We all began with a clean slate literally. Till a teacher told us what to do with that slate. To hold a pencil, to read and write and how. We could not have figured out a lot that we know, were it not for the teachers. They do wonders. In a matter of weeks and months and years, they put in young receptive minds all that they want to and make sure it stays there. We don't know how we and our children got to learn so quickly. Of course there is a methodology evolved over generations but take out teachers and the methodology will all come crumbling.

So, there is indeed that dedicated lot of people known as teachers who make this learning possible. Come to think of it, we owe them so much. Teachers then are the transmitters of knowledge. And not just knowledge; they give a sense of right and wrong, manners, social skills, a feeling of self-importance. Somehow they make more impact than parents.

As we grow up, we distinctly remember a few teachers who gave us more than others; in most cases we have at least one favourite teacher who transformed us in some way. This Special Report is dedicated to that one teacher in our lives who transformed us, to recall how he or she did that and to serve as an example for all teachers.

We assume that not all teachers have a realisation of this great role thrust upon them by destiny. Some take it lightly, as just another job. Women, because of their role in homes, think it as an easy assignment, with less workload, more holidays, relaxed timing. They seldom talk of the joys of teaching. And how we regret it and think they must regret it too. We see this sense of loss -- about the joys of teaching -- is why we give up the desire to become teachers as we grow up (we all wanted to be teachers as kids).

Hence, as a society, we don't ascribe that sense of prestige to this profession that it deserves. (The only sense of prestige comes with money alone these days. So if teaching pays well, it is good). Ideally, teachers ought to be paid well. But that is not where it ends. How does a teacher look at his or her role, as we said -- how to encourage the students to think, how to look beyond the obvious, how to question, how to experiment with new ideas. In short how to get better than a teacher herself. That is what a teacher is. On this international teachers day that falls on Oct 5, we celebrate the Pakistani teacher.

Knowingly, at times unknowingly, we remain oblivious of the impact our teachers have on us. We carry it with us as a souvenir all along our lives and apply the many things we have learnt in our daily lives. But what makes teachers leave that impact on us? After all, they are humans just like us, but there is something very special about them. They give us something to take home, to think about, besides just homework!

Dr Saira Najam. Her name rings bells in the heads of many O and A level students. She is their biology teacher, after all! A doctor who accidentally slipped into the teaching profession which turned out to be "love at first sight" for her, Dr Saira did not look back. "It became a life long passion; more then just teaching and making money," she says, with a contented smile.

When it comes to teaching the subject matter she is incredibly serious and makes it a point that everyone in her classroom gets the hang of what she is trying to teach.

Outside the class room she is a jovial, understanding and very vibrant person, to say the least. This 56 years old teacher for 20 years proudly declares owning an iPod, iTouch, Blackberry and a Macbook and is also on Facebook. She knows all the teenage jargon and is very well aware of "what is in these days!" In this way, she feels she can connect and associate with her students much better.

She feels that as a teacher her fundamental responsibility is "to bring out the best in every student and make them work hard to the brink and also to tell children of any bad habits they have."

She says that when it comes to teaching and giving advice she does not differentiate among her students, "I treat them just like I treat my own kids."

Dr Saira has a list of "ladla bachhas" and "raddi bachhas". The "ladla" children, her favourite ones, are brilliant at academics and the latter are those who are not putting enough effort to excel. She is always devising newer methods of teaching to make classes more interesting for her students. She has introduced a Facebook group for her students where they can discuss their problems and she provides links on the Internet where they can read up on them in order to overcome their problems in their areas of conflict.

She believes the core of everything is "understanding what is inside the mind of a child". She once had a student who not just lacked manners but was weak in studies. He was aggressive and uncouth. She remembered being harsh with him. A few months later, she found out that he had personal problems and years of parental negligence had made him that way. From that day onwards she decided never to judge a student. Now she says that if a troubled child comes to her she deals with him in an entirely different manner. She also glosses over the fact that every child has a passion and has a dream and parents coupled with teachers should work their best to bring it out in a child. When her students come back to her or send her letters she feels emotionally indebted. She says that she not just helps students academically but also emotionally if they are facing any problems. She even offers financial assistance to students who can't afford by waiving their fee. She says she is a strong believer that if she gives in all she has to in a student, tomorrow that student will have a lot to give back to the society and the world at large.

