On 6th September afternoon, I received a heartwarming message on my Messenger. It made my heart go numb with nostalgia, flooding with joy and emotional tears of pride. I could guess a face in my years old memory, a plumb and a shy girls with pimples on her cheeks. I doubted if this message was from her. How many Tshering Eden’s we touch and change?
She wrote this: “Warm greetings after a very long time lah sir.
Hopefully you still remember me. I wanted to reach you from a very long time but just couldn't seem to find that "just do it" vibe.
Anyway, I wanted to thank sir for alot of things I learned during my school days. But I especially wanted to thank sir for noticing me in the crowd in middle school.
Growing up I realized how much this small touch of yours have rippled and to this day still gives me the validation that I existed and that my teacher clearly made sure of that. I don't know how to put this but I wish alot of teachers did that or do that. To notice your students, whether they are good or bad. But no children are bad, they all just trying to figure out what to figure out. To call out their names. To let them know that you are aware of them.
And I'm genuinely grateful that I learned a lot of values in my school days because now I know in my actions I feel the spirits of my teachers.
Thank you for everything la sir. I wish you good health and may your spirit never die. Good day la.”
I cried. But I celebrated too. To have a message like this from some forgotten child from school I taught touched years ago is like discovering ‘Ter’ again!
To honour her words, I write this reflection to honour our teachers.
A teacher’s role doesn’t begin and end with classroom teaching. Teaching is a central focus, a primary role. But over the years teacher has become mother-like, with multiple other responsibilities. The work load has increased and become more demanding, with so many needs and wants to attend to.
It gives me a hunch that there is little possibility to be innovative in the primary profession and that a teacher will be unable to inspire
creativity in students. Teaching in itself requires much to reflect and plan, to be resourceful and reliable for every student. If a parent is challenged in how a child is brought up everyday, a teacher has to parent hundred of students from classroom to classroom.
With every changing policies within the education system, often unpredictably fast, before one can sustain to another, teachers are the main pawns to play out the policies. Teachers are expected to know background and biodata of every child he teaches, aptitudes and ineptitude of every child in a class, and to connect to parents to enable proper guidance and support. The parents and people expect teachers to heal the wounded morality and psychological displeasure of a child from broken homes. Teachers are expected to make a child learned and literate with infallible excellence. There are so much more than we can talk.
With state of our nation’s future in the hands of our youth, it is impossible for teachers only to be depended on to make a child worthy of a future leader. A teacher may be capable of making a huge difference, but teachers need skills and space to plan and play his trade well. A teacher will need resources to teach a child the skills and knowledge a child can use in his time.
A teacher may take a child to chemistry laboratory, but if a reagent was not supplied for, what science can we demonstrate. A teacher may teach about land surveys, but without a plane table to use, what skill will a child learn. A teacher may teach about Dzongs and Chortens from a book, but without field visit to make, will children learn better. A curriculum may demand for discovery and self-learning, but without adequate and relevant library resource, will it not frustrate a child? An ICT learning may be a priority, but with limited number of computers and laboratories, and weak internet signals, will there be productive learning experience? There are so many challenges, so many things to be met before quality performance can be asked for. There are changes needed within the systemic machinery, from policies to human element, from connectivity between agencies to to those upon the play fields.
In my almost two decades of teaching services, I have learnt that our teachers are innately obedient and loyal to whatever decrees and directives, policies and plans that comes from above. Even against the challenges and shortcomings, teachers always give their best time and energy. They have ‘never let down’ attitude when it is about teaching. There may be few who may succumb to hopelessness and bigger dreams, but there are many who do as much as they can. If “ good is not good enough” there is so much we must do.
For those teacher’s who give their time, heart and
sacrifices to engage children, there are unbelievable birth of creativity. Each teacher has a story of surprises and successes. There
are stories of indomitable sacrifices and selflessness, there are stories of pain being nursed to joy and stories of change.
If not in the classroom, there is no better place where a child has opportunity to become a man the nation can trust. Many of our students come from home that has no warmth of a fortunate child. These are students who teachers try and make school a home and teachers their only warm parent. This is one reason why teacher’s value cannot be measured in any digits on which he is assessed on. In fact, I do not see justice to have teachers rated in a numerical scale!
My teachers may cough and hiccup in silent
reluctance to the burden of workload and never ending complexity
of increasing challenges, but they remain hallmark of a loyal civil servant, disproving any doubts people may have.
If we can make difference to one child in a class, we have made
a difference to many as well. If we change a child, we change a community. If community change happens, country can progress. That we make a magic spell often on the ignorant child is a memory we never need to celebrate, for it will be cherished in them, looking at us as a shadow of hope away from home. Teachers are the hope and hallmark for every child in school.
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