GOD FINDS A WAY FOR TEACHERS

Lindon Q. Batayola

“God understands our thirst for knowledge, and our need to be led by someone wiser; He needed a heart of compassion, of encouragement and patience; someone who would accept the challenge regardless of opposition; someone who could see potential and believe in the best of others… So, He made teachers.”

Teachers play a major role in the development of our society. They inspire, motivate and pass on knowledge. It is important to remember that each of us is a teacher. Each day, we learn and teach another whether this can be in a classroom, at work or at home. No matter what, there are always lessons to be learned and practiced. A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell when his influence stops. All students have had hundreds of teachers in their lifetime. A very few of these teachers they remember as being exceptionally good.

What are the qualities that combine to create an excellent, memorable teacher? Why do some teachers inspire students to work three times harder than they normally would? Why do students learn more from some teachers than others? These questions linger in the mind of students when they think of what their mentors can do.

Teaching is one of the most complex jobs, that is why, it is considered more of a devotion rather than a profession. It demands a broad knowledge of subject matter, a caring attitude, a love for teaching and a desire to make a difference in the lives of students. W hat teachers perform in the class reflects student’s attitude. Teachers can inspire their students when they sincerely believe in student’s capability to accomplish great things, when they are concerned to their students and when they are inventive and creative during the learning process.

Teachers encourage students to study by being optimistic about their abilities. They set high expectations for all students. There are many theories about what makes a good teacher. What a teacher does in one classroom situation may not be as effective in another. But no matter what the classroom situation is, there are characteristics and qualities that affect teachers in common. Qualities and characteristics work together in gaining the children’s respect and making the classroom a fun and dynamic area of learning. Effective communication is the key of establishing positive, healthy relationships between schools and families. Discussing students’ problems, achievements and goals with their parents can be helpful because they are able to complement a teacher’s guidance through their own interactions at home. If there is not an established way for teachers at a school to communicate with parents, they will not invent their own methods. Asking students to relay messages is not a reliable form of teacher- family communication. There are more direct ways to communicate with parents.

A teacher can inspire students by being passionate and share his passion with students. I believe that the teacher being passionate in teaching is the way to everything.

Teach for understanding. If a student finds a topic boring, nine times, out of ten, they would not understand it. Whether you stop understanding things, you will also lose interest. Be supportive, kind and open.

In life, we face many struggles and dilemmas, sometimes we win, sometimes, we lose. As teachers, our duty is to inspire, motivate and teach the lives of our students. It may sound awkward but our real essence of being a teacher is to help our students to find out their worth and mission in life. It is somewhat harder to accomplish isn’t it? But all we have to do is to have faith in God, for it is the faith that we need and faith we must have to bridge the way of God to us.

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The author is Principal-I at Sitio Mindanao Integrated School