Moral Fabrics

“Teachers are beacons of light in idealism. It is only when the light of the teacher shines effulgently that the light among students can shine. The light from the teacher can light several lamps” said my Guru. The teachers are the ones that the students emulate apart from their parents and they are the first point of contact for the students outside of their parents. They are undertaking an important mission of inculcating values into the young minds throughout the world. They must not only teach the subject but also life skills such as discipline, how to realize one’s dreams, attitude towards life, and skills to communicate and build relationships. The teachers must equip themselves with invaluable wisdom, update their knowledge regularly to the changing world and to the children’s needs, and lead an exemplary life. They are not necessarily teaching one subject but building life skills to make these children persons of great character and role models in society. Many of us passionately recall our teachers throughout life. Great accomplishers such as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Abraham Lincoln told us about how their teacher/parent taught them life skills that helped them to achieve their goals.

In India, many educational institutions are run by religious missions resulting in teaching their religious teachings to the children whereas in the US, the government follows the practice of separating the Church and School in order not to have one religion influence the children. There is one midway between these two systems and i.e. to teach the children about the moral values and how they help them to lead an ideal and purposeful life. We come across many violent crimes committed by children in all countries and lack of moral values is the primary reason for this. Once a person commits a crime and experiences prison, then, it becomes a no point of return for such a person and crime becomes a part of his life even if he likes to go back to normal life. In the US, the prisons are called correctional facilities but rarely anything is done to change the attitude of the inmates unless one makes effort from inside. Some countries have extraordinarily low crime rates and if we notice the reason for such success is the moral fabrics of the citizens of these countries.

When the children are taught the value of Right Conduct, Truth, Love and Peace, the violent tendencies slowly disappear in every child. It is not enough if they are taught these values but they must be allowed to experience themselves. Both parents and teachers play a major role in building these moral fabrics. The idea is to build a generation of boys and girls with clean and clear consciousness filled with noble ideals. The actual syllabus should be supported with moral teachings and a right environment where these habits and ideals can grow and fructify. The home too must feel the transformation in child’s behavior. If the environment at home is hostile, then the children tend to see the difference between what they learn and what they experience. The children should be given freedom to think independently but must practice discipline vigorously. When they experience love, the children reflect that love nicely to everyone around them.

The classes will present problems of other types, which must be solved with greater discrimination and deeper Love by the teachers. The teachers must meet these problems with a desire to serve the children better and longer; then they will solve themselves easily. While teaching moral values, the teachers must do it with an intent to experience it themselves. The teachers must practice a calm and quiet temper, prepared to meet without a ruffle othe buffetings of the environment. The teachers must work with the parents with a soft heart and discuss the issues faced by them in the class, particularly about the children freely. The more collaboration between the parents and the teachers, the better the environment will be for the children! Both teachers and parents should realize they are rolling out the future citizens of the country into society and that responsibility is their greatest contribution to their country. That is one of the greatest services to the community. A great civilization comes from the ground, not the government.

 

Dear Smt. Jayasala:

Thank you for your quick response and appreciation. In our generation, we have seen many teachers like that and I am sure some exist (not many) even in the present generation. Even in IL, we see teachers who take their profession as a service to the students more than an income source and they provide way beyond what is expected from them. I feel all teachers must be trained to practice some good moral values that the students can emulate.

I hope you feel better and back home now. My prayers for your great health.

 

@Thyagarajan Sir,

Wow! Wow! Wow! You have made by day by your comments of you sending my post to the Education Minister and the comment that it should be sent to all schools. The highlight is your comment that this post deserves to be sent to NYT. Whether they publish or not, I have achieved a great sense of fulfillment of writing this post. Your comments is the greatest reward for this humble writer. I was worried that this thread didn't get much attention and with Jayasala Madam, Hari Sir, and your visit, this thread has become a holy place.

Japan implements many disciplines among the school-going children by asking them to clean the school themselves, wear uninform, not have fancy things in person, have hair done in a particular way, respect teachers and many more. These are moral values built at a young age to bring a generation of future citizens who excel in moral values. I am not saying everything is good in Japan but this one is a great example for how to make the children experience moral values.

Thank you Sir for your kind comment.

 

Dear Hari Sir,

What you said is true. It is unfortunate the children see the material world and all associated behavior even before learning the moral values. They learn to demonstrate pride and develop jealousy while they need to be working on eliminating them. Some teachers don't act like a good example for the children in order to get some additional income from tuition. Gone are the days when education was free in Gurukul and only for discipline purposes the children are asked to do some jobs at the Guru's house. Every educational system has become money-making mission and set a wrong precedence that education is for making a living and not for leading an ideal and purposeful life to help everyone around us.

 

Dear Satchi,

The students changed so much in present day because of erosion of values. When we went to school, did we do anything to taunt the teachers? Respect for individual (humanity) is not practiced. It has affected how the children handle animals too. Most actions are not driven by love and right conduct. Even small steps will make a difference.