Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. By Robert Frost
We know a simple fact that all of us have only one life to live. This has made us ambitious in the pursuit of gaining as much as we can to make this one life pleasing and comfortable. To achieve this, we do not mind the means that we take, as long as we get what we want. But this “I, Me and My World” attitude has blinded us from something more worthwhile and lasting, that is TRUE LOVE.
Teaching profession is a special vocation, a call to take the less travelled road and to make all the difference in every child in the class. It has always been ‘TRUE LOVE’ that has been less travelled.
A teacher has to take this road in order to become effective. The epitome of such love is the lives of those who have made History. We have for example Mother Teresa of Kolkata. In the face of overwhelming needs of the poor, abandoned in Kolkata’s streets and slums, where all would seem to mock the existence of God and His love, Mother Teresa was a beacon of light to those groping in darkness of utter poverty.
Nelson Mandela spent over twenty years in prison for his opposition for apartheid regime. Being the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, for his work in helping to end the racial segregation in South Africa, Nelson Mandela stands out as a Hero of Equality.
Today all remember Mahatma Gandhi as the ‘Father of the Nation’, because he travelled a road that is less travelled by all and this definitely made a difference. His non-violent movement and peaceful disobedience made the difference.
The big question as teachers we have to ask is ‘Where goest thou?’. It is we who make history. A teacher taking the road that is less travelled by all will definitely make a difference. As a saying goes – some are born teachers while others are made or trained teachers but ultimately a true teacher is the one who takes the road less travelled that is the road to ‘TRUE LOVE’. Amdist all the glamour of this world it is only as teachers that we can make a difference to each child and ultimately there will be a better world around us.
Each of us is called to be a teacher to let others grow even though some are teachers by profession. Lets then as teachers, take the road less travelled… the road of ‘TRUE LOVE’. I am sure in the eve of our lives we will say with joy in our hearts, ‘That – has made all the DIFFERENCE!’.
Sr. Nancy, Department of Botany, St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama
