Why should you become a teacher? Some people do it because nothing else worked out. There are still others who genuinely like teaching and wants to do nothing else. The choice is straight if you fall in either of these extreme categories. If you don’t, like me, you should consider much better reasons for becoming a teacher.

You can take up the role of teacher almost anywhere – you can help others to learn and learn with them yourself in any social or professional situation; and since you would not have the identified position of a teacher, you would not take your role and your superiority for granted. You must win the respect of the students and retain it every day, at every instance. You must inspire them and help them to prosper. You must be a mentor who says “go ahead and do what you want, I shall take care of things if you mess up. Give it your best shot without fear.” Imagine what wonder this can do to your own psyche and your capabilities.

• Being a teacher is an attitude. It requires you to learn on the job and then understand the process better than others so that you can develop it into systematic knowledge that can thereafter be transferred.
• Becoming a teacher makes you an evergreen learner. It requires you to give up the pretense of being an infallible expert and let others question your learning.
• Being a real teacher makes you realise that knowledge alone is of no use, knowledge management and knowledge sharing is what makes the difference. Becoming a teacher involves learning to communicate. It teaches one to understand the need of the audience and to be sensitive to the thought process of other human beings. Ever met a teacher who knew exactly what you were thinking? He has mastered the art of student perception – understanding the unspoken thought process of individuals that either supplicates or inhibits learning.
• A teacher works hard to learn things better so that they can teach better, faster, more efficiently.

No matter who you are – manager, doctor, lawyer, salesman, accountant, entrepreneur, wife – you probably teach someone in the course of a normal day. Maybe your boss, clients, readers of your blog, project guide, or the arrogant physics professor or even the person on the street who doesn’t know how to behave – only way you shall succeed with them is by being a good, perceptive, earnest teacher. Think more like a teacher – treat those people who you need to win over as your students – they’ll call you a people’s person.