Before Teacher's Day, educators share the life lessons taught by their mentors

It is a delightful coincidence that the life lesson Dr Marie Fernandes principal of St Andrewrsquos College chose to share happens to be the same statement she made in her very first class with her English Literature students nearly a decade ago This writer was seated in that class and held on to the thought ever since Dr Fernandes said ldquoLiterature is liferdquo Dealing with multiple plot lines and studying different characters she noted helps us gain various perspectives needed for life everything about life you will find in literature Here are the lessons that Dr Fernandes and other educators shared with usOpportunities everywhereRachna Narwekarr early years educator curriculum expert and coach for LD Learning DifficultiesIt is believed that a teacher can make you love or hate the subject they teach I have been fortunate to have had mentors and teachers who made me love the journey of learningLife is full of opportunities to make the most of this learning my mentors taught me to work hard be respectful towards everyone and be a confident person who is not afraid of making mistakes but has the courage to accept and learn from themAnother lesson picked up from my mentors is that if you want to achieve something you must work hard Who better to showcase this than a teacher who works tirelessly to ensure that their students have the proper foundation for a bright futureTurn to a bookMarie Fernandes principal of St Andrewrsquos College BandraI would like to focus on my teachers in college particularly my literature teachers since literature is life Topics they discussed in class the books they analysed and the poems they interpreted helped us as students get a glimpse of life and prepared us to face the world Such insight and the different literary criticisms that we studied opened our minds to different branches of learning and to the world as it was Similarly another lesson comes from the Roman poet Horace from a line in Odes that reads lsquocarpe diem quam minimum credula posterorsquo which can be translated to lsquoseize the day with the least trust on the next dayrsquoLearning over lossToral Shah and her fatherToral Shah creative producer QTP theatre amp arts management companyWhen my father Viren Shah who was a director at a company saw me crying after a drawing exam at school because I thought I had not done too well he told me that the only reason to cry or regret is if I had not tried my best or learned anything from the experience Have no regrets He taught me that every experience can teach you something look for these learnings instead of looking at what you lost Acknowledging this has held me in good stead allthese yearsDonrsquot stop believingRohini Basu choral conductor and music educator Mehli Mehta Music FoundationI started learning music at the age of five With music my teacher also taught me to always believe in myself even when times seem a little tough It is a lesson that has stayed with me and I try to pass it on to my students now He would say that when it feels like you wonrsquot be able to get back up after a fall it is simply not true You have to have faith that you can do it and feel it within you to achieve And though it may seem impossible at times if you believe in the task dream and yourself enough it does come true It is easier and better to have faith in yourself because no matter what you will get back up dust yourself off and rise again I hope younger generations have someone in their lives who can teach thisLessons from familyAnita Yewale educator VP Maritime Mumbai Museum Society and excom member INTACH Greater Mumbai ChapterI have consciously followed the virtues my father Justice BV Chavan who was a High Court judge upheld such as patience honesty kindness generosity humility and integrity He taught me to listen and be selfreliant dependable and fair Being exposed to all forms of art since my childhood and given the freedom to express myself have flowered into my love for arts and culture and helped me develop a sense of responsibility in my decisions The most important lesson he taught me was to be content and to not chase materialistic possessions I continue gathering lessons from my family mdash my mother husband daughters and friendsDo it wellNatasha Noel fitness influencer and yoga instructorOne of the biggest lessons I have received is from my mother who is a teacher and my first teacher is that you can be whatever you want but make sure you are the best at it She said ldquoNatasha you might not be the smartest in the room but you can always be the most hardworking and do your bestrdquo This has stuck with me throughout my life because I always felt I was ldquolessrdquo mdash less capable or less smart But that doesnrsquot mean you canrsquot work on it or anything you feel insecure about to eventually get better at it Donrsquot give yourself the excuse or live in denial that you are not capable You are You just have to put in the work and you will yield the results