Let Us All Be Teachers

I didn't realise but I seem to have written a number of blog posts that were dedicated to school life, to teachers in particular.  I guess one possible explanation is the fact that I was fortunate enough to have a happy childhood in school days - bullying others rather than being bullied; scored just enough points to get past without being scolded.   

Flaunting.  Yes.   

My friend, who grew up to be a Mathematics teacher, recently showed me a letter that one of her students wrote to her.  It was a letter consisted of nothing but real number of thanks, natural number of appreciation to the nth degree, a rational note - that was quite touching indeed. 

The theory behind was a complex but a common one - we all have teachers that we adored, right?   I remember acknowledging some of mine at my head-girl speech in the graduation ceremony: the teacher who brought out the artist in me, the trainer who showed me how great an athlete I was and the headmistress who convinced me to rethink my scorn for Mathematics in case I might want to pursue the field of architecture.  Well, this mumbo jumbo's life could have changed drastically - if her Mathematics teacher then was as good as her little friend here!

So let me think....when was the last time - I - received praises?  OK, here we go.

I can still remember how I felt when I got a little sticker when I did something good as a child; a mention from my teacher at the school assembly; a professor in university who put up my assignment telling everyone that it was the standard he was looking for.  And oh yes, that marketing proposal that got buy-in from the management.  Alampy got a little embarrassed, sure I did, but it also made my heart leap for joy it did. 

What made these teachers so exceptionally memorable was because they respected us as individuals, they understand individuality and that they didn't care too much about how good we were but how much we have progressed and for that alone, we owe it to these great teachers. 

The fact that we have left school donkey years ago doesn't mean we can't continue to thank them.  We don’t have to be perfect to be influential and we certainly don't have to be a teacher literally to teach.   

Just like any one of those great teachers you so adore, our job is not to be the keeper of knowledge, but an encouraging vessel to pass it on, and my motto remains:

"The world is my classroom, each day is a new lesson and everyone I meet is my teacher."

You can, by all means, tell someone something but he's bound to forget; you can, nonetheless teach someone something and that he might remember, but you can almost always get someone to learn by engaging them with your own inspiring stories.

Well done to another school year.  Salute to all you brilliant teachers out there!