Life as a Teacher

It felt good writing this blog. My very first actually so it's kinda thrilling at the same time. I didn't have any topic to write so I decided to start by writing about what I do.

Well....

Teaching is indeed a noble profession, that one must be thankful of. It is a gift given in shaping the young minds of the youth and in helping them achieve their full potential, guiding them and being with them. The great minds of the past and the great people of the present, were once students who learned under the guidance of a teacher. As the saying goes "we don't have doctors, engineers, politicians (you name it) if not for the teacher".

One cannot say that being a teacher is easy. Just like everyone else, we feel tired and helpless sometimes. As a teacher, you have to have lots of fun stuff and prepared lessons for your students. You have to be energetic especially for the not so good ones, because their attention span is really short, hence, being energetic is a must if you like to get their 100% attention; computing of grades, checking of homework, dealing with the hard-headed students, bullying, copying (endless list we have here) are also part that the teacher needs to deal with.

While for some, being a teacher means nothing but teaching the students the lessons; the actual work of a teacher is far beyond that. As William Arthur Ward quotes “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” It's not just about lessons and all that. It's about helping them achieve their dreams to be the best that they can be. This quotation inspired me and made me feel proud of being one.

I have read an article written by a teacher who taught (ESL) English as a Second Language in Korea. As a teacher myself, the story moved me. He said on the article that he had a student who was very shy and didn't speak much. One day after the class when students prepared to leave, the shy student just stared into nothingness, oblivious of her environment. He came near and ask her if there was something wrong. Tears started to fall from her eyes and said she can't learn English and she wanted to stop studying. Being a good teacher himself, he encouraged her that learning new things isn't always easy, that people may stumble and fall. Of course, it won't happen overnight, will it? I think she internalized the advice given to her because before the term ends, he noticed a change and soon seen progress from the student. That is one big of an achievement and I agree with him when he said "touch their hearts, and their minds will follow".