A Teacher at the Beginning, a Mentor to the End
Dr. Umer Iqbal
Teaching is not a profession alone; it is a sacred trust, a legacy of the Prophets. Teachers do not merely transfer information, they cultivate minds, nurture curiosity, and shape the destinies of individuals and nations. As the famous saying goes, “The influence of a good teacher can never be erased.”
On this Teacher’s Day, as I reflect on my own academic journey, I am reminded of the countless moments where guidance, patience, and wisdom from my teachers became the compass that led me through the difficult terrains of research and scholarship. In the vast ocean of knowledge, they were the lighthouses that illuminated my path.
There are teachers who instruct, and then there are teachers who transform. The first gives you lessons; the second gives you vision. The first fills your notebook; the second fills your objectives. To encounter such a teacher is not only a privilege, it is a blessing that stays with you forever.
Among the teachers who left an indelible mark on my academic and personal journey, I must pause and pay a heartfelt tribute to Dr. Monisa Qadiri. She was not just my supervisor in my PhD, but also the guiding presence during my Master’s dissertation. To have a teacher walk with you through both the formative and culminating stages of higher education is a rare blessing.
Her mentorship was never confined to academic correctness alone; it extended to the very ethos of discipline, clarity of thought, intellectual honesty, and above all, the courage to pursue truth. At every stage, she combined rigor with kindness, criticism with encouragement, and scholarship with humanity.
When I struggled with the maze of ideas, she helped me map them into clarity. When research fatigue dimmed my energy, her words rekindled perseverance. And when success arrived, she reminded me that humility is the crown of true scholar.
Teachers like Dr. Monisa embody what I would call the “invisible architecture of success.” Behind every dissertation, every degree, every achievement that bears the student’s name lies the unseen labour, patience, and dedication of a teacher who poured part of their life into another’s growth. Their legacy is not written only in books but in living human beings.
On this Teacher’s Day, I offer my deepest gratitude to all teachers, and in particular, to my mentor, Dr. Monisa Qadiri, whose presence in my academic journey has been nothing short of a blessing. Teachers do not just teach; they plant seeds of knowledge, nurture them with care, and rejoice when they grow into trees of wisdom.
If my academic journey has borne any fruit, all of its credit belongs to her patient nurturing. As I move forward in my own path, I carry her lessons not just in my mind, but in my heart.
For indeed, teachers do not live in classrooms alone, they live on in the lives of their students.
The author is Editor Straight Talk Communications. He can be mailed at: editor@straight-talk-communications.com
