Some people think if students are afraid of the teacher it is better. Others say that having a friendly relation is better. What do you think?

Young children are buildings under construction and teachers are the builders. It is a highly debatable issue whether teachers should be friendly or strict. In my opinion, extremes of both approaches are bad. I good teacher should know when to be friendly and when to be strict and also know the degree of friendliness and strictness required.

There are many advantages if teachers are strict. To begin with, discipline can only be maintained if teachers are strict. For example, if students are afraid of the teacher, they will attend classes regularly and complete their work in time. But, if the teacher is too strict, then the students may lose interest in the subject and may not come to the teacher with their problems.

On the other hand, a friendly teacher is like a good mentor with whom students can share their problems. Students also take more interest in the subject. Students bloom under the guidance of such a teacher. The disadvantage, however, is that a too friendly or partial attitude results in diversion from studies.

In my opinion, a good teacher should be like a friend, philosopher and guide for his students. But, from time to time, he should pull the reins so that the students do not go out of hand. After all, he is shaping the future of the nation. There is a well known saying in Sanskrit that ‘Acharya Devo Bhava’ which means that a teacher is like a God.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, it has to be decided by the teacher when to be friendly or strict and how much degree of friendliness or strictness is required because extremes of both approaches are detrimental for the future of a student and ultimately for the future of a nation.