Teachers who shape us

“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts” (C. S. Lewis).

Do you nostalgically reminisce about some of your teachers who inspired you, taught you, and shaped your character? In light of the problems facing our education system, you may be wondering if there are still teachers who inspire admiration, respect, affection, and gratitude in their pupils. You may also be wondering how many are role models for professionalism and moral conduct. Rest assured that they exist, and that over the last ten years we have created a way to recognise them: the “Bologna Professor” distinction.

Organisational framework

On 19 May 2017, I had the privilege of attending the “Bologna Professor” award ceremony in the C. A. Rosetti Hall of the Palace of Parliament. The award was presented to 120 professors from 23 public and private universities across the country.

For those who are sceptical about the fairness of the selection process, or who suspect hidden motives behind this distinction, it should be noted that this is an initiative belonging exclusively to students, and is purely honorary. ANOSR (the National Alliance of Student Organisations in Romania) is the organiser of this gala and, over the last ten years, has awarded 859 teachers for the following reasons: “The Bologna Professor Gala is the only initiative in Romania that aims to identify, promote, and reward true values in education, those teachers (“cool teachers”) who are examples of good practice, both through their theoretical knowledge and pedagogical skills, and through the fact that they manage to place students at the center of the educational process and inspire them.”

Why was this title chosen? Because the ANOSR initiative is part of the educational improvement project known as the “Bologna Process”, launched in European countries in 1999 following the Bologna summit of education ministers. Today, it is applied in 50 countries[1], with the aim of implementing good educational practices at a European level in all of these countries’ education systems. ANOSR students are thus committed, with a civic spirit worthy of a more mature age, to improving educational and youth policies, conducting various studies, consultations, and analyses, and liaising with other national and international associations, such as the Alliance for a Clean Romania, the Romanian Youth Council, and the European Students’ Union.

ANOSR’s “Bologna Teacher” or “Cool Teacher” award recognises teachers who go beyond the boundaries of their subject and find new ways to connect with their students. They earn their students’ presence, respect, and attention through creative teaching methods and the joviality with which they convey their knowledge, as well as through their gift of the gab and patience. Above all, the Cool Teacher recognises the responsibility they have taken on, inspiring confidence and motivating students to become true professionals in their chosen field.

How do students manage to identify, evaluate, and select these teachers for awards? Through a monitoring system in which students from across the country are invited to make nominations on the ANOSR website. Then, specially trained student evaluators make incognito visits to the classes and seminars of the nominees. Finally, there are discussions with the students and teachers in question.

Findings made on the spot

I noticed that very few of the award-winning teachers held administrative positions (only a few vice-deans), nor were they involved in politics. They are simply good teachers, or as the current student jargon would have it, “cool teachers.”

Then I noticed that the distinction, offered by students, is only honorary and not accompanied by a cash prize. This protects it from being confiscated or misappropriated by entities on the hunt for stipends.

Conversely, Romanian universities have a significant oversight in their annual evaluation of faculty teaching and research activities. It is a point-based evaluation which gives a summative “grade” to the quality of these activities, expressing a hierarchy of competence and professionalism within the institution. However, this evaluation system does not include a category for the Bologna Professor distinction, despite this being an indication of who meets international pedagogical requirements. In other words, these model teachers inspire their students (some of whom receive scholarships to study abroad), but not their colleagues and bosses, who often ignore their performance or respond with envy.

Moreover, in the past, there have been cases of professors who were on the verge of resigning due to onerous institutional pressures resulting from political intervention. They thanked their students for boosting their morale and fighting alongside them against the “corrupt system.” Many professors dedicated their awards to their students, who inspired and encouraged them to continuously improve. They called their students “Bologna students.” Some of the award winners expressed their surprise at being chosen, as they were simply doing their duty and the job they were passionate about—”nothing special.”

I was also impressed by the teachers who travelled long distances by train to attend the gala. As soon as they stepped off the stage, they hurried into the night towards the train station.

Some teachers were so modest when hearing the praise recorded by the student evaluators that they behaved like shy students themselves, either remaining silent or looking mischievously at the sumptuous ceiling as if they were not really there or as if their presence there was somehow inexplicable and surprising.

