GOING BEYOND THE NORM

MEGAN D. MARQUEZ

We have to admit, no one is really a natural-born teacher. It takes a lot of time and effort to hone the craft. And honing the craft, as they say, happens with the help of the school system.

Of course, we can help ourselves individually, too, striving hard toward perfection – however hard that is to achieve.

What our schools can do for us now is to provide the professional development we need to further hone our skills. Experience matters in this professi on.

Some teachers are more effective than others at a certain aspect of teaching, but this should not let anyone down.

It’s important for any teacher to find someone they can trust in confiding problems and struggles – like a mentor. We can also spend time to share best practices among colleagues.

We should not pass judgment on others, especially since they too had once been in the same boat before. Instead, they can offer advice on how to go about things, especially if we’re struggling about something. When we listen, we should value their perspectives, especially those from veteran teachers.

We can also observe how our fellow educators teach, for we might pick up a thing or two about how to cultivate a more relaxed but effective learning environment which would make students feel less afraid of sharing ideas and learning from mistakes.

It would help to change things once in a while, as some students don’t really likes routines. It’s easier to follow a rhythm and a pattern, but can get boring in the long run. And when students get bored with a subject, we all know what happens. Revamping lessons won’t hurt, as long as it would fall more in step with what students are learning.

As their mentors, we should not be afraid to go beyond the classroom when it comes to learning. This is the world our students belong to. The least we can do is to motivate them toward success.

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The author is Teacher I at Mitla Balik Barangay Elementary School