| Spotlight
IMPORTANCE OF GOOD TEACHER -
STUDENT RELATIONS
Md. Rafiqul Islam
 EFFECTIVE teaching or learning depends on sound and healthy relations between teachers and students. Both teachers and students contribute to the process of learning. It is a two-way traffic. Fruitful interaction between teachers and students can ensure the success of imparting and receiving education.
It is said that a mother is the best teacher and a child learns most of the basic things from her without paying much conscious effort. We also know that relationship between a mother and a child is incomparable. Both mother and child understand each other's feelings very deeply and a child gets the most secured place on her lap.
The job of a teacher is almost like a mother- to look after the wellbeing of the students. To know a new thing is to discover a new land. A teacher is a guide to help the student reach the new place. A teacher must know the needs of the students and arrange the teaching materials accordingly. If he does not have good relations with students, he will surely fail to understand their pulse. On the other hand, if the students do not feel secured at the presence of a teacher, they will not come out of their shell. They will hide their emotion, liking and disliking. So there will be a wall between the teacher and the students and the flow of knowledge will be hampered. The teacher also will be deprived of getting feedback from the students.
A teacher must create urge among the students to know the unknown. He must motivate them at different levels of the learning process. He must evaluate the performance of them and appraise them from time to time. To implement all the steps mentioned, a good relation between a teacher and a student is urgently required.
A good teacher with sound knowledge and rich personality can highly inspire the students, who may take him as role model and can work hard to be a person like him. If we study the lives of great persons, we can see many of them have got inspiration from some of their favourite teachers.
A teacher not only teaches the lessons prescribed in the syllabus but also trains them many things required for practical life. He teaches them manner and behaviour, helps them develop their taste for good things and makes them fit for society. So a good attachment and understanding between a teacher and a student is a must.
Minimising generation gap: A congenial environment where students and teachers will feel free to interact with each other is highly desirable. It is the primary role of the teachers to create such atmosphere. But the first hindrance on the way to developing such situation is the generation gap. Both teachers and students represent different generations. Their mentality and attitude is shaped by the factors prevailing at that time. The songs, movies and fashion enjoyed by the teachers no longer appeal to the new generation. They have developed new taste and habit. They are moved by the fashion and style of present time.
Under these circumstances, there is no other way for the teachers but to broaden their mind. They must think there must be something good and new by which young generation is attracted. The teachers should upgrade themselves with the changes otherwise they may be obsolete. They should also try to introduce students to good and interesting things of the past. In Cadet Colleges, games, sports and cultural activities are arranged. Taking part in those activities by teachers and students can remove the barrier. Thus generation gap can be minimised.
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| Photo: Daffodil University |
Improving subject knowledge and teaching technique: Potential students are admitted in Cadet Colleges. Their thirst for knowledge can be quenched only by meritorious and potential teachers. Only bullying the young talents may hamper their mental growth. The teachers must have profound knowledge on the subject and at the same time modern technique of teaching. Knowing mental make up of the learners, their individual trend and habit, seeing things from learners' point of view is a foremost thing. For this they have to come out from the cocoon of their previous attitude and habit. An effective training programme may serve the purpose. In a training programme, foundation course to understand the mind of the students, example of effective teaching in various part of the world, development of teaching methodology are included. So by being trained up, a teacher can be more effective, productive and acceptable to the learners.
Safeguarding self respect: Learners are often victims of humiliation. Punishment for doing wrong thing is not humiliation. Teachers must know that learners' mind is soft and sensitive. They have high hope and ambition - longing for a prosperous future. They may feel humiliated for slightest context. So teachers must be aware of it at the time of awarding punishment or at the time of writing evaluation report. Choosing wrong word while writing report may damage his spirit or encouragement. Side by side, teachers' dignity must be upheld. A student will not accept a person as a role model unless he has position in society.
Keeping profiles of the cadets: A teacher should keep cadet profiles containing their stamp size photographs, primary information, grading of different examinations in a file. It will help him understand the cadets.
Teacher-student-guardian conference: In Cadet Colleges, cadet remain in the centre. All activities are performed with a view to improving their physical and mental development. For better motivation and for solving some peculiar problems of them, teacher-student-guardian conference is required. It will also help to strengthen the bond of the teacher student relations.
Secured environment: Students must feel motherly affection at the presence of the teachers. They will not feel hesitated to make mistake at the time of learning. Making no mistake means they are not learning. That means they are reproducing what they have learnt earlier. They must be corrected carefully. The environment is such that they feel comfort, relaxed and secured. They will enjoy learning through making mistakes. Their effort to learn new things should be awarded. A little change in our attitude may bring revolutionary change in society.
(The Writer is a Assistant. Prof. Department of English, Joypurhat Girls' Cadet College)
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