TEACHERS DAY
Today is 5th September. It
was on this day that Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born in 1888. His death
occurred in 1975. He was an Indian statesman, distinguished author, great philosopher
of comparative religion and pre-eminent academic. He served as the second President of India
from 1962 t0 1967. Bharat Ratna was one of the many awards he received in India
and abroad. It was he who suggested to his students that his birthday should be
dedicated to honouring all the teachers.
Quoted below on this occasion is A
LETTER FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO HIS SON’S TEACHER. The writer was then the
President of America (1861-1865). What he has written in this letter is the
summary of an ideal teacher’s functions which are relevant for centuries to come.
“My son
starts school today. It is all going to be strange and new to him for a while
and I wish you would treat him gently. It is an adventure that might take him
across continents. All adventures that notably include wars, tragedy and
sorrow. To live this life will require faith, love and courage.
….teach him
that for every enemy, there is a friend. He will have to know that all men are
not just, that all men are not true. But teach him also that for every
scoundrel there is a hero, that for every crooked politician, there is a
dedicated leader.
Teach him if
you can that 10 cents earned is of far more value than a dollar found. ….Teach
him to learn how to gracefully lose, and enjoy winning when he does win.
Teach him to
be gentle with people, tough with tough people. Steer him away from envy if you
can and teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Teach him if you can ---how to
laugh when he is sad, teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him there can
be glory in failure and despair in success. Teach him to scoff at cynics.
Teach him if
you can the wonders of books, but also give him time to ponder the extreme
mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hill. Teach
him to have faith in his own ideas, even if every one tell him they are wrong.
Try to give
my son the strength not to follow the crowds when everyone else is doing it. ………
Teach him to
sell his talents and brains to the highest bidder but never to put a price on
his heart and soul. Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the
patience to be brave. Teach him to have sublime faith in himself, because then
he will always have sublime faith in mankind and God.
Abraham Lincoln
closes his letter with the following words:
“This
is the order, teacher but see what best you can do. He is such a nice little
boy and he is my son.”
***********
G.R.Kanwal
5 September 2024
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