When asked if she had another life what profession would she opt for, it took her a millisecond to say, "Teacher"!

"At 56, so many students have said they love me, I wish someone had said it when I was 20."

Ayesha Ali* was a girl who dreamt of being a teacher. Today, it has been more than 20 years since she started living her dream and she wants it to last forever.

Certainly, everything has not been perfect from day one, till present? "Well, the first week of my job wasn't exactly perfect. I was in charge of handing the names of the young race winners to the announcers. When a child won a race, I asked him what his name was. 'Chhalli,' he replied. I kept wondering why he was asking for corn. After various failed attempts, I went to the class teacher to ask his name and she told me it was Sunny. But you do get better at deciphering their language as time passes.

"On a serious note, there was just one stage in my life when I was not fully satisfied and that was when my own kid was young. It was all the more difficult because I faced some opposition at home, too. I could not give my best to my child or my profession because I felt divided and uncertain. Other than that I have enjoyed every minute of what I do. This is how I relax."

Having taught almost every grade from pre-nursery to grade 10, Ms Ali confesses she enjoyed teaching the youngest age group the most. The reason: "Their innocence and purity that reflects in everything that they do, from the conversations that they have with you to the output they produce in class. It is all so 'real', so 'true'. Once I asked children to draw a picture showing that day's weather (there had been a dust storm and then rain). One of the children worked really hard on his picture and drew a lot of things, like his class and swings and benches and then he started crossing things out and made a mess. Other children came to me and said that he had destroyed his lovely picture. The defence he offered was, 'Doesn't a dust storm spoil everything?' You cannot argue with such logic, can you?"

But wasn't it hard coping with so many children who wanted attention?

"You just have to instill a sense of 'us' in them. Everyday we had a group hug and though that didn't mean I hugged everyone, they felt as I did. They then help you by helping others. A child in my class used to cry every day he came to school and a girl used to tell him, 'Why are you crying? My mother goes to the hospital late at night but you don't see me crying, do you?'"

Teachers are usually accused of favouring some children over others but Ms Ali says she has tried her best not to indulge in that practice. But, surely, she must have a favourite student?

"Oh, I do. I have two favourite students, a boy and a girl. I like them because of the kind of persons they were while in school and the persons they have gone on to become. However, I never let it show in class, or at least tried not to even though I get pulled towards children whose attitude towards their peers is admirable. Teachers are like parents, they are not allowed to pick favourites. In fact, they need to make more of an effort for children who have any kind of problems, social or academic."

And, is there any particular habit or trait that she cannot tolerate?

"I dislike the direction in which the moral values of young children are going. Children who victimise others sexually are something I cannot take. Every other problem or trait is fine with me."

Ms Ali thinks that finding a balance between maintaining discipline ("which is usually thought to be the ability to make sure children have a finger on their lips, but is not") and being friendly is the trickiest bit in teaching. "Once you achieve that balance, half your job is done."

What about the balance between discipline and punishment? "Punishment might be necessary at times but sending a child out of class because he is talking or hasn't done his homework does not serve the purpose. Neither does the spanking. Usually, punishment is the easy way out for teachers. I believe every problem can be solved, you just have to make an extra effort to get to the bottom of it."

*Ayesha Ali is currently anadministrator at a private school in Sheikhupura

I intend to dedicate this piece to Mr Laeeq Sultan, my one-time Taekwondo teacher. I say 'one time' because eventually I quit Taekwondo and that, too, at the very first stage (white belt). But even in that short span of time, I'd say he inspired me enough in ways that I can relate now, 12 years on.

