The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
There’s a purely Physics explanation for the whole being greater (in Physics, it can also be lesser) than the sum of its parts. But I’m not talking about that meaning, which involves the equation E = mc2, one of the most popular equations known to any common person (by which I mean 60%-50% of the human population).
I’m talking about having an all-rounder type personality and skill set, rather than only being really good at one thing. The job market for most jobs that require very specific disciplines is already saturated, and for quite some time, a simple reason being that very few people with such technical expertise are needed in society. In addition, few people opt for degrees in such specific subjects, so the supply-demand thing works out fine and is fairly stable.
On the other hand, there is an outpour of teachers in India. More teachers, out of desperation, are willing to work for pay they wouldn’t accept had it not been for their no-job situation. The supply is way more than the demand, which leads to unhealthy pay and almost non-existent benefits. In other words, teaching is very good field for employers (there is a lot of demand for education), and one of the worst (as far as pay is concerned) fields for potential employees.
But teachers are a very, very important part of society, and the country as a whole. They shape the future of the country one class at a time. Almost everybody who emigrates from the country is educated enough to get enough pay to buy a decent plane ticket. As a consequence, these people set the reputation of the country in other countries. And a big part of shaping this reputation is in the hands of the teacher.
Empathy, crime, fame, modesty – all human values are shaped and molded in a significant way by our primary education. And what does our primary education chiefly involve?
Teachers.
In order to become a teacher, one has to have a broader and more varied skill set than in many other jobs. Teaching is one of the most prestigious and respected jobs in the world – it is hard, demanding, and extremely tiring – it involves countless hours of work to get through even one class – in many places, the pay is extremely disproportionate compared to the hard work required. All these sacrificial qualities of the job of teaching make it even more revered.
The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.
(I realise that the title doesn’t really match the content of this post, and that this post doesn’t really have a well-defined topic, but that’s the kind of writing I use Svbtle for, so there’s no issue here, as far as I’m concerned.)