Happy Teachers' Day - Thoughts
It's 1 September 2011.
Tomorrow's Teachers' Day for Singapore, while World Teachers' Day falls on 5 September. Nevertheless...
I should say, now I understand the significance of Teachers' Day better.
I used to be a teacher myself, as a volunteer adjunct teacher in a special education school in Singapore. I enjoyed the teaching, I enjoyed interacting with students, and I try to work to improve both my students' abilities (while recognizing their limitations) and also mine.
In addition, from my limited experience, I recognize that no matter how well trained teachers are, teachers will never be 'super-people'. There is always this feeling of failure and rejection amongst teachers. This is especially so for the era of standardized tests, greater income disparities and most important of all, globalization through the spread of information and communication technologies. They increase the cost of failure, and add to the stresses of work as a teacher.
Standardized tests, through tests like the SAT/ACT/A Levels, have the power to force most teachers, stuck in the rut of hiring systems based on 'results-based accountability', to just focus on high school scores and test results - and nothing else. This includes the intangible 'life skills' such as character development - particularly care and concern for fellow classmates, confidence to face challenges, and happiness. To maximize results, teachers often follow just one standard effective way to teach all students effectively. This reduces the diversity in the styles of teaching teachers use, making teachers feeling redundant and not valued in work.
Greater income disparities around the world also contribute to the dejection of teachers. Most wealthy people who value education often hire the best teachers for their kids, with their money and motivation to keep up their social statuses. They also invest heavily in their children outside-school activities, that enable their learning experiences. So their students often benefit, from the most effective tools and methods of teaching, that result in students gaining the most know-how in any profession they wish.
But for many poorer individuals. the situation is more dire. They have no means to choose their teachers, as they will most likely face any other teacher in schools. Since they have no means to keep their children actively involved and engaged in activities outside school, where there is a lack of public funding for public schools relatively to schools enrolling students of a higher income, then it results in an ensuing achievement gap, which manifests itself to even greater income gap. I would imagine the teachers in the poorer schools having a hard time to stay motivated to even catch up with the standardized tests, let alone ever giving the indication to students that education could be their ladder of opportunities.
Last of all, there is this power of information, spread through computers and mobile devices. The barriers of information aren't as high as before. They could easily spread their opinions and facts (but highly probably, not know-how) throughout the world. So regarding facts and opinions, now students could know as much, if not more, than teachers. So who really transmits information, anyway? It breaks the long-time hierarchy of information transmission and also interpersonal relationship - teachers used to inspire the whole class with his unique insights, now they can only work with fellow students to do practices together, and get the highest possible marks in exams and tests.
So why do we still have teachers? Why is there all the deal for smaller class sizes (if the governmental budget allows) and why do we still see teachers as socially valuable? And why are there still teachers?
For these questions, may I just say, I don't really know.
Maybe because certain teachers still have the ability to stay enthusiastic, passionate and inspiring, in the courses and their matters? And the experience the teacher demonstrates to his students will eventually resonate with their students?
For these, I really feel that teachers are potential life models for students to follow. Whatever they do will always be influences to students and their lives, even after their retirements or them moving on to another area of work/ It could bring out the inspiration in students, to do whatever they choose to do next.
Indeed, as the Irish poet William Butler Yeats remarked, 'Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire'.
Happy Teachers' Day!
Tomorrow's Teachers' Day for Singapore, while World Teachers' Day falls on 5 September. Nevertheless...
I should say, now I understand the significance of Teachers' Day better.
I used to be a teacher myself, as a volunteer adjunct teacher in a special education school in Singapore. I enjoyed the teaching, I enjoyed interacting with students, and I try to work to improve both my students' abilities (while recognizing their limitations) and also mine.
In addition, from my limited experience, I recognize that no matter how well trained teachers are, teachers will never be 'super-people'. There is always this feeling of failure and rejection amongst teachers. This is especially so for the era of standardized tests, greater income disparities and most important of all, globalization through the spread of information and communication technologies. They increase the cost of failure, and add to the stresses of work as a teacher.
Standardized tests, through tests like the SAT/ACT/A Levels, have the power to force most teachers, stuck in the rut of hiring systems based on 'results-based accountability', to just focus on high school scores and test results - and nothing else. This includes the intangible 'life skills' such as character development - particularly care and concern for fellow classmates, confidence to face challenges, and happiness. To maximize results, teachers often follow just one standard effective way to teach all students effectively. This reduces the diversity in the styles of teaching teachers use, making teachers feeling redundant and not valued in work.
Greater income disparities around the world also contribute to the dejection of teachers. Most wealthy people who value education often hire the best teachers for their kids, with their money and motivation to keep up their social statuses. They also invest heavily in their children outside-school activities, that enable their learning experiences. So their students often benefit, from the most effective tools and methods of teaching, that result in students gaining the most know-how in any profession they wish.
But for many poorer individuals. the situation is more dire. They have no means to choose their teachers, as they will most likely face any other teacher in schools. Since they have no means to keep their children actively involved and engaged in activities outside school, where there is a lack of public funding for public schools relatively to schools enrolling students of a higher income, then it results in an ensuing achievement gap, which manifests itself to even greater income gap. I would imagine the teachers in the poorer schools having a hard time to stay motivated to even catch up with the standardized tests, let alone ever giving the indication to students that education could be their ladder of opportunities.
Last of all, there is this power of information, spread through computers and mobile devices. The barriers of information aren't as high as before. They could easily spread their opinions and facts (but highly probably, not know-how) throughout the world. So regarding facts and opinions, now students could know as much, if not more, than teachers. So who really transmits information, anyway? It breaks the long-time hierarchy of information transmission and also interpersonal relationship - teachers used to inspire the whole class with his unique insights, now they can only work with fellow students to do practices together, and get the highest possible marks in exams and tests.
So why do we still have teachers? Why is there all the deal for smaller class sizes (if the governmental budget allows) and why do we still see teachers as socially valuable? And why are there still teachers?
For these questions, may I just say, I don't really know.
Maybe because certain teachers still have the ability to stay enthusiastic, passionate and inspiring, in the courses and their matters? And the experience the teacher demonstrates to his students will eventually resonate with their students?
For these, I really feel that teachers are potential life models for students to follow. Whatever they do will always be influences to students and their lives, even after their retirements or them moving on to another area of work/ It could bring out the inspiration in students, to do whatever they choose to do next.
Indeed, as the Irish poet William Butler Yeats remarked, 'Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire'.
Happy Teachers' Day!
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