Mr Sultan, a tall, well-built and tanned fellow, was a surprise for the entire class of first-time martial arts' students. He seemed harmless at first sight because he did not talk much, but once the class started his methods to train us were unrelenting. He would shout at some laidback "idiot" whose kicks hardly lifted off the ground, which sent shivers through our spines, or he would leave us giggling at the jokes he cracked.

I remember his very first class with us. That was when I learnt that this Korean art of self-defense was not just a one-hour-thrice-a-week class after school. It was a way of life. It was self-discipline and synchronisation of body and mind to reach that transcendental level of perfect control over oneself. And, of course, Mr Sultan's favourite line -- "no pain, no gain" -- kept us going on. That one line I still recall everytime I have some difficult task ahead, and suddenly everything seems so very 'possible'.

I have a special place in my heart for all those teachers from my school who taught me subjects --music, arts, drama and sports -- that one wouldn't generally recognise as 'subjects of study'. I feel these disciplines are equally important in the development of our personality.

Mr Sultan claims to have seen several highs and lows in his career. But the biggest issue that he finds difficult to tackle is the lack of awareness that people have of Taekwondo.

"Students have no idea what they are about to learn and, in fact, they do not even know that this is an Olympic sport," he says.

"Secondly, there is no promotion of martial arts here which leaves me in a position where I feel it is an unfortunate state of affairs."

Of course, the highs are related to "the sense of achievement I feel in teaching the art to my students."

Mr Sultan says he doesn't like students who are not serious. "They sometimes even have the talent but they never use it or the knowledge being imparted to them. I detest this attitude. I don't like the fact that they should waste their time and their parents' money and go away having achieved nothing."

Mr Sultan claims, he never punishes the bad student. "I don't believe in punishment per se. What the martial arts teach us is discipline. So I just give them tough exercises which get them back in form," he says laughingly.

Surprisingly, even though he is a brilliant teacher, Mr Sultan only accidentally joined the profession. "Not only teaching but Taekwondo, too. My first inspiration to get into this (profession) was the movie Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee, which I saw as a kid in a cinema. Later, when I accompanied a friend to his Taekwondo classes, it really inspired me. But it became a profession after I was forced to earn. I find it hard to believe now, after having taught for 20 long years, but I had to take training to be able to teach students."

My favourite teacher ever was Miss Saadia with the bob cut. This was way back in grade 4 and, as far as I know, everyone was in love with her. I don't actually remember much of how she taught, but she was very pretty and used to wear these long black overcoats to school.

I do remember two things about her, I had my first brush with theatre with her --it was a play about Buddha and I was the narrator-- and when she had to leave (she got allergic to chalks), the whole class cried and begged her not to. It was also my first heartbreak.

School after that was never the same, but I remember bits and pieces: of Sir Tariq, who was our English teacher for a while, who had a peculiar accent (it was British) and for fun used to imitate actors from The Message and was the first teacher who loved the essays I used to write for homework. There was Miss Izzat Jamal who taught mathematics and while being a terror was also one of the sweetest human beings when it came to showing compassion. A portly old gentleman called Sir Shams who taught us Islamiat, always wore a three-piece suit, loved smacking the boys with a wooden ruler, but by God! He had such a loud and infectious laugh (it travelled far and wide) that the whole class would start laughing. Sir Gill was another funny man (in hindsight) who thought that the book of Pak Studies was literally the word of God, and that girls were only good enough to get an A grade on tests.

While my time attempting A-Levels is nothing worth writing about, there was this one teacher, a Miss A, who taught us English. She was a good teacher, probably two or three years older to the class, but she had this embarrassing habit of sometimes talking about her cousin who she had fallen in love with and asked the class --who were all guys-- for advice. When she eventually got married --to the same cousin-- the whole class was invited and everyone went!

College was an eye opener. Two teachers are greatly responsible for where I am today. It was great to be around Mira Hashmi who was in love with films as much as I was and for appreciating film reviews, which she liked handwritten, that I wrote for her.

