TEACHERS
- Giver of Knowledge, Teacher of Good Values
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Mention teachers and
the teaching profession, what comes to mind is the strict disciplinarian
with a book in one hand and a cane in another. At least that’s my image
of a teacher when I was a student 20 years ago.
But that is only a narrow perception of a teacher. A good teacher is more
than that. His/her duties go beyond what is required as an educator and
what she teaches are not merely for academic purposes. A good teacher also
imparts good values and useful knowledge to guide and provide her students
with the important skills of life. A good teacher leaves his/her mark on
the lives of her students and can even claim to influence the development
of their personalities.
Parents as Teachers
The house is the first learning environment for a child and the
parents are the first teachers. They not only guide the child in his progressive
path but also demonstrate the appropriate
behavior by their actions. Parents are also important influencers in the
spiritual and social development of their child.
Role of Teachers
Someone once said that teaching is not a job, it is an attitude. A teacher
is the source of information, a guide, a mentor, a surrogate parent, a motivator
-all rolled in one.
Teaching is not a profession for everyone and not every teacher is up to
the challenges of an ideal teacher.
Builder of Nation
It is safe to say that the absolute bedrock of society is in its education
system and the quality of that system sets the boundaries of what a society
can do and what its people, individually or collectively can achieve. One
can even suggests
that the economic success of a nation depends on its education system.
The quality of our education depends on first, and always, on the quality
of teaching it provides. In other words, teachers are at the very heart
of it. Good teachers enhance the effectiveness of the education system.
But the status of teachers have declined over the years. Encik William Gani,
President of the Sarawak Teachers’ Union agrees with this. “The community
feels a higher sense of debt to the education system for the economic progress
it has made but lesser gratitude to the people who uphold this system -
the teachers,” he laments. “In the good old days. the village teacher
is everything - educator, village spokesperson, government agent -the list
goes on,” he explains. With the advent of technology, availability of facilities,
more educated members of the community, the important role of teachers has
diminished in the eyes of the community, he added. To what extent this is
true is unfortunate but what is important is that we must rebuild the trust
and respect teachers deserve because whether we like it or not, nothing
can replace the personal touch of a good teacher in teaching the valuable
lessons in life.
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