Why is it tough being a teacher/Guru? Why is teaching so difficult? Why are teachers treated so much with disrespect? Why is teaching as a profession frowned upon by everyone? Why are teachers paid so less for their services? What incentive is left for someone to become a teacher?
I remember during my school days I had a very strict headmistress and everyone was afraid of her. She always carried a thick flat piece of wood which we called a telephone. She used it to thrash anyone who committed some crime or misdemeanours in class. It fell on our knuckles or our behinds and what a whack it created. We were all so much afraid of this drill Sargent.
Later on, in college the teachers or lecturers read from books and asked us to read solved question papers. They never taught us anything at all. We had to attend separate outside classes to know the subject. But the main focus was to get good marks in examinations so everyone studied only the solved question papers of previous years. Students paid more attention to competitive exams to secure admission into professional colleges. Everyone then aspired to become a doctor or an engineer.
The role of a teacher diminished as we attended higher and higher classes. Teachers were treated more like some class monitors or clerks who took attendances. During my kids education, the thrust was to do classes outside the school where the same teachers gave personalised training at an exorbitant cost. These same teachers agenda in school was to rush through the syllabus and somehow finish it in a limited time. There was always more competition to attend private classes than school periods. There were very few dedicated teachers left then.
The teachers profession became attuned towards earning more and more, so the main thrust of giving proper and appropriate education left them. The noble profession became a money earner. Later, newer medias opened up and the same teachers left the profession to become qualified professional in other industries. Learning lost its charm and it only became more mechanical task of writing exams. Gaining admission in prestigious institution only was the objective of few intelligent students. Few teachers gave the secret recipe for getting admission to these Ivy League colleges. These specialist teachers were more sought after for their special skill sets. Education lost out in the race to prestige and greed.
Today it is extremely tough to find a good teacher due to various reasons. One is lack of respect towards the teachers and their profession by students. Next is the less amount of remuneration paid to them. Only a few get paid the earth and they are a hallowed institution themselves. They become more pricey as they get more recognition and awards.
In spiritual, the rule of the game is you cannot become a teacher without the divine command. The teacher or Guru is the sakshat Parabrahman or the divine unmanifest. The Guru is authorised by God Himself and by his Satguru. The Guru’s Master is the approver of the part the Guru would be playing in this world. There are no grades or degrees in spiritual path. The Guru is the sole arbiter and judge. He will be the guide and will lay down the syllabus for every individual disciple. The syllabus or studies are not the same for other disciples. It may differ like heaven and earth. The teachings are spontaneous and religious.
There is a strict discipline in his domain. There are unwritten rules which transcends the normal worldly norms. The demands are unnerving and unyielding. The rigours start at the beginning of the day, very early in the morning and goes on till the end of night. The disciplines to be maintained are very strict and tough. Life in the monastery are not for the weak minded. The teacher there is a toughest disciplinarian. Service unto the Master is mandatory. Above all the Master may not ask for any compensation for the disciples training. Even the stay is free. The Gurukul system is the epitome of absolute training and learning for a greater cause.
People may say that the Gurukul system is very archaic and ancient system and irrelevant today but if we need truly dedicated and evolved citizens then this is it. Shantiniketen was started that way and it has churned out good number of students. Still there are monasteries which follow such methods and I hope there are more.
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