Mohammad Ashraf

Is Teaching a Profession?: Teaching As a Profession and Beyond Mohammad Ashraf

No matter what it means by ?teaching? as a profession or as an occupation like ordinary workers, it goes beyond those horizons. Ideally, a teacher is a mentor who enlightens to ignite an open and limitless potentiality of human life. This potentiality is open-ended, because life is not like a puzzle that must be constructed in one way, but like a lego that is open for unlimited set of imaginative constructions. In fact, life is a lego-game, full of smart moves and decisions. A teacher helps the students to choose the right decision from a myriad of choices confronting in their daily lives. So, teacher is not only an integral part of overall learning process, but a leader who serves as a role model. However, teaching is successful, if there is a strong bond of relationship between the students and the teacher. This relationship is built on affection and trust that build bridges between teachers and students. In this way, a sense of belongingness is formed in the minds of the students to someone who really care for them. This implies that teaching is not only a livelihood but a vocation. Thus,it can be said that teaching is not a profession but a mission or a vocation or a religion.