A teacher is one of the few professionals in society who is expected not only to perform a job but also to embody ‘the ideal being’. Society does not merely ask teachers to teach mathematics, language, science, or history. It asks them to become symbols of morality, discipline, patience and ‘social correctness’. A teacher is expected to speak carefully, ‘dress appropriately’, behave respectfully, react calmly, remain composed, and maintain a ‘spotless image’ both inside and outside school. The expectations placed upon teachers are not simply professional expectations; they are deeply moral and social expectations. But somewhere in this process, society stopped seeing teachers as human beings. We often speak about teachers as “the role models” for children, and that idea in itself is not entirely wrong, but it has slowly evolved into something unrealistic. Teachers are now expected to perform perfection. They are not allowed to be visibly flawed. There are no rooms for them to make mistakes. They are not allowed to express confusion, vulnerability, or individuality in ways others can. Society seems uncomfortable with the idea that the person standing in front of children could also be someone who is still learning about life. 

This raises an important question: Why do we refuse to allow teachers to be human? 

The answer lies partly in the way society imagines childhood. Children are seen as impressionable beings who absorb everything around them. Because teachers spend a large amount of time with children, society places enormous or let’s say almost all of the responsibility upon them. Teachers are expected to become moral guardians who protect children from the chaos, contradictions, and imperfections of the world. Parents often want teachers to compensate for everything society lacks - discipline, values, emotional intelligence, manners, and even availability as parents and parenting itself. A child who grows up believing that respected adults never fail, never struggle, never get angry, and never make mistakes develops an unrealistic understanding of life. The irony is that children do not actually benefit from being surrounded by artificial perfection. In fact, children learn far more from authenticity than from performance. They begin to think that mistakes are shameful. They begin to associate worthiness with perfection. Eventually, they internalise the belief that in order to be respected or loved, they too must hide their flaws or be flawless. This should be regarded as one of the greatest silent violences of modern education. Today’s world focuses heavily on appearances. Social media encourages people to show only the best and most polished parts of their lives. Schools can also unintentionally strengthen this pressure through a fixed idea of what a “good” or a “successful” student should look like. 

If teachers are also expected to always appear perfect and flawless, children rarely get to see adults as they truly are, instead children only see carefully controlled and idealised versions of adults. The concern here is that children may start believing that being respected or successful means hiding flaws and always appearing perfect, rather than accepting that........

© Greater Kashmir