In the current academic landscape where the digital revolution and artificial intelligence have overshadowed traditional teaching methods, many people think that teachers’ significance will be less over the time. Still, the fact is that their role is going to be even more vital. Let’s discuss the significance of a teacher beyond academics in the current digital age.

Cultivating Curiosity and Critical Thinking:

A modern computer might be able to solve a calculus or find factual details about a specific incident but it will fail to teach a child to calculate the area of a circle according to the level of their cognitive intelligence. A good teacher understands that every student has diverse abilities and requires different ways of teaching.

To Maintain a Delicate Balance between IQ and EIQ: 

There is no scope for doubt about the logical capabilities of a computer, it can solve a difficult sum in a second, and beat Garry Kasparov in a game of chess, but as Daniel Goleman mentioned in his research, more than IQ we need EIQ(Emotional Intelligence Quotient) to achieve success in life, and emotional values like empathy, compassion, love, and integrity can only delivered and developed when there is a human factor involved. So a teacher becomes more important for the emotional development of a person across the noble pursuits of life.      

Crafting Agile Mindsets for the Future-Proof Career:

Adaptability and resilience are the key virtues to achieving success in the rapidly changing digital world. Only an ignited guide can give the foresight to understand the changes in the job market, technical advancements, and the impact of geopolitical and economic events in certain professions, and assist in developing the ability to adapt to those changes and decide to choose the appropriate path. 

Maintaining Moral Compass in Realm of Possibilities: 

With the recent development in technologies, the issues of ethical deterioration are emerging day by day, with incidents of breaches in data privacy, piracy, misinformation, and negative use of AI tools like deepfake rising. It signifies the scarcity of ethical values, and a teacher’s role becomes more impactful in this particular situation, to teach ethical values, choosing what is right rather than what is beneficial. These values are beyond the academic curriculum, and it is the responsibility of a teacher to develop these values from inception to every step in life.

Beyond the Classroom, a Teacher is Guide for the Life

In the current age of competition where a person has diverse options to choose from as a career path, a teacher’s role increases apart from teaching certain skill sets. They also have to guide and pave the way so their student can solve the chaotic puzzle of career options. A teacher’s mentorship can help students discover their passion and potential, and they also provide direction by which one can achieve their ambition and individual fulfillment.         

Ability to Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn in the Current Age of Information Overflow: 

Water water everywhere, not a single drop to drink, this depicts accurately the current environment of information overload. From morning to night, we get too many opinions, facts, and news presented very delicately, so it becomes hard to recognize what is correct and what is fake, what is relevant, and what should be avoided. A teacher must be able to equip their pupils with understanding and filtering of the presented data, and the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn the things in order get fit in the current fast-paced world.

In the end, a ship is as good as its captain, all tools, books, advanced classrooms, and modern technology will not be able to bring change if the teacher is incompetent, and at the same time all of these can cause big damage if a teacher is ignorant. The teacher not only serves for the academic pursuits of a person but also is a guide for a lifetime. As William Arthur Ward said “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”, it signifies that the teacher is the artist of one’s personality, whether it is in academics or in general.