The second was Claire Pamment, who taught us theatre. She was the most vibrant and passionate teacher I have ever studied under and she was the one who encouraged me to really open up, when I was writing the weirdest plays in class.

Last but not the least is playwright Sarmad Sehbai, who was never an official teacher per se, but meet him after hours, and with a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he will enact with great flair, the true grotesque nature of theatre and in turn of life.

My parents and I moved to the United States when I was two years old, just about old enough to know some words and phrases in Urdu and young enough to not worry about the vicissitudes of life and school. But, alas! This was all to change in just a year or two when I was set to join pre-school. This phase was mercifully short, though. There is only so much boredom a toddler can handle! The real action began in kindergarten.

I will never forget some of my teachers and co-teachers from those first few years at P.S. 183 (Public School 183). The school was over 80 years old when I enrolled as a student there. The ceilings were tall and the bathrooms smelled awful. And, what to say of the food! I loved my classmates, though -- and the teachers were great, too. Mrs Stoleroff inspired a newfound passion in me for the sciences. She took us on a field trip to an island which housed a science centre. We observed the shapes of tree leaves and observed the motions of small insects. We marvelled at how life existed in such minute form as well as in the colossal form.

One of the most memorable teachers I had was an older woman, Mrs Newman. She had a characteristic boy cut and small feet which she adorned with what seemed like even smaller heels. They clicked and clacked and, quite frankly, they alone could have inspired fear in our hearts when we heard them in the hallway.

Much like Mrs Stoleroff inspired a passion for the sciences, Mrs. Newman motivated me to learn about history. I will never forget her lessons about George Washington and the first years after the birth of the United States of America. In fact, one of the restaurants where Washington once dined -- Fraunces Tavern -- was a place I sought out in my numerous subsequent visits to the southern tip of Manhattan. I don't think I ever did see it as a child. But when I did discover it as a young adult, memories of Mrs Newman came flooding back.

My last year in elementary school was one long history lesson. What Mrs Newman started years prior, Mrs Judy Davis helped speed up and continue. I learned about the Greeks, the Romans, some US history and a lot in between!

Mrs Davis used to scream a lot, too, so I was constantly on my best behaviour. It was a lot of pressure, as one can imagine, but it proved useful. To this day, Greek mythology fascinates me and stories of Zeus and Athena captivate me tremendously.

Before my family and I moved back to Pakistan, shortly after I began seventh grade, I was a student at Wagner Junior High School which had some entrepreneurial teachers who started a programme in international studies. They created a slightly different curriculum which included service learning and a holistic educational outlook on everything in the world. I became passionate about environmental conservation and global issues.

Mrs Polin taught me world history and social studies. Mr Yerger taught me about the wonders of the natural world. Mrs Hardman taught me to be a good writer -- and reader. Together, these three teachers were at the top of an educational pyramid whose foundations were just as strong as the zenith.

Today, nearly two decades after having been taught by what I consider the best of the best, I am humbled and deeply grateful. I've come to terms with the fallibility of adolescent wisdom and am constantly challenged by how vast the sea of knowledge is. Teachers are like lighthouses that guide wayward ships in the darkness that envelopes the night sky. They've illuminated my life and enlightened my mind. For this, I am eternally grateful.

He steps into class -- a radiant smile crinkling the corners of his eyes; the eyes which shine through with a sparkle hard to miss. His self-assured stride and impeccably professional attire exude the most important traits of his personality -- passion and perfection. As he animatedly moves across the podium, churning out knowledge, enlightenment and optimism, to me and forty other young minds in the class he has already become what a teacher strives for throughout their careers -- an inspiration.

Sir Saleem Iftikhar, an assistant professor at the NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is a teacher whose professional journey is worth sketching. Sitting across him in his office, as I catalogued his voyage as a teacher, I took in the depth of his knowledge, his keenness to make a difference and his eagerness to impart his knowledge to others.

