Teachers are the flag bearers of humanity. They spend their entire
lives making next-generation wiser and more productive to society. Demands from
the roles of teachers have been increasing with the growing vastness of the
subjects. Mere knowledge is not sufficient to be a good teacher. It is an art
to make the subjects lucid and interesting enough to get through the restless
younger generations; it is a science to keep the learning process more
objective and accurate. Teaching is perhaps the most perfect example of the
amalgamation of science and art into one.

Our ability to think and process
information is what sets us apart from the monkeys. Humans are the only species
who have benefited from the number of years of their existence because they
accumulate knowledge and pass on to fellow human beings. We do not need to take
pain of learning to light fire or make wheels, because our forefathers did it
for us thousands of years back! And some of them took the responsibility of
teaching this skill to their next generation and the same has been being passed
on ever since. Unless there were responsible teachers in each generation, this
power of humanity would vanish.

A teacher is the most important person
in our lives after our parents who kindles the life of others with his
knowledge and make them humane and productive. One cannot really learn things
without having a teacher in his life- formal or informal, but a teacher is must
to learn anything. Scriptures across the world sing of the praises of teachers.
In fact one Hindi proverb even goes to say that the teacher is even more
respectable than God himself.

Of course, the subjects to learn
have gotten more and more complicated over time. Early teachers like Aristotle and
Chanakya could have afforded to teach all the subjects ranging from political
science to philosophy to mathematics to science to economics. But now the
subjects have become much more complex. One person may really need to spend his
entire life to understand probably just one concept of one subject! Therefore,
the job and qualifications demanded of a teacher has become more complex.

A good teacher needs to have
sufficient professional or specialized knowledge in a particular subject. As Brad
Henry once said “A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and
instill a love of learning.”
Teachers need to accumulate knowledge and invest this in their students to
pave path of a good future to them with widen up thinking and absorbing ability
giving sense about the truth of life, and thus making them a more productive
member of society.

The teacher has to act as a
mediator between books and students and try to make ease their way of
understanding subjects.  He has to
encourage and build a friendly environment to facilitate learning, encourage
Q&A. He builds up a student confident enough to face the society, confident
enough to put their knowledge to test in the real world.

Therefore, behavioral training is
also a part of teaching that grows reciprocity and cooperation among students. The
teacher has to teach moral and ethical values to students.

Good teaching has
to blend emotions and feelings with objectivity of observations, measurements
and the precision of language. To make learning effective, the process has
to be interactive and objective. Without the use of the scientific method, the
learning may not have necessary impact. Therefore, it is essential to
scientifically proven processes like- discussions, active learning, distance
learning, and case studies, to facilitate learning.

But identifying
the correct set of tools to facilitate learning and perfect delivery of the
tool is actually an art. Creating a healthy environment is important for having
the desired impact of these techniques.

 Therefore good teaching is the perfect blend
for art and science.