From Student to Teacher: Carrying Forward a Legacy of Change - My Tryst with This Noble Profession

From Student to Teacher: Carrying Forward a Legacy of Change. 

My Tryst with This Noble Profession

On this day of remembering the enormous impact that teachers have on our lives, I cannot help but reflect on how their guidance shapes not just individuals, but entire societies. A good teacher does more than impart knowledge—they instill values, nurture confidence, and spark curiosity. Their influence goes far beyond the classroom, leaving imprints that continue to guide us in the choices we make, the paths we follow, and the people we become. In many ways, teachers are the unseen architects of a more compassionate and enlightened society.

For me, this journey has been deeply personal. From my early school days, in my hometown in Andhra Pradesh and in Salem, Tamil Nadu, I looked up to teachers who patiently nurtured my love for learning. 

In my college life at the great Loyola and Presidency, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, my professors expanded my horizons, introducing me to new worlds of thought and inspiring me to question, explore, and grow. 

And at the university level at Madras University, Chennai and now at Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, my professors, supervisors and mentors not only challenged me academically but also encouraged me to see teaching as a calling—a way to give back, to share knowledge, and to inspire others just as I had been inspired.

I also owe a lot to the knowledge I gained through those not in the profession, but showcased and guided me through their exceptional skills about patience, consistency, hard work, sacrifices and moving forward with passion, like my maternal grandmother and a few of my aunts and uncles.

And how can I forget about the impactful role the books, the magazines, the newspapers, Google, YouTube, ChatGPT and other technological apps, had in my understanding of this large universe that we all exist in. 

It is because of these teachers that I chose to become one myself. Their encouragement and example gave me the conviction that teaching is not just a profession, but a responsibility—to shape minds, to touch lives, and to bring about small yet definite changes that ripple outward. Today, as I stand before my own students, I carry forward the legacy of my teachers with a heart full of gratitude, determined to contribute, in my own way, to building a more thoughtful, humane, and beautiful society as I continue to teach for the past 6+ years.

Happy Teacher's Day, and may every teacher find peace, happiness and joy in their life.