A Letter to Sarasvati

Oh Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge and learning,

It is said that you rule all about knowledge, learning, and knowledge. You are also the goddess of speech, the ruler of wisdom. The matron of all teachers in the world.

I just wanna ask you, how to be a good teacher? Should a good teacher be loved by all the disciples? Should a good teacher gave all what the students want? But how do the students know what they need?

I used to hear a saying from a wise senior, to be a good teacher, we should be ready to be unpopular leader. We should be ready to face the hatred from the students, for we should not spoil them. She said that sometimes the students do not even know what they need, and what they want is not always what they need. They have to realize that learning is not always easy and fun all the time. When the time is right, they will even feel the stress.

By the time I heard that, I found it ridiculous. For me, a good teacher should be someone who is accepted by the students, able to give direction from the inside. It worked, in several occasions. But then, when I face the class which I need to push harder, they refuse to work hard. I tried so hard to discipline them, but they saw me as a mere devil. I asked them to work hard, for they needed it, but I was labeled as evil. But I couldn't lower my standard, for they really need to achieve the threshold. If I lower it, they will not be able to gain the respect they need later on. And I don't want that.

To please everybody is not an easy job, not even a good thing to do. Am I not that ready to be an unpopular leader? I know I strayed too far from my ideal figure, but I've tried so hard to reach that. Being Mr. Nice Teacher in this case will not help them, will not help me either.

Oh matron, what should I do? What should I even try to do?

Lead my tongue with the melody of your guitar, and sprinkle my brain with your holy water. Let me dance the rhythm of wisdom, and guide my speech to the road of betterment.