The teaching
profession is strictly time bound.
It is also
very demanding.
It requires
great amounts of creativity.
Every
educator has to think critically.
Well, aren’t
these skills actually required among the children?
Why are
educators being questioned on this?
Well, these
skills are equally important for the teachers also. Teaching is a demanding
profession. Everyone knows this fact.
And every
day there are new demands on top of the older ones.
So every
teacher asks, ‘How do you expect us to survive?’
A pandemic
hit the world this year but truly I think teachers land in a pandemic every
year when the session starts until it ends.
They have to
complete syllabus, make question papers, prepare the students for the
activities, work late in the evening and work over the holidays and vacations.
And yet, the
profession doesn’t get a recognition among the world’s top ten professions.
Am I right?
DON’T
ANSWER!
I know I am
CORRECT.
But if a
teacher has chosen a profession and it is a more than demanding profession then
there is a way out of this stress also.
The most
important part of the profession is the curriculum. It has to be diversified,
multidisciplinary, experiential, creative, etc. Think of all the important terms
and they will find a place in the all-encompassing word called as ‘curriculum’.
It is a very
important and integrated part of the school system. Most teachers fail to
divide it in a manner in which it is approachable and they are able to complete
it also.
Most
teachers wait for the instructions to arrive from the higher authority. The
best of the time management skills is required to complete the curriculum
within the given time period.
Well to
start with again a lot of planning has to be done on the paper. Divide the year
into terms then into number of working days and last into number of teaching
periods.
Then the
same has to be taught keeping in mind the pace required and the ability of the
students.
I believe
that if you under estimate the students, your teaching speed will be slow and
you will struggle with the time period to complete the syllabus.
If you consider
your students smart right from day one, their approach and your approach is
different.
The time
required to complete the syllabus at that time is different.
If you
consider them smart, the strategies that you come up with will be really
interesting, will create curiosity among the students and you will never
struggle with phrases like-
a. ‘their base is poor’
b. ‘their learning pace is very slow’
c. ‘they do not understand what I teach’
d. ‘their writing skills are very poor’
e. etc. etc.
Try to rise
above these excuses and feel the intelligence of your students.
The
confidence of a teacher reflects in the student. If the teacher is confident,
the student is smart.
So, coming
back to the topic, ‘why is recalling the day’s events important?’
a. Gauge the gain-
Teaching and balancing life becomes difficult. Things get out
of hand. We are left with the feeling of nothing is going according to the
plan.
But hey, my dear teacher. Think!
You have put in a lot of hard and smart work. You had planned
well before the beginning of the session. You had planned when the week was
about to start. You had planned when you were asked to submit the lesson plan
Then how can it happen that you have not achieved anything in
the day gone by.
Train your mind to see the achievements and accomplishments
of the day. It boosts your spirit and gives you the inspiration to move in the
right direction.
b. Feedback to the self-
This point
is very important. All successful organisations work after taking feedback. We cannot
think that the grass is only green. Learn to give feedback to yourself.
Feedback
about what was done during the day and how was it done? Can you improve or
should you carry on for sometime.
What were
the priorities that you could not achieve?
Is it
important to catch up on it the next day?
Work on
feedback. Give a critical feedback to yourself. You will become more adaptable
to change!
c. Measures progress-
When we get
busy, life seems tough and we do not look for gains during the day but all that
we are not able to do or achieve.
Do not let
the feeling of hopelessness enclose you. Break that thought pattern which says
you did not achieve anything. Shred the process which shouts that you would
have been better off somewhere else. If you are not enjoying your today or
feeling happy about it then move on.
One cannot
keep moving on also.
One way that
I find satisfaction and contentment at the end of the day is when I quote my
gains of the day to myself.
Measure your
progress. When you measure progress you become more accountable towards your
future. It is important to keep moving.
Movement is
an indicator of success. If you stop, you stagnate.
Learn to
appreciate and measure the progress you are doing in your life. Do not expect
it from others. Being happy about yourself is not arrogance! It is known as
satisfaction!
d. Overcome hurdles-
Richard Branson does one thing everyday which scares him. This
makes him agile to face any hurdles or problems that arise in his life.
Do that one thing you are scared of everyday. It will teach
you what courage is. Rise above hesitation or doubts. Do not let fear capture
you. Burn the circle of fear to emerge as a leader of your own life.
e. Ready for the next day
Thinking about
today and recapitulating prepares you for tomorrow. You know what you have to
do. You are more confident towards what you want to achieve. You will make
better decisions. You will not procrastinate. Preparedness helps you to take
action.
f. Self Satisfaction
All the
above points give you self-satisfaction.
Trust me
there is nothing more important in this world than self-satisfaction. This is
the best motivational term which helps individuals.
You have to
search satisfaction. It doesn’t come on its own.
g. Self Praise
We keep
expecting praise from others. Most of the time you don’t get it. Then you will
annoyance.
Learn to
praise to yourself.
It is said
that if you praise the children they do well. If you keep criticising them they
develop a negative self image and hence they are not able to achieve.
The same
applies to the teachers. They wait for praise. Most often they get criticism. This
leads to them developing a negative self image.
After that I
do not need to tell you what happens.
Hence get over
it. Do praise and appreciate that small child who is hidden inside you
somewhere. Feel the happiness when you praise yourself.
AND JUST
FREEZE THE MOMENT FOREVER IN YOUR HEART!
Happy
Teaching to all of you!
