In his poem, 'A Nation's Strength', the noted American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “Not gold but only men can make a people great and strong” and lays emphasis on human resources development in a society. Towards the end of the poem, it seems that he refers to the role of a teacher for building up an ideal society. He writes,

"Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky."
The fate of a nation is always in the hands of its teachers because if there were no teachers, all other professions would not exist. A teacher is not only a source of knowledge but also a mentor, friend and guide. Can we imagine Aristotle without Plato, Helen Keller without Anne Sullivan and Rumi without Shams Tabriz? Absolutely not. A teacher is a bedrock of civilization and the greatest benefactor of mankind. A teacher is just like an architect who designs the human stuff according to the needs of a society and gives it a perfect shape.
Teachers are the builders of nation. Just like a builder brings soil from somewhere, sifts it, breaks it and then kneads it and moulds it into whatever shape he wants. The teacher can also mould his students as per the needs of the society.
For a teacher, many names have been used in different traditions and cultures like 'Guru', 'Murshid', 'Rehbar' etc. which represent myriad qualities that are expected to be found in a teacher. 'Guru' means a spiritual teacher, 'Murshid' means the one who guides to the piety and 'Rehbar' means the one who shows the right path. Almost all these words have both mundane and spiritual connotations. So, we can say that an ideal teacher is the one who works for the development of physical, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of an individual. An ideal teacher is the one who diligently polishes the hidden human talents and brings out the best out of his disciples. He leads them towards the path of creativity and self-realization. A good teacher is the one who does not make his pupils a prisoner of his own ideas, but he provides them wings so that they are able to fly freely in the skies of knowledge. An ideal teacher enlightens his students by broadening their mental horizons.
It is a matter of great honour and privilege to be a teacher of a human offspring. The greatness of a teacher can be gauged from the fact that every parent, no matter how exalted he is, entrusts his beloved child to a teacher. Thus, there cannot be a better job than to get an opportunity to teach the young, talented and fertile minds of a community who are considered as the vanguard of new ideas and are the greatest asset of a nation. Acknowledging the importance of a teacher, one of the greatest presidents of USA, Abraham Lincoln once wrote a letter to his son's teacher mentioning the expectations he has from teachers in general as a parent. Likewise, the former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam once said,
" Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me."
Teaching is a prophetic act. All the Prophets of God were divinely-guided teachers of the mankind and they led the people towards knowledge and peace. In fact, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said, "Undoubtedly, I have been sent as a teacher." It automatically alleviates the status of a teacher and makes the teaching profession an envious job. How fortunate are those who sincerely perform their duties as teachers at different places? Teachers transfer knowledge and human values from one generation to the another and act as torch-bearers for a nation. In order to enter and advance in different fields of study like sciences, social sciences, humanities, religious sciences etc, the services of a teacher are indispensable. Even in today's digital age, when the internet has changed the modes of learning, there is no alternative to a teacher. Books and gadgets can lead to information but cannot inculcate the values that are essential for the all-round development of an individual. Teachers never die as they immortalize themselves by transferring ideas and skills to the future generations. However, this job deserves to be taken up with a great responsibility and diligence. Albert Einstein has rightly pointed out that those who have the privilege to know, have the duty to act. This job needs to be taken up with utmost precision and dedication. It is seen that the materialistic temptations, that are profoundly found in modern man, have affected the teachers as well and that is why there has been a deficiency of quality teaching. In order to regain the lost glory and to stand relevant in current times, a teacher has to keep on working on quality improvement. A teacher has to equip himself with advanced teaching skills. Today the role of a teacher has shifted towards working as a facilitator and guide. The teaching-learning process is looked upon as a platform for exchange of ideas and capabilities than a unidirectional mode of communication.
Notwithstanding that there are inadequacies on part of the teachers, now a days there are numerous pressures and pulls on our teachers. The teachers are no longer offered the respect by the communities that they deserve. Due to the commercialization of education, the teachers are looked upon as ordinary service providers and their contributions are not acknowledged. In current student-centric worldview, the powers of a teacher have been curtailed and many unnecessary restraints have been imposed and as a result the situation is worsening day by day. In an era of moral crisis, the teachers are finding it very difficult to deal with the rebellious and delinquent attitude of the students and it has become a herculean task to inculcate moral and ethical standards. The society in general has not been able to develop a harmonious ambiance for the effective teaching-learning and often minor mistakes of the teachers are highlighted in the public domain and they are often mocked and ridiculed.
In our culture, teachers are often stereotyped as 'khushk' (pedantic) and 'kanjoos' (stingy) and their image is thus negatively painted.
As a result, the teachers often get demoralized and dispirited. We should remember that Ignorance rules where there is no respect for teachers.
It is a tragedy of our society that today the most educated and talented youth do not want to become teachers. Some adopt this profession out of compulsion and become victims of inferiority complex forever. When they are not able to make a place in any other field of life, they go for it. As a result, the education receives a setback as they are not able to do justice with their job.
In advanced societies, the teachers are highly respected. They are trained to face difficult situations and enabled to devise customized teaching strategies. Teaching-learning process should not be a monopoly of a few experts but it must be made inclusive by taking all the stakeholders on board. In challenging times, the society in general has to optimise the standards of education by taking care of its teachers. Our teacher has still a great role to play for the transformation and advancement of the society.

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