Who is a teacher?

Who is a teacher?
Who is a mentor?
Who is a coach?
Who is an enabler?

Who is a facilitator?
Who is a lecturer?
Who is an instructor?
Who is a trainer?

Are these just labels?
Or do they change the way we think?
Do we have to relook?
Do we redefine a teacher?

Is it a new idea?
Is it a renaissance?
Or do we already have answers?
Do we have something in the past?

Do we have Socrates who gave us the dialogue?
Do we have Feynman who taught us the first principles?
Do we have Polya who taught us heuristics education?
Do we have Ramanujan who showed us the power of intuition?

Do we have Chomsky who shows us education as empowerment?
Do we have Raghuram Rajan who shows us Dosa Economics?
Do we have Amartya Sen who shows how to relook development?
Do we have so many legends who trespass teaching?

Did they teach or did they inspire or did they motivate?
Did they teach or did they connect the dots to throw more questions?
Did they teach or did they show us aesthetics of the discipline?
Did they teach or did they show us why we should be life long learners?

Should we be a teacher?
Is everyone a teacher?
Do we have a teacher in us?
Can the teacher guide us?

Can the teacher make us a beginner once again?
Can the teacher make us grow once again, with sunshine ofcourse!
Can the student be your teacher? Can the teaching be your teacher?
Can the teacher reflect your own journey? Can the teacher give you a rebirth?

If we have knowledge, do we need wisdom?
If we have focus, do we need openness?
If we have answers, do we need questions?
If we have ego, do we need someone to tear it apart?

If we don't know how to think like a beginner?
Can we learn and relearn?
We ask the student to explain?
Isn't it that simple? Why did we miss it?

If the child has so much potential, if everyone can be Steve Jobs,
one more Gandhi, one more Alexander, how do we nurture them?
Does every child deserve a chance to learn and conquer the world?
Does every child deserve a chance to get the world at his feet?

But are we suppressing that natural curiosity?
But are we suppressing that natural ambition?
But are we suppressing those natural instincts?
But are we suppressing those natural winning abilities?

We need to connect with the child,
We need to connect with the society,
We have a lot of questions to ask,
We need to ask "Who is a teacher"?