teacher, the teacher will be an ideal teacher, he will be one who will leave an indelible mark on the minds of the young children in his charge. They will turn out to be exact replicas of their teacher. Thus, it is very important for the teacher to be a picture of what he would like the children to be. The impact of a teacher can be easily felt when we see the present deterioration in the younger generation. This is because our teachers are lacking in almost all the qualities required for an ideal teacher, and so, their wards are also lacking in all good qualities of head heart. A good teacher helps the students to develop all the great qualities of civilized human beings. An ideal teacher is thus one who leaves a permanent impact on the children he grooms, and they remember him for his great qualities at different times of their lives. A student is a mirror which reflects the learning and knowledge of a teacher, this must be kept in mind by a teacher.
Jul 31, 2011 | | Role Model
There are many that think and argue that professional athletes should be better role models and that when they engage in unsportsmanlike behavior and criminal activity it just plainly sets a bad example to todays youth.
Many will also argue that athletes are hired by their employer and are paid to do their job and are not paid to be role models. This makes sense and it is true that they are not paid to be a role model but whether they like it or not athletes are role models.
Now, does that mean they will be a good role model? Of course not, there are also bad role models! But yes, they are role models, it is just one of those things that come with their job.
Most athletes do try to conduct themselves in a positive manner when in public view but there are those who just don’t care what anyone thinks of them. The minds of those that say “athletics are not role models” are doing some wishful thinking; really they should not be role models but they are and that’s a fact that no one can change.
The fact that so many kids look up to all these baseball players, basketball players and football players simply makes them role models. Here is an example, when you become a parent you automatically become a role model whether you like it or not. You can not simply say I am a parent and not a role model. The old saying “Do as I say, not as I do” does not work. Because you are a role model in that childs eyes! Kids look up to parents. Not only parents but also to big brothers and other family members, teachers, doctors, police man and the list goes on.
These professional people are all role models for todays youth whether they like it or not. Even the drug dealer can be a role model, he of course will be a bad role model but when the kids around the neighborhood are looking up to him and wanting to be like him he has become a role model in their mind.
So to ask the question “Should professional athletics be role models?” is not a valid question because they have no choice in the matter – THEY ARE ROLE MODELS!
Jul 31, 2011 | | Role Model
Those words in the lyrics of the song Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel, was a call to bring back what was wholesome and good about America. Joe was a hero in America; to old and young alike. It is amazing how today’s real heroes in sports, just quietly go about their business doing what they do best without their names showing up in the tabloids or on the crime pages of today’s newspapers. You will not see names like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Phil Mickleson or Maria Sharapovia just to name a few. However, what you will hear is how they give back to their communities.
You have already seen the names of Kobe Bryant, Chris Benoit, Michael Irvin, O.J. Simpson, Pachman Jones, Tim Donaghy and many more on the headlines of almost every media outlet in America and the rest of the free world. It seems like the concept of a wholesome sports role model is far and few between.
What most people do not know is that DiMaggio signed on as a rookie for a salary of $8,000 in his first season. Today’s players earn that and more in one- inning, one basketball period, one hockey period or one football quarter.
The moment sports figures ink their multi-million dollar contracts they put themselves and their actions, on and off the playing field under the most intense public scrutiny. In addition, the media stands by like hungry wolves just waiting for the next athlete to fall from grace. Knowing that they will receive tremendous amounts of scrutiny for their bad behavior, you would believe it would behoove them to be more careful in their actions on and off the field. Nevertheless, I guess they feel they are untouchable.
The latest athlete to fall off his pedestal is Michael Vick, a quarterback for the Atlanta, Falcons. He got caught up in a dog fighting consortium where it is alleged that he was responsible for not only breeding American Bull Terriers (Pit Bulls) for fighting and promoting dog fighting, but killing the losers of the fights with torturous and inhumane acts; such as drowning, electrocution, shooting or just beating them to death.
Michael Vick earned over $200,000 per quarter. (Do the math-$130 Million over ten-seasons, fifteen- games per season.) Not a bad job for throwing around a football. That does not take into consideration his product endorsements. Therefore, why would an athlete earning that kind of money get caught up in a dog fighting and gambling scheme. Is it that he was just bored in the off- season?
I have heard people making statements that condone this behavior comparing it to the bullfights in Spain. Some have even said, “Hey, we slaughter cattle don’t we.” I did not know that slaughtering pit bulls was adding to the food chain.
What is worse even yet is that people try to turn a blind eye to the fact that these so-called great American heroes have been arrested for drugs, assault, reckless and drunk driving and even murder. As long as they can hit another home run, score another hat trick or throw another touchdown pass who cares if they beat their wives or children. “The girl was probably asking to be raped and the person murdered in a bar room brawl probably deserved to die,” are some of the comments you hear. Take the case of Lonnie Baxter, who was arrested for firing a gun aimlessly from a moving car only a few blocks from the White House; who knows what damage he could have done. Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holifield’s ear in the ring. That was after he got out of prison for raping a woman. In addition, they gave him back his boxing license! Super Bowl champion linebacker Ray Lewis was being tried for murder until he plea- bargained to a lesser charge. We used to think that John McEnroe screaming at tennis referees was outrageous.
Some of today’s athletes, it seems continually tarnish the leagues that have made them rich and famous. However, as the song goes, “what goes up must come down, spinning wheels all around.” Falling from grace isn’t so bad; it’s the sudden stop at the bottom that gets you hurt.
With the advent of 24-hour sports broadcasting and Internet reporting, the exploits of the most popular sports figures are always headline news. The biggest problem is that our children are able to see their behavior and put them up as role models. You only have to look at the walls in your children’s room to see pictures and posters of athletes who our children idolize. You only have to watch the commercials on television to see an athlete pushing a product or conducting an interview.
Michael Vick is quoted as saying, “It don’t matter what I did, or what I do, people are always gonna love me anyway.” Does he feel he is really above the law, because he is rich and famous or because he is black?
I don’t want you to think that my last comment makes me a racist. I am not. You only have to read my book to know what I really believe. However, when the NAACP comes out in a news conference and states that the only reason Michael Vick is being singled out is that he is black, it is counterproductive to what they claim they stand for. If they want to be a force for social justice then they must speak up for black and white together. I have not heard them say one word about Tim Donaghy being innocent until proven guilty. Is the fact that they have not blasted the media for claiming that Barry Bonds is using steroids because the record he is attempting to surpass belongs to a Hank Aaron a black baseball player and a great American hero.
It will be a sad day in American sports if Michael Vick is convicted and continues to play football after serving his sentence.
If you want to stand for social justice in this world, then you have to live by the words of the late Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King who said, “I dream of the day when a man is judged not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.”
And, that’s my opinion.
Jul 30, 2011 | | Role Model