The atmosphere of the evening was so comforting and kind-hearted that it was uplifting. There, you could realise how rare normality has become in our country, to the extent that encountering it in such a youthful gathering could lift your spirits.

Food for thought

It may seem contradictory for a teacher to embody both wisdom and a youthful spirit. However, if we understand the unique nature of the university environment, this becomes clearer. Of course, wisdom is accumulated over a lifetime, and this is where the divine comes in. However, constant interaction with young people and their open minds—always inquisitive, without prejudice or rigidity—and their purer, fresher souls nourishes you. It makes you capture their openness and freshness, assimilate it into your thinking and feeling, and share it with others. Young people often feel best understood by some of their teachers, who, although older, can empathise with them but also offer good, clear advice with enough detachment.

Sir Ken Robinson, a renowned specialist in educational sciences, wrote: “No matter where you are or what you do, if you are alive and on earth you are caught up in a global revolution… Given the speed of change, governments and businesses throughout the world recognise that education and training are the keys to the future, and they emphasise the vital need to develop powers of creativity and innovation.” In his inspiring TED talk, this author fascinated the whole world by raising the urgent need to change rigid, limited, and visionless education into a system adapted to the rapid and global changes that challenge us all—if we want to survive, that is. This also seems to be the conclusion of his book, from which I have quoted.

Indeed, in today’s world, education can be approached as a strategic issue for the survival of civilisation, society, and nations as a functional whole. I dare to believe that, in the future, the extent to which our educational and governmental institutions take the “Professor Bologna” Gala seriously will reflect how much they recognise the need to train and promote good teachers—teachers with a true vocation, dedicated to their profession and genuinely concerned about the future of young people and this nation.

To better understand the vocation of a teacher, let us consider the meaning of the word “honorary”: while it may suggest a lack of financial reward to the ignorant and materialistic, it actually refers to the virtue of honour. Honour is the precious virtue that makes education healthy, turns a teacher into a true educator and gives students the chance to become not only professionals, but well-rounded individuals. As Voltaire said, honour is a mixture of respect for others and respect for oneself.

Indeed, all the dedicated teachers we meet say that the emotional and spiritual rewards of their work are unparalleled. They do not exploit the problems of their standard of living, nor do they make the quality of their teaching conditional on it. They give their all in their profession and in their interactions with their students. They are in constant spiritual exchange with them, giving and receiving new ideas, visions, attitudes, solutions, and perspectives at the same time. As Theologian Arsenie Boca said, “At first, you give from what you have; then, at some point, you give from what you are.”

Teachers with a vocation are those who could never see themselves working in another field with the same level of satisfaction or performing at the same standard. They would not consider themselves fulfilled doing anything else. I recently asked my Communication Department students to interview someone special to them for a seminar exercise, rather than a famous person. The interview should make the reader want to get to know that person. One student chose his former high school logic teacher, who was about to retire. When asked, “What satisfaction does your profession bring you?”, the teacher replied that being asked for this interview at the end of her career was enough spiritual satisfaction for her to retire with peace of mind, feeling that she had fulfilled her duty. This illustrates how a good teacher does not treat their pupils as an amorphous group, but fosters a personal relationship with each of them. Their spiritual rewards are not measured in percentages, but in the individuals they have helped to shape and the polished personalities they have nurtured. I would indeed have liked to have known this teacher.

I remembered my high school teacher who guided me towards philosophy, instilling confidence in me and teaching me to think critically, use logic and reason, and accept the rules of debate. All of this prepared me for my current career path. Had it not been for those first steps, my path might have been different, less satisfying and perhaps even “desert-like.”

Meeting so many good teachers at the “Bologna Professor” Gala, who have had a beneficial and fruitful influence on many generations, gave me confidence that we can hope for a beautiful future for this country and irrigate the “desert.” This desert affects the education of character more than it affects knowledge. Although she did not live in our super-technological times, when knowledge can be accessed quickly and in vast quantities, Christian author Ellen White emphasised that our world needs noble characters more than scholars; it needs humans.[2]