When asked what made him choose teaching as a profession, he thought for a moment and replied, "After pursuing a career in the Air Force and spending eight years in the field of IT training, I was tired of the rat race and the uncalled-for challenges. Throughout these years I always felt my passion for teaching calling out to me and after a long break I resumed the profession that gives me the greatest inner satisfaction.

"I consider it a worthwhile opportunity to mould young minds and to guide them towards a professional attitude, which is pertinent for their lives ahead. Teaching comes naturally to me as I enjoy talking to people and have a constant urge to chip away at young minds making them excel in their field of studies.

"I feel as if I am a parent, constantly trying to shape the mind of his child."

About the principles that guide his personality he said, "I can describe myself as a perfectionist. I expect my students to reflect the same excellence and zeal that I communicate to them through myself. I wish to change the laidback attitude seen in so many students nowadays. The main principle in my life is self-motivation -- to achieve your objectives and aims no matter how impossible they seem."

Relating his most memorable experience as a teacher he said, "Throughout my career, I have taught students with such brilliant and inquisitive minds that I felt they should have been my teachers. However, the most memorable moment for me was when after the end of a semester a group of students came to me and told me what an inspiration I had been to them. It was that day that I realised the value of my job."

Teachers remind me of all those parent-teacher meetings and arts and craft exhibitions and funfairs that took place in schools that were otherwise supposed to be fun but were destroyed by a fear of our mothers meeting with our dear teachers. Suddenly, you'd hear your teacher's voice…

Miss S: Oh, you are Naila's mother. What a little monster she is! She doesn't have any interest in studies… Actually, she leads in mischievous activities.

As if this wasn't enough, other teachers would join in.

Miss J: I think she is a very rude girl. You know what? I don't want to say anything to her in the class because I am afraid she would answer me back.

Miss F: I have taught Urdu to all of your four daughters but I can't figure out why Naila alone has this kind of an attitude…

And down, down and down went my head. Alas, the fall of pride! If you, my dear readers, want to know what my mother had to say in reply, I'll say, 'Forget it!'

However, all said and done, I must admit that I realise now that I owe my education to my teachers. It is thanks to all those teachers who have over the years instilled in me the qualities of learning and always maintained that "wisdom isn't exclusive to anyone; I know more than you do and you know more than I do".

Everyone has had teachers and everyone has had at least one favourite teacher.

Shehnaz Waheed was my English teacher in matriculation -- the one who showed faith in me when others didn't. She taught me to take the worse situations in my stride and never to be bogged down by all those who conspired against me. And, believe me, it was her belief in me that made me win my first council elections in school. She was my favourite teacher and I assume I was one of her favourite students, too; though she never said it.

Sameea Jamil, popularly known as Samjam, dressed up in fancy clothes and sporting her Versace glasses, would always send out a positive vibe that would make you feel good. She was my Mass Communication teacher at college and more than that she was a support system. Her teaching style was unique in that she would pack in a great deal of information in her lectures and enliven them up. She was a students' teacher. I remember girls discussing their even their personal problems with her.

Let me admit here that whether it was the newspaper production class or the current affairs class there would always be some small talk (basically on boys and sex, you know) going on in the background. But the girls rested assured Ms Samea would keep a secret!

Sohail Hashmi and Muhammad Ilyas -- my print and visual graphics teachers at college -- are two other of my favourites. Whatever little knowledge I have of computer I owe to these two teachers. I am indebted to them for pushing and grilling me to work hard. If you were part of their class you couldn't escape.

Two words, among others, make me irk and twitch: 'school' and 'teacher'. Those who know me well would know this. If I had a personal dictionary, where I would rule the roost, the word would be defined as: "school -- a place full of rooms where children's minds are squished like meat balls and personalities are thwarted like glass balls on a baseball bat." The word 'teacher' would be: "a species found in large species often hostile to children and students. Have horrendous attitude to life and the only solution to problems is abuse." Need know more? Guess not.

The pages of my school memories have been places in the farthest end of my mind. I dare not touch them because if I do, chapters of bad memories and horrendous faces will haunt me. As much as I like to think of my college days, I prefer to keep school days in an abandoned section of my memory. But back they come.

