Sai Baba on Teachers

Do we take our teachers for granted?  Are they underpaid for the amount of work they do?  Some students succeed in life primarily because they have had instructors of noble character. Likewise, there are those who fail miserably because of inept educators

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Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba said, “Teachers are the path-finders of the nation. They prepare the royal road to a bright future. The skill and efficiency of the people, their reliability and sense of duty depend on the community of teachers.”

But do we have such teachers anymore?  Yes, in many institutions men and women who practice and exemplify human values are a great asset to their students.  However, perhaps these distinguished individuals are more of an exception than the norm nowadays.“When teachers divide themselves into factions or scandalize each other or revel in the game of politics, students are easily infected by the same harmful tendencies,” Sathya Sai insisted.

“A life without character is as barren as a temple without a lamp, a coin that is counterfeit, a kite whose string has snap-ped.  A teacher who instructs pupils with his eye fixed on his salary, and a pupil who learns with his eyes fixed on a job are both missing their vocation.”

Every student has the potential to be an asset to the community, to the nation, and to the world.  Society, therefore, is dependent on good teachers.

Mother and Father Sai explained the essential task of a school master. “The teacher has to help the pupil unfold and manifest the skills and qualities inherent in him and encourage him to rise to the fullest height he is capable.  The divine is the core in both teachers and pupil.  The educational process is the increasing awareness of this truth, the increasing utilization of this latent power.

“This does not mean that the teacher and the student are at the same level. The teacher has to be so full of compassion and love that he understands and sympathizes with the students and their struggle to blossom.”