Education is a dynamic and lifelong process, which is always goal-oriented. The centre of this process is the child, around whom the entire educational process is structured. But the main priest(Host) of this educational plan is the teacher. Teachers are the backbone of the education system. In the present age one who is engaged in teaching in an institutional school is called a teacher (in the narrow sense). Or the one who develops the child by presenting his accumulated knowledge and experiences to the child, is the teacher (in the wider sense). There has been a lot of change in the teaching profession, nowadays, to establish oneself as an ideal teacher in the society, several qualities and responsibilities need to be accepted. How to be a teacher? It is in this context that the qualities and responsibilities of a teacher come up. Let’s discuss the qualities and responsibilities of an ideal teacher.

Qualities of a Teacher

A teacher is the architect of the entire educational system. Who controls the entire educational system by applying his brilliant intellect. As a result, the question of competence is closely related to his role. Because the success of an educational process depends on the teacher. Therefore, to be a qualified teacher, he must possess several qualities. The qualities of a teacher are divided into two categories-

Fig: Qualities of a Ideal Teacher

Innate Qualities :

The innate qualities of a teacher are known as his personal or inborn qualities(which he is born with). These qualities are non transferable. But these qualities are important to succeed in the teaching profession. These qualities are discussed below-

1. Good Health :  A teacher has to work very hard in the teaching profession, in that case the main quality of a good teacher will be his good health. It is not said that he will be good looking, unique, or that his/her personality will attract students. Only then he can influence the minds of the students. He will be able to bring success in his profession only if he has a good personality.
2. Voice : The teacher’s voice is considered as one of the most important elements in the teaching profession. Because, a teacher’s voice is the bridge of relationship between teacher and student. A teacher’s voice should be loud and melodious.
3. Clear Pronunciation : A teacher’s pronunciation should not have any stutter. Pronunciation will be clear, free from stuttering and regional effects.
4. Sharp intellect : A teacher must possess sharp intellect. Conducting education is an important task. A student needs a lot of intelligence, judgement, prudence and vision to manage the school environment in a coherent and orderly manner.
5. Sense of Humour : A teacher’s sense of humour is very essential in the teaching profession. If the teacher has no sense of humour, he will not be able to touch the heart of the students. If a teacher uses an interesting example while teaching in the classroom, it quickly penetrates the minds of the students, also it can eliminate the boredom of the classroom to a great extent.
6. Patience and Endurance : If a person doesn’t have patience, then he/she is not a qualified or suitable person to this profession. Because the main quality of the teaching profession is infinite patience and tolerance. A teacher has to listen patiently to the problems of the students and have infinite patience to understand those problems correctly.
7. Social : Real people develop within society. So a teacher should have the socio-culture, ethics, language, history, customs etc. at his fingertips. We should keep in mind that a social person can teach students to socialise.

Acquired Qualities:

Acquired qualities that a teacher acquires after entering the teaching profession. Teaching is an art, so to be successful in this field one needs to acquire several techniques or skills. It is not possible to conduct teaching based on innate ability alone. Various acquired qualities of a teacher are discussed below-

1. Deep knowledge of the subject : A teacher will have adequate knowledge of the subject being taught. A teacher should have in-depth knowledge of the subject he/she will be teaching the students. Besides, he needs to have little knowledge not only in subjects but also in other fields. He will be able to give accurate knowledge only if he has knowledge on various subjects.
2. Use of teaching aids : To make teaching and learning effective, a teacher must use various teaching aids in the classroom. Any content can be made tangible in front of the students through these educational aids(blackboard, chalk, duster, map, chart). As a result, a student can master any difficult subject very easily.
3. Knowledge of psychology : present education is child-centred; Where the child’s interests, needs, abilities are given the first priority. Therefore, if a teacher does not have the knowledge of psychology, he cannot be a good teacher under any circumstances. A teacher’s job is not only to give dry intellectual knowledge, but to understand the situation and give priority to the student’s interests and needs as much as possible.
4. Different teaching methods : After entering the teaching profession, it is very important for a teacher to master the concept of different teaching methods. Pedagogy is a process that links knowledge between teacher and student. Therefore, if a teacher can teach properly and coherently, he will be successful in his profession only, but in that case he has to teach by applying different methods.
5. School management : Apart from mastering the concept of learning and teaching, it is very important for a teacher to master the various aspects of school management. He can be successful in his profession only if he has sufficient knowledge about school organization, health policy, work oriented education policy etc.

Responsibilities or Duties of the Teacher

One of the most important elements of the educational process is the teacher, so a teacher also has to perform certain responsibilities for the smooth conduct of an educational process. Compared to the past, there has been a lot of change in the field of education. Nowadays the teacher’s work is not limited to imparting only intellectual knowledge in the classroom, but his work is involved in all areas of life. The responsibilities that a teacher performs in the field of education are discussed below-

Figure-2 : Responsibilities or Duties of the Teacher

1. Providing information about philosophy of life : The main responsibility or task of a teacher is to give a student information about philosophy of life. But in this case a teacher must be of good character, because a student is always modelling his teacher. A teacher will always help his students to inculcate moral ideals, on the basis of which a student’s philosophy of life will be developed.
2. Development of moral values : A teacher will always teach moral values to his students. The teacher teaches his students the difference between good and bad, right and wrong in the society, and by performing such behaviour a student is able to present himself as a worthy citizen of the society.
3. All-round development : It is also the responsibility of a teacher to achieve all-round development of a student. The main responsibility of a teacher is to develop all aspects of a student, physical, intellectual, social, aesthetic, spiritual, visual etc.
4. A teacher also plays an important role in selecting the subject matter : what subject a student will choose to achieve his desired goals. Because choosing the right content is helpful in achieving his/her education goal, in this case a teacher will help the student to choose the right content by applying his own experience.
5. Help in Content Selection : A teacher will play an important role in selecting a suitable content for student’s . He will help to qualify the student as a representative of society. But in this case a teacher will be familiar with different types of vocational fields and encourage students to join different fields.
6. To establish national integration : A teacher will always strive to establish national integration among the students. He will try to establish national unity among the students by giving them opportunities to participate in various curricular, co-curricular activities.
7. To remove prejudices : A teacher’s work is one of the aspects of a teacher’s work such as inculcating national unity among students, along with freeing a student from various prejudices of the society. However, in this case, the student has to get rid of superstitions by giving proper scientific explanations.
8. Social Leaders : Teachers will be inspired by the ideals of social service as well as they will inspire the students. He will play the role of a suitable and proper social leader with the aim of building the society.

In view of the above discussion it is clear to us what is the role of a teacher in the educational process. So it is very important for each of us (students) to show due respect to their respective teachers.

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