Teachers Travel With You All Your Life

Learning is a lifelong process; it is imperative we have the best teacher accompany us on the journey of life. We may grow up and follow a 'guru' or a mentor, whomsoever we follow the teacher's leadership is supreme, the teacher travels with us for life. The empathy and care our teachers bestow on us will be etched in our memory for life. No matter where you go, you will always carry your teacher in you. The empathy and care our teacher bestows on us will be etched in our memory for life. No matter where you go, you will always carry your teacher with you.

What Makes Teachers Great?
There are characteristics that can predict whether a teacher will be a great teacher even before they get into the classroom. Studies show the teacher is one of the most crucial factors in your child's school success. A poor teacher can set your child back forever; a great teacher inspires them forever.

I discovered some great poetry in Pat Kozyra's book on Tips and Tidbits for Parents and Teachers:

I am a counsellor and psychologist to a problem-filled child,

I am a police officer that controls a child one wild.

I am a travel agent scheduling our trips for the year,

I am a confidante that wipes a crying child's tear.

I am a banker collecting money for a ton of different things,

I am a librarian showing adventures that a storybook brings.

I am a custodian that has to clean certain little messes,

I am a psychic that learns to know all that everybody only guesses.

I am a photographer keeping pictures of a child's yearly growth,

When mother and father are gone for the day, I become both.

I am a doctor that detects when a child is feeling sick,

I am a politician that must know that laws and recognise a trick.

I am a party planner for holidays to celebrate with all,

I am a decorator of a room, filling every wall.

I am a news reporter updating on our nation's current events,

I am a detective solving small mysteries and ending all suspense.

I am a clown and comedian that makes the children laugh,

I am a direction assuring they have lunch or from mine I give them half.

When we seem to stray from values, I become a preacher ,

I'm proud to say, "I am a teacher."

Children require guidance and sympathy and not mere instructions. The degree and certificates a teacher carries will not be of any use, if there is no empathy and concern for the child in the teacher. You do not need a classroom to teach, what you need is a heart with all the room. Look back and recollect the best teacher who touched your heart, who made you feel very special and who had full faith in your ability. A teacher is with you all your life, even today I remember my first teacher in Kindergarten, my special teacher in Class I and others who have helped me find myself. Their love and care irrespective of domain knowledge will always carry me for life. 

As we grow up, we strike a chord with a 'guru' or a mentor and sometimes the person is even a colleague. Learning is from the heart, the mind is a mere knowledge bank. For effective learning the teacher must become an integral part of your life, you will have the teacher in your heart, it is the true disciple who becomes most successful and inherits the mantle of the successful leader.

Building a Professional Learning Community

The aim of the programme should be to EMPOWER rather than advice or train the staff. The school personnel in all probability has years of professional experience which must be valued. The idea is to UNDERSTAND where the teacher is coming from and addresses the issues as we move along TOGETHER. Until the time we are seen at as outsiders, no plan will work in their domain. Moreover, spoon feeding a plan of action will be a trivial exercise bearing no fruit. The government has a hand down approach that is clearly disconnected with reality. A more personalised plan is the need of the hour, wherein, we are the facilitators.

The Art Of Writing At School

In this world of electronic delivery, the art of writing could be the casualty!

We are in an era of instant communication and connecting more; the need to be comprehensive in our writing is losing ground. SMS language, abbreviations and slang are corrupting the art of writing very rapidly. Business at the speed of thought, sometimes even pushes us to share information without thought and editing. Writing has character, a physical form and conveys emotions far more efficiently. The written word is an art form in itself and is very personal too. With the proliferation of the electronic and print media, who knows the handwritten word may be extinct shortly itself. With touch and voice pushing us to new frontiers with gadgets, we may even end up with a paperless world in some years ahead. Indeed, be a heartbreak for the romantics, the writers and the creators of the cursive writing form.