DURING one of our board meetings, the topic turned to student outcomes, teaching quality and what made some teachers better than others.
Words like “experience”, “knowledge” and “teaching methods” were thrown around, and then someone mentioned that the real distinguishing factor between an ordinary and a great teacher was passion.
One could have cited competency indexes and correlational research on teacher effectiveness, but time was up. The meeting ended with the question hanging in the air.
Reflecting on this later brought up a broader question: Can passion for any job be measured? Is it even quantifiable – this single factor that keeps one going when all other factors give way?
Even if surveys or instruments were devised to gauge “passion-for-job” levels, would the findings be valid or reliable?
Passion for teaching is that undefinable characteristic that makes an ordinary teacher stand out. It is not merely about subject knowledge, qualifications, awards or years of service.
The truth is, you can never fully define passion for teaching or break it down into components. Its intricacies are fluid, always changing, and beyond grasp. Yet, you can usually tell if someone has it.
From my years in education – as teacher, teacher educator and student – I have come to realise that true passion for teaching begins with the belief that education is a right for everyone.
It motivates teachers to impart knowledge and skills, and to find joy in seeing these seeds take root and transform lives.
Passion is the satisfaction of knowing that part of you lives on in your students – whether they become engineers, chefs or homemakers.
It is what makes you go the extra mile to carry on teaching, coaching and encouraging, even when you wonder if your efforts matter, when students fail, superiors criticise, or public opinion mocks teachers.
I have seen passion resurface among colleagues time and again. It rises unbidden when needed.
Teachers with passion measure student progress differently – not by standard rubrics, but by effort and growth.
These are the teachers who stand on the sidelines cheering their students on, even if they come out last in a race or score only one out of 10 in a quiz.
Their students’ learning – no matter how slow or how painful – becomes part of their success.
It is passion for teaching, and the belief that these students have been placed under their care for a reason, that keeps them from giving up.
How many times have you, as a teacher, stood at the back of a classroom or hall watching your students present or perform, and felt that sense of pride swell within you, saying, “These are my students”?
How many times have you felt that wave of disappointment alongside them when they failed to achieve something that they wanted so much? This too is part of the passion for teaching.
Passion makes you stay back after hours to provide extra coaching or advice, even when no one notices. In fact, much of what stems from this passion goes unnoticed, and the results are not always immediate.
Yet the fruits are deeply satisfying: knowing you have brought a student from one level to the next, contributing to their growth, and more importantly, investing part of yourself into their lives.
Passion also pushes teachers to adapt. Times change, student profiles evolve, and new methods are needed.
Teachers with passion know they must remain relevant to a rapidly changing educational landscape – not out of obligation, but because they love what they do and want to give their best.
They go the extra mile to upskill themselves with the latest teaching innovations so they can remain effective.
But passion can wane. I have seen it fade even in the best teachers, often caused by factors such as lack of appreciation, constant criticism or failure to recognise the importance of what educators do.
I have seen it dim when sweeping remarks about general inefficiency or low teacher quality are made by those who forget that teachers, like any other professionals, are not all the same.
I have seen it drained by imbalanced workloads, unrealistic targets, and wrongly assigned administrative tasks amid academic expectations.
In the end, like most things that truly matter in life, passion for teaching cannot be measured. Its value lies in being undefined, infinite, and beyond measure.
Dr G Mallika Vasugi, who currently teaches at a local university, provides insights into the teaching profession. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