When asked to write about school teachers, I thought "why can't we ever get rid of this?" Apparently, because people love school and everything to do with it. I am sure there are many like me out there -- people for whom teachers are not the most tender people on the face of earth.

Being a teacher for a short while myself, I stood at the podium realising "Man, it's so easy being a student" and equally hard to teach. The world is different from behind the table. It is at this point you want to call your first-year Urdu teacher and apologise for bullying her. But it's too late. You are here and there is no escape. All my student life I told myself I will be a good teacher. But when I got the opportunity to do it, I gave up after the first month. I did not thought of myself up to the task.

Teachers, it is sad, do not realise the impact their actions have on the students. The worst teacher I experienced did everything she could to come up to the above definition of a teacher. From complaints at teacher-parent meetings to isolation; from unnecessary chiding to embarrassing remarks; the lady needed some serious sessions with her shrink. I fail to realise how a woman, healthy and rich (filthy rich actually) could be so full of hatred and negativity. Fortunately, I recovered from the shock after college. The student-teacher relationship I developed here was a far cry from school. What's more, I learnt a lot more than school. I soon won my teacher's confidence and, ultimately, their regard. Fortunately, the school was redeemed. I moved on, thanks to my teachers. All of them.

In state-run colleges in Pakistan, there is little scrutiny of students' activities and their commitment to studies -- something that has a negative impact on the way lecturers and tutors perceive their role. Annual appraisals, as a means to evaluate the performance of teachers, are seldom taken as a serious exercise. Restrictions on funds, and a non-committal administrative approach on the part of the college management cut into the level of motivation essential for a healthy teacher-student association.

However, even with poor pay scales, students' indifference to curricular activities and an unsupportive administration, there are teachers that continue to pursue a serious commitment to their jobs, play a proactive role in the personality development of their students and challenge a culture of mediocrity that results from a system devoid of accountability. Whether this level of dedication is driven by career prospects, personal devotion, or as many put it, fear of God, is largely a matter of individual discretion. Many of us can certainly recall such teachers in our college or university lives. For many of these, the disincentives of state-run institutions could be traded off for the rewards that are attached to students' satisfaction.

"My source of motivation is those ten students who care to attend the classroom lectures, despite the fact that their 75 fellows hardly feel the need to show up," says a government college lecturer who teaches Economics in Karachi.

"Students often complain that there is no point in going to college because teachers hardly make it worth the effort. My argument is that lack of interest on the part of the students and absence of discipline and regulations in colleges are major de-motivating factors for college teachers. Many of my colleagues are reluctant to devote extra time and energies because they feel their students are non-committal. I believe that if college students take their studies seriously, teachers too would have a reason to undertake a more dedicated approach and go a step forward to augment the student-teacher bond."

Ms Talat Hussain, Associate Professor of Botany at Government Degree College for Women, Nazimabad, agrees. "I draw my inspiration from my own teachers who practically shaped my life through their involvement in personality development of their students. Having studied from a government school myself, I know the significance of the positive influence teachers are capable of making on young minds. I have been in this profession for 35 years, and though things have undergone a sea change during these years, I feel I owe it to the students who care to take an interest in their studies. It is my responsibility to groom them as a person and make sure that they do not feel the need to approach coaching centres for their courses."

An Assistant Professor from the Karachi University, who does not wish to be named, feels that students' commitment is dependent on a teacher's interest in their work. "I have given the most challenging of assignments to my students and I have never been let down even when my colleagues complain about the non-committal attitude of the same students."

A senior professor at the KU who, as a part of Master's programme, has introduced ambitious project launches and exhibitions as a component of academic training and professional grooming efforts, feels that it is important that teachers demonstrate a level of involvement to students' curricular activities. "I work with my students on all classroom projects and together we battle administrative challenges that usually accompany the process of project execution. Of course, there are obstacles, but one can certainly find one's way around issues such as lack of cooperation from the university management and an unsupportive environment in the department."