This is my story...
Being a teacher is all about giving and instilling a love
for learning in the student. I came in thinking that I was hired to perform as
a piano teacher, but little did I know that my role would be so much more than
that.
For the first few months I thought I was going to work to do
my job, and at the end of mu duty I would go home, leaving my job behind. I
soon learnt that being a teacher is not just another job. Those calls at 9 pm
from parents are just a small example of how being a teacher pervades your
whole life.
As a teacher I thought my main duty was to impart the
knowledge I have onto my students, and that was that. Nothing more. But I soon
learnt that that being a teacher is much more than just knowledge transfer. As
a teacher I became aware of how critical my role was. Students don’t go to
school thinking that they’re going to a ‘job’ and nothing more. The students I
encounter go to school hungry and searching for some purpose to their existence
– a chance to learn not only about arbitrary stuff, but more importantly to
discover who they are and how they fit in their own lives. As a teacher I often
found myself not only just teaching the content of my subject, but also giving
lectures on how important and necessary it is to show compassion towards one
another. As a teacher it quickly dawned on me that I wasn’t teaching a child
the wonders of interrupted and plagal cadences, but to function as a positive,
productive member of society who exercises compassion and humanity towards
achieving a just and prosperous society for all in which to live.
So to a new teacher coming into the profession: in addition
to you teaching the content of your subject, be it maths, accounting, biology,
art etc...you should also prepare yourself to teach and model compassion,
respect, love, sympathy and understanding to your students, because whether you
like it or not, you are shaping the human being in front of you everyday to
become some person in the future. Make sure you shape someone you can be proud
of.
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