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Development of Self-Understanding Through Guidance · The real Challenge of a Teacher Today, however, is that he is expected to have attained all these qualities and values under the existing societal conditions, which do not appear to be very favourable for the development of such ideal traits. Under the present circumstances, therefore, there is an additional need for him to have the Courage of Conviction to be able to face current oddities in his world of work, a Staunch Will to overcome emergent hurldles, a very strong Faith in his roles and responsibilities, and above all, an Unfailing Loyalty towards his Profession. From this point of view, the image of an Ideal Teacher Today may be a little different from the Ideal Guru during our ancient Value-oriented Society. Perhaps his task will also be much more challenging than the Gurus who did not have to struggle for basic necessities of life and whose, Gurukuls commanded a respectable position in the entire society! Today's Teacher, therefore, needs much more personal stamina, an unbending will to act, perhaps a fighting spirit to combact and conquer, and an unusual discretionary ability to sift the desirable from the undesirable through a host of stimulants present in today's complicated world. A fundamental trait, however, can enable him to confidently stand like a rock amidst storms, and that trait is a Fearless Freedom of Mind. In Guru Rabindranath's immortal words. "Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high; where knowledge is free, ... Today's teacher needs to keep awake into that the heaven of freedom!
Last but not the least important - one more quality I would like to add to my vision of an Ideal Teacher, and in my view, that is an eternally valuable quality in a teacher, irrespective of historical age-differences, or geographical local variations. It is the LOVE for PUPIL ivhich can continually inspire a teacher to confidently move forward.
One of the prime responsibilities of a teacher is to assist the pupil with his own Self-understanding. In order to fulfil this responsibility, he should first understand himself. He needs to clearly envisage his own roles and responsibilities - eternal as well as emergent. In the context of this understanding he has to be assisted by the teacher-educator to develop the desired qualities and qualifications. (2) Some Practical Suggestions for Developing Self-Understanding in Teacher
Trainees Through Guidance in our Teacher Education Programmes. (a) Initial Guidance for Self-Understanding:
There is a probability that today's pupil teacher may enter the teachertraining institute with some negative attitudes, such as “forced to be becoming a teacher", "driven by necessity to enter this job", "formal acquisition of a requisite qualification" or for girls“ a Second string to the bow".
An initial Guidance Approach for inculcating the seeds of Self-Understanding at this preliminary stage may be to organise some informal brain-storming sessions-preferably in small groups, wherein participants may be encouraged to
January-March 1993
Jain Education International
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