Are Teachers Powerful ?

I for one have felt that we as teachers are very powerful, I have not qualified the word powerful but want to believe it is powerful in the positive sense, in our ability to influence the life of the students we teach. Most of us would be able to relate to this positive power of a teacher, more so in the early days of our schooling , at the school level ..........

This power has implications for a teacher, as it is a sort of double edged sword. It is because of the fact that students most of the times would put a lot of faith on our judgment and ability to evaluate, and even a stray remark from a teacher can lead to a lasting impression on the student.

To see how a teacher can positively influence a student I would recommend two movies for everyone aspiring to become a good teacher . One which I watched today is based on a true story " Freedom Writers" . The movie is about a new teacher who inspires her class to move beyond their differences based on races and learn to apply themselves, inspire them to pursue education beyond school.... There is a foundation which has been set so that the experince could be replicated, the Freedom writers foundation. It is worth a visit..

Another movie which inspired me was "pay it forward" (Was recommended by my friend with its linkage for a teacher). Though this movie is a work of fiction but still I could see that there were many take-aways for a teacher...........