The one thing that I have always believed in is that you learn something new every day. This does come with a clause, you have to be open to learning and willing to receive knowledge from any one and any thing. This is especially true when you are a teacher.
Teaching younger children usually reminds you of your childhood days and brings back memories of a time when every 'big deal' as forgotten in a few minutes. However teaching older children, on the brink of adulthood is a whole different ball game. Here is what I learnt teaching
As teachers more often than not we go to class with a certain mindset. This is a naughty class. This class never listens to anyone. This class asks the most silliest doubts. This class is just rude, loud and obnoxious.
Lesson 1: Never go with a preset notion. A bunch of rowdy 17 year olds can truly astonish you with their sensitivity. They can surprise you with their philosophies and thoughts if you give them the chance.
I had a teacher who had us labelled as "creatures", I was hell bent on NOT labelling my students. That's easier said than done. After a point your mind automatically says, 'I have a bunch of blondes. I might as well give up on trying to make them score better'.
Lesson 2: Never give up! With patience and perseverance anything is possible. I have seen my students who have failed all through school exams but get a 1st class in the Boards. (I like to believe it is because I believed in them, though I never believed in my teaching ability)
I talk really fast. It is who I am. And so this often leads to the tendency to trip over my own words (I am also clumsy and so I trip over my own feet as well. You would think that a dancer would be more elegant and graceful). In my hurry to explain a concept before I forget it, I just blurt it out. It could be considered as a word vomit. This usually happens because I know if I slow down, I will forget what I want to say. It is usually at this point that I completely mess up the concept and teach something wrong. More than once I have had a student correct me. Humiliating? No.
Lesson 3: Just because you are the teacher, doesn't mean you know everything. Being open to corrections and criticism is what has helped me grow as a person.
I am human, I err.
There was this boy in my class, definitely the smartest kid I had ever met, (I truly believe I will never meet anyone smarter than him ever again), but that wasn't why I was fond of him. Never once did I ever hear him say no when someone asked him to solve a problem. More importantly never once did I hear him brag about his marks. Never once did he look bored by what I taught in class, even though I know he knows more than me.
Lesson 4: Humility. Not just as a teacher but even as a human being this is an essential quality. It makes a person outstanding. As a teacher it is all the more important to be humble. This kind of correlates to lesson 3 as well.
I know that I have teachers that I have loved and till today I am still in touch with them and I wish them for their birthday and Teacher's day. I am talking about a few teachers in school who have really made a huge impact on my life and even my friends lives. These are the few teachers who were the first to know when I got a job and also when I quit my job.
To have that feeling reciprocated by my students is something that words cannot do justice. They have truly surprised my with their love and affection. I am not talking about the birthday wishes or gifts. I am talking about their actions. Simple things like calling up out of the blue just because they wanted to tell me what was going on in their life and find out what was going on in mine. It is a feeling of belonging.
Lesson 5: Unconditional love does exist. Every time you feel that you students hate you, they will turn around and do something totally unexpected to show you they don't. You've just got to be patient till they realise what you mean to them and make sure that you don't forget to show them what they mean to you.
Like I said in the start, you can learn something new every day, as long as you aren't a horse with blinkers.
krupa
Teaching younger children usually reminds you of your childhood days and brings back memories of a time when every 'big deal' as forgotten in a few minutes. However teaching older children, on the brink of adulthood is a whole different ball game. Here is what I learnt teaching
As teachers more often than not we go to class with a certain mindset. This is a naughty class. This class never listens to anyone. This class asks the most silliest doubts. This class is just rude, loud and obnoxious.
Lesson 1: Never go with a preset notion. A bunch of rowdy 17 year olds can truly astonish you with their sensitivity. They can surprise you with their philosophies and thoughts if you give them the chance.
I had a teacher who had us labelled as "creatures", I was hell bent on NOT labelling my students. That's easier said than done. After a point your mind automatically says, 'I have a bunch of blondes. I might as well give up on trying to make them score better'.
Lesson 2: Never give up! With patience and perseverance anything is possible. I have seen my students who have failed all through school exams but get a 1st class in the Boards. (I like to believe it is because I believed in them, though I never believed in my teaching ability)
I talk really fast. It is who I am. And so this often leads to the tendency to trip over my own words (I am also clumsy and so I trip over my own feet as well. You would think that a dancer would be more elegant and graceful). In my hurry to explain a concept before I forget it, I just blurt it out. It could be considered as a word vomit. This usually happens because I know if I slow down, I will forget what I want to say. It is usually at this point that I completely mess up the concept and teach something wrong. More than once I have had a student correct me. Humiliating? No.
Lesson 3: Just because you are the teacher, doesn't mean you know everything. Being open to corrections and criticism is what has helped me grow as a person.
I am human, I err.
There was this boy in my class, definitely the smartest kid I had ever met, (I truly believe I will never meet anyone smarter than him ever again), but that wasn't why I was fond of him. Never once did I ever hear him say no when someone asked him to solve a problem. More importantly never once did I hear him brag about his marks. Never once did he look bored by what I taught in class, even though I know he knows more than me.
Lesson 4: Humility. Not just as a teacher but even as a human being this is an essential quality. It makes a person outstanding. As a teacher it is all the more important to be humble. This kind of correlates to lesson 3 as well.
I know that I have teachers that I have loved and till today I am still in touch with them and I wish them for their birthday and Teacher's day. I am talking about a few teachers in school who have really made a huge impact on my life and even my friends lives. These are the few teachers who were the first to know when I got a job and also when I quit my job.
To have that feeling reciprocated by my students is something that words cannot do justice. They have truly surprised my with their love and affection. I am not talking about the birthday wishes or gifts. I am talking about their actions. Simple things like calling up out of the blue just because they wanted to tell me what was going on in their life and find out what was going on in mine. It is a feeling of belonging.
Lesson 5: Unconditional love does exist. Every time you feel that you students hate you, they will turn around and do something totally unexpected to show you they don't. You've just got to be patient till they realise what you mean to them and make sure that you don't forget to show them what they mean to you.
Like I said in the start, you can learn something new every day, as long as you aren't a horse with blinkers.
krupa
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