What transforms an ordinary person into an extraordinary one? It’s a blend of unique qualities, actions and a mind-set that really sets them apart from the crowd. When the same qualities are possessed by those who guide us and build our foundations — our teachers — it truly changes the lives of those around them. Teachers just don’t teach lessons; they leave a lasting impact, helping individuals grow and thrive in ways they might not have imagined possible.

While the list below doesn’t justify all the extraordinary teachers from around the world, due to limited space, we have selected a few from the thousands of remarkable educators who have made a difference.

Aristotle

The Greek philosopher Aristotle is often referred as ‘the first teacher’ and the ‘father of western philosophy.’ Today, we all agree that children learn more effectively by making mistakes and learning from them. This idea, however, originated with Aristotle, who believed and argued that it was the primary responsibility of a teacher to allow children to learn naturally through their mistakes. He is also known to have founded his own school called “Lykeion” in Athens.

Aristotle has contributed in the field of science and philosophy, psychology, meteorology, ethics, politics, poetics, etc. Even after 2300 years, his contributions are influential in this time and age.

Savitribai Phule

One of the first female teachers of prominence in India, she was a social reformer and poet. She is known for her contribution to education and also standing for women’s rights during the British rule in India.

She built 18 schools and encouraged women education. She also worked towards preventing female infanticide, the killing of widows and all the causes that undermined the existence of women. She transformed many lives due to her revolutionary work.

Maggie MacDonnell

Imagine teaching in a tiny Arctic village where you can only get in or out by plane. That’s the life of a Canadian teacher named MacDonnell. In 2017, she won a prize called the Global Teacher Prize for her amazing work.

MacDonnell has been teaching in this remote Inuit village, called Salluit, for a few years now. Where most teachers before her quit, as the extremely cold and harsh weather made day to day activities difficult. However, MacDonnell proved that when it comes to teaching, even extreme weather cannot stop a determined teacher from teaching.

Anne Sullivan

Anne Sullivan was a teacher who was dedicated to education and adopted an innovative teaching style. She lost much of her vision when she was only five years old, but with the operations she underwent later, her vision improved slightly.

At just 20, Sillivan took a job as a governess for Helen Keller, who would later become a famous pedagogue. Helen Keller was a little girl who lost her sight and hearing, and also became mute. Sillivan educated Keller through sign language to connect with the world around her.

In order to communicate with Helen, Anne Sullivan first taught her to write with her fingers. While she gives an object to Helen’s hand and allowed her to recognise it, she wrote the name of that object with her fingers on the other hand. As a result of the education that she had received in the following years, Helen became the first visually and hearing-impaired person to obtain the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Maria Montessori

Italian physician, educator and innovator, Maria Montessori was acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children learn naturally. She opened the first Montessori school — the Casa dei Bambini or Children’s House — in Rome on January 6, 1907. Montessori was educated as the only female student at a teacher training school in Italy in 1870.

Her method of education is very popular and emphasises that children learn best in an environment that enables them to do things for themselves.

Montessori is one of the pioneers in the world of education with her materials that are taken from daily life, and her approach that pays attention to each child. The method is more experiential than simply instructional.

Hanan al-Hroub

Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in 2016, for her innovative approach using education as a tool for peace and conflict resolution. She developed an innovative teaching method that emphasises play and creativity, helping students cope with the trauma of living in a conflict zone. Her work highlights the transformative power of education in developing patience and hope among children of all age group.

Hroub grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Bethlehem, and now teaches at a high school in the West Bank.

Salima Begum

Hailing from our own country, Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Salima Begum has helped create awareness among parents regarding girls’ education and its benefits, improving educational opportunities for girls, especially in rural areas where access to education is limited.

She has pioneered mentoring in the community and has also trained over 7,000 teachers across her province and an additional 8,000 teachers nationwide, through the education reform programme. Salima Begum actively involves the community in educational initiatives, raising awareness about the value of education for girls and challenging cultural norms that may hinder their academic pursuits.

Salman Khan

Also called Sal Khan, is a prime example of the power of the internet. He is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform featuring thousands of lessons on a variety of academic subjects. Khan launched Khan Academy in 2008, with the prime focus to provide free, high-quality educational resources to learners worldwide. The platform features thousands of instructional videos, practice exercises and a personalised learning dashboard, covering subjects ranging from math and science to economics and history.

Khan has received numerous honours for his contributions to education, including nomination as one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and receiving the “Digital Pioneer Award” from the National Education Association.

Toru Kumon

Toru Kumon was a gifted high school maths teacher. As soon as he noticed his son Takeshi was not excelling in maths at school, he started working on worksheets to help his son improve his math skills. Those worksheets (the method) later became famous for the Kumon Method of Learning.

He started opening learning centres in Japan in the ‘50s and now they’re located throughout the world. The programme helped students with math and language by providing worksheets especially suited to their abilities.

Friedrich Fröbel

Friedrich Fröbel was a German educator. He emphasised the importance of starting education early and discovered that the most important period of human brain development is from birth till the age of three.

He believed that the individual should discover their natural talents in a free environment under the guidance of teachers. With his approach emphasising the relationship between nature and education, Fröbel is a name that pioneered the establishment of today’s kindergartens.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 5th, 2024