We Don’t Need More Teachers

We have enough

Photo by Mwesigwa Joel on Unsplash

Knowledge is a core part of humanity, an attribute inseparable from civilization. We gain knowledge as we progress, accumulate knowledge as we learn, and apply knowledge as we face problems.

As we gain knowledge, we share it with others — we teach them what we have gained. In order for knowledge to pass on to generations to come, our ancestors have learned to pass on knowledge through teaching — passing on knowledge through thousands of generations.

Since we discovered how to pass on knowledge, we have had teachers — people who take on the task of educating the next generation, passing on the previous generation’s knowledge, and ensuring its survival.

With teachers come students — people who yearn for knowledge, ready to take on the knowledge accumulated by previous generations and prepare to pass it on to the next generation.

Through generations, this cycle of teachers and students empowered us to progress as a civilization. It is the engine of humanity, driving us to push through; it is the backbone of our society, supporting us in reaching new heights; it is the core of our history, carrying us in accomplishing the impossible.

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We all start as students, a freshman with minimal knowledge of life itself.

We gain knowledge, accumulate it as we gain more and more, and apply it in our own ways and lives.

Perhaps it’s because they know more than us or because they’re the ones who pass on knowledge to us, but we’ve all looked up to and admired our teachers. We have all humbled ourselves in front of our teachers, respected them, and listened to their teachings.

As we continue to grow and mature, we become more knowledgeable. Eventually, we become capable of harnessing the essence of knowledge, ready to pass on to the next generation — we become teachers.

Our roles have now changed. We no longer look up; we’re the ones to be admired and respected. We’re no longer yearning for knowledge; we’re the ones responsible for passing on knowledge to the next generation.

We possess the knowledge to show the next generation that they can finally learn from us

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Or so we thought.

The problem is that they don’t need us to teach, nor is our responsibility to teach.

Truth be told, we do not have the authority to teach because we do not fully understand knowledge — we don’t know the entirety of knowledge itself.

When we teach, we exercise the authority that comes with teaching, like how students listen to us or how we are respected and admired among students.

But we do not have that authority — we simply don’t know enough. When our knowledge is challenged, we can’t teach because we don’t have the authority that comes with teaching.

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The problem comes from the authority, which comes from the assumption that we know it all, that teachers know everything. That’s why we struggle to teach once a student becomes more knowledgeable than the teacher.

Consequently, the teacher should be the one to know it all, possessing every knowledge that ever existed. However, nobody knows everything, so none of us qualify to be teachers.

Because the perfect teacher already exists. Knowledge itself is its best teacher.

None of us are teachers, and none can boast our knowledge because we don’t understand everything. Nobody can boast in front of knowledge because we simply do not have enough knowledge to challenge knowledge itself.

We can only humble ourselves and accept that we are still just students.

When we humble ourselves, we realize we don’t need teachers because knowledge is personal. What we need is a guide who shows us the different sides of knowledge. Whether we obtain knowledge or not is on us, not on our “teachers.”

When we realize we are just a guide, we no longer have to fear “being wrong” because nobody is right in front of knowledge, and we are all students; we are just showing our understanding of knowledge to others.

When we look up to knowledge, we realize we need no other teacher because we have enough; the ultimate teacher reveals himself to us every single time.

“Knowledge shouldn’t be taught but should be shown. Knowledge itself is its best teacher.”