On each teacher’s day, we try to present some recognition and appreciation to our teachers- a little more than our friend and a little less than a parent, they find the perfect balance of guidance and candidness that helps shape young minds into future leaders. However, while doing this, we often miss out on one of the most crucial roles that a teacher plays in our lives- that of a psychologist. Confused? Let’s elaborate on that.

When we think about a counesllor, we imagine a very different person from our everyday maths or science teacher. However what does a counsellor do? He establishes a rapport with a student, tries to gain their trust and help them realise that they want to help the student. A teacher, especially a good one can’t help but make the student feel like all of these things are true. Similarly, a counsellor tries to prescribe a new approach to the problems in their lives, a teacher also does the same. From a bad grade to a difficult sum, a teacher mostly works to try and help the child find their way to the solutions and answers rather than simply telling them and moving on. In fact, a truly enthusiastic teacher tries to push a student’s drive and curiosity for a subject beyond the classroom and curriculum, to guide them into a future where they can seek out knowledge just based on their thirst for it. This mimics the moitvational strategies used by consellors and life coaches that extend far beyond simply ‘helping’ someone survive their life, but rather helps them build the resources that can allow them to thrive within their pursuits.

Similarly, many teachers try to share anecdotes and analogies to the concepts and guidelines they try to pass on to the students. This helps establish a level of candidness and authenticity to their being. They can be more frank than a parent in recalling the misadventures of their youth, while also aligning the story with a strong connection to the things being discussed at hand. This combination helps establish the teacher as an informal helper, who’s authority is earned by their stripes of experience.

On the other hand, the teachers also pay close attention to the personality and tendencies of their students. From understanding their particular styles of learning and attention span, they move beyond simple academic capability and also look at their behaviour in class and atittude towards academics. This not only helps find out the subjects that the children might be struggliung with, but also helps the teachers realise what the best course of action might be to help them. Similarly, they also understand that all students won’t be equally excited for all subjects, hence, they try and find different ways in which they can motivate the students to connect with them.

You might have noticed that a good teacher always gets students interested in their subjects, but a great teacher get them interested about life in general as well. In these cases, the teachers go beyond the school curriculum of a particular subject and allow students to approach them from a fresh set of eyes, wherein the subject becomes a way to apporach life rather than simply a set of chapters to be prepared for examinations. In such cases, the students feel comfortable about reaching out to their teachers for issues that might go beyond the classroom. This is where the teachers truly become the first, out of family advisors for the children, effectively being their first exposure to a mentor and a counsellor. People fondly recall when they shared any family issues, personal tensions or even relationship problems with the teachers they felt the closest to, who took a very non-judgemental and genuine approach to it. These teachers were able to coat the adivce and guidance in the guise of genuine life experinces and stories that help the students find them relateable rather than just capable.

We can also see that teachers aren’t just limited to classrooms. From tuitions to cricket or dance coaching, everywhere a child turns to learn a new skill, there is always a person at the other end, patiently and compassionately teaching it. It is worthwhile to mention that these teachers usually find it easier to form a great rapport with theoir students, as they are not limited to some curriculum or a rigid school setting, and can genuinely connect with them beyond simple daily lectures. These teachers focus on the overall development of the child and usually think about not just their skills in the thing they are learning, but also focus on their overall wellbeing as a student. Hence, we see that children that engage in extra curricular activities outside of school tend to be better at emotional regulation and have better overall mental and physical health. A good part of the recognition for this is owed to these teachers, who aren’t bound by any assessment system, but still choose to nurture their students.

To end with, let’s go back to the idea of a teacher as a counsellor. What’s interesting here is that as the child grows up in the school system, the role of the teacher changes and evolves as well. At younger leveles, teachers act as fascilitators, who guide activities in classrooms that engage and educate the children. Slowly as the child reaches middle grades, the teachers become somewhere between a third parent and a disciplinarian. They find that balance between punishment and nurturing to help the child maintain and regulate their decorum when presenting themselves in the outside world. And as the children reach the higher grades, the teachers move to the role of a guide and mentor, who help the students navigate challenges that go beyond the subjects.

This teacher’s day, we should thank our teachers, whether they came from schools, coaching centres or sports academies. And we should look up to them not only for making us fall in love with their subjects, but also for falling in love with learning. Both within and beyong the classrooms.