Sunday, July 6, 2008

LETS BE SELF-RESPONSIBLE....PART 2

Some more items that cropped in my mind :

  • Always Be a Learner : Any profile we work in is nothing but an opportunity to share with others our knowledge, expertise and to learn from what others know. Be it our fellow colleagues, our seniors or our students, we should be open to learning. This is the only way to survive in this information-laden world and society. There is no magic solution to keeping ourselves updated than just being open to learning. Today, one needs to be a 'master of all trades' and human limitations do not permit us to learn all by ourself. We have to derive learning from each of our experience / interaction, etc. Lets perceive others as sources of knowledge and learnings and only then we can be up to date and at par with the rest and the best.
  • Do it for the students : Any learning for a teacher is of use only when it is used to further the teaching-learning goals. The mere existence of teacher is because of students. The recognition, the accolades, the respect, the awards, etc. that a teacher gets is an outcome of the success that the teacher's students has achieved. A teacher owes a lot to the students. So, align all your actions and motives to how your students could benefit by it. A teacher cannot be expected to teach just for recognition, award or reward.There is a higher goal to be achieved and that is to facilitate learning among students and make them self-sufficient by making them self-learners and life-long learners. Let, each activity of ours be done with a single-minded focus on our students(s).
  • Apply Multiple Models : Don't stick to just one model of teaching-learning process. There cannot be a single cure for all ailments. The best approach is to adopt a blended model, where you mix the traditional methods with the latest one. As a teacher one never knows what might work with a student. Why, then restrict ourselves to the old way of doing things or to just a single way of doing things. The advancements in technologies definitely have advantages and lets accrue benefits from these advancement.
Well, would have loved to write more on this but would stop hers.
Hope you enjoy reading it !

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

LETS BE SELF-RESPONSIBLE....PART 1

Teaching is not just a profession but a huge responsibility. The responsibility is huge considering that the future of the nation is dependent on the youth, who in turn, are shaped and moulded by teachers. Unless the end product is of good quality, nothing concrete would come out of it.

As teachers, we must stick to the mission and the most basic responsibility bestowed on us i.e., facilitate learning for the students and prepare them for the future. Changing some of our old habits could help us become more meaningful in our profession as teachers and justify the faith society puts in us. Some of those habits are :

  • Using the same old, mundane teaching-learning techniques and tools : Sticking to the basics of teaching-learning does not mean sticking to the old ways of delivering the teaching-learning process. The new tools and techniques are to ensure that we, teachers become more effective and efficient in our approach and work. It is very easy to keep living in our 'comfort zone' and keep doing the same things the same way. But there is no point in doing so as that will get us the same results and get the students nowhere in this fast changing world where the dynamics change every moment. Lets explore, experiment and innovate to make things better for our future generations because you never know, maybe our kiths and kins might also be the sufferers if things don't change for better.
  • Self-demeaning mindset and attitude : How many of us feel proud to be a teacher, maybe very few. It is so because we have made it appear so. Forget about the salary or the remuneration part, how many other professionals get this golden opportunity to build the nation through shaping and moulding the 'yet to be youth' population. Let us be proud to be a teacher and do away with this silly mindset where everything gets gauged in monetary terms. Of course, money is important but not a critical element in the life of a teacher. Lets change our outlook and perceive ourself as an important cog in the wheel of our nation's economy. We, teachers, are the shapers and moulders of all these champions that have done the nation and the world proud. Always remember, a student will always be a student to you. The respect a student gives to the teacher is unmatched and incomparable, not even money could match it. Lets deliver with self-pride.
  • Selecting Teaching as a Profession : This could be explained by the following phrase "Lets become teachers by choice and not by chance". Teaching is a passionate job and unless one has opted for it willingly, there's no point in being a teacher. Why to mess up the careers of so many young children wanting to excel and take the world by storm ? Without passion, things cannot flow from heart or head but just from mouth alone. Lets do justice to the society.