What differentiates a great teacher from a good teacher?

A great teacher never teaches!!! This is what I always replied, and I received all sort of looks from family, friends, fellow parents and many educators.

This statement may sound outrageous, but it has something very deep in it. For too long we have focussed too much on teaching , so much so that we totally forgot about learning. A Good teacher is one who teaches well, but a Great teacher is one who enables the child to learn well.

Learning do not need teaching, learning is intrinsic to us, and when i say us it applies to every single living being on earth. Whether it's a tree, it's an animal, it's a bird, it's a fish, it's a microorganism, or it's a human being, we all have the capacity to learn.

A great teacher do not teach us but, they see the potential in us, they believe in us even before we learn to believe in ourselves, they motivate us, they inspire us, they give us purpose, they give us dreams, at times they scold us(for our own good), sometimes they tell us stories, and more then often they play dumb in front of us, so that we can learn it on our own. If I keep writing the list will go on and on. In short, all the actions of a great teacher are directed towards one single thing - to turn their student into a great learner.

When a teacher teaches, the student learns, and with time they forget, but when a student learns how to learn, they become a life long learner, there is no end to their learning. And thats how the teacher stays with them at every single moment of their life, becoming a part of their existence.

So here, three cheers!!! to Learning...

Happy Teachers Day! to all my teachers who taught me various things in life and an extra Happy Teachers Day! to all my teachers who helped me learn...