Guest Writer: Chizu Ogbonna
TODDLER STEPS ARE BOLD STEPS. (A teacher's account of the first few weeks of a learner at preschool)
Some days,you came thrashing and wailing,
Other days you'd come smiling and waving,
Those shades were fickle,
They reminded me to cackle,
When you waved 'goodbye' with a chuckle.
To ease your 'loss', I doled out smiles,
To pacify your 'tears', I wrapped you in hugs,
Your moods were fickle,
They reminded me to cackle,
When you held a friend and shared a 'chuckle'.
You only sang, moulded, played and sorted
Your folks saw toddler steps, their care
relieved.
I saw definite bold steps and care started.
I saw a genius,
A bright light,
To shine for us,
Especially at night.
Chizu Ogbonna (c) 2013
TODDLER STEPS ARE BOLD STEPS. (A teacher's account of the first few weeks of a learner at preschool)
Some days,you came thrashing and wailing,
Other days you'd come smiling and waving,
Those shades were fickle,
They reminded me to cackle,
When you waved 'goodbye' with a chuckle.
To ease your 'loss', I doled out smiles,
To pacify your 'tears', I wrapped you in hugs,
Your moods were fickle,
They reminded me to cackle,
When you held a friend and shared a 'chuckle'.
You only sang, moulded, played and sorted
Your folks saw toddler steps, their care
relieved.
I saw definite bold steps and care started.
I saw a genius,
A bright light,
To shine for us,
Especially at night.
Chizu Ogbonna (c) 2013
A CALL FOR TEACHERS!!!
Who is a teacher?
A teacher is one who teaches or one whose occupation is to teach. What then does it mean to teach?
The term teach is defined as (according to Advanced English Dictionary -AED) as;
The term teach is defined as (according to Advanced English Dictionary -AED) as;
(i)to 'accustom gradually to some action or attitude
(ii)to 'impart skills or knowledge to;'
We can then say that a teacher is one who imparts skills or knowledge to (a) learner(s) till he or she is accustomed to the action or attitude he or she is intended to imbibe. Hence we can say a teacher should;
(i)be more knowledgeable than the learner.
(ii)have imbibed the knowledge till it is an attitude.
(iii)be patient..
(iv)realize that the ultimate goal is to form the right attitude and actions in the learner and not a reproduction of 'self'.
Having said all the above about who a teacher is (or should be), let us put in the spotlight 'the learner'.
(i)be more knowledgeable than the learner.
(ii)have imbibed the knowledge till it is an attitude.
(iii)be patient..
(iv)realize that the ultimate goal is to form the right attitude and actions in the learner and not a reproduction of 'self'.
Having said all the above about who a teacher is (or should be), let us put in the spotlight 'the learner'.
Going back to the initial question,Who is a 'teacher'? YOU are a TEACHER!
Everyone is a product of those they had close contact with, especially when they were children. Until we ALL see OURSELVES as teachers, we will forever be living in denial. Tell me, what do you do when you see a child walking in the rain? Turn the other way? Pull the child out of it by the ears? Or ask the child to join you in the shade and tell the child why walking in the rain isn't good for health painting vivid pictures and answering questions (one of my best past times on a rainy day) Check out these common truths.
Everyone is a product of those they had close contact with, especially when they were children. Until we ALL see OURSELVES as teachers, we will forever be living in denial. Tell me, what do you do when you see a child walking in the rain? Turn the other way? Pull the child out of it by the ears? Or ask the child to join you in the shade and tell the child why walking in the rain isn't good for health painting vivid pictures and answering questions (one of my best past times on a rainy day) Check out these common truths.
(i)You have to explain (teach) something to someone at least once daily. (Unless you are home alone and do not talk to even your cat!)
(ii)You come across a child, at least, twice in a week.(Unless you walk blindly by and don't look beyond your nose)
So either as a salesperson, an engineer, a broadcaster, a doctor, a lawyer, a father or mother, uncle or aunt, cousin or grandparents, you teach daily or weekly (Well, if you don't, children like BB will make life unbearable till you teach!) Now why am I badgering you with all these? It is because those of us who decided to take up teaching as a profession depend on what those of you who are not teachers have made those we teach imbibe as a foundation for what we teach (in education we call this;previous knowledge, entry behavior etc.) and a finishing for what we do not teach. Need I ask you this, What are you teaching?
Okay (professional) teachers, now to you. Check this out; you have a learner, who has imbibed all sort of stuffs (much like BB), and you think that by drills, repetitions, play and all, you can 'make a difference' in a few hours per week? Perish that thought! You want your learners to learn to read, right? Do they see you reading? Is it a chore to you? Learners imbibe attitudes remember? You should give yourself a knock and do some sort of penance (something like community service in the neighborhood where your learners reside) if you find teaching a bore and got into it because it is 'the available profession'! You actually should be imprisoned because you are the cause for the heartaches and pains sent to good teachers and employers!
Do you want to be a good teacher? Learn till it becomes an attitude.
Do you want to be a good teacher? Learn till it becomes an attitude.
ABOUT OUR GUEST WRITER
Chizu Ogbonna is a teacher that works with children with learning disabilities,developing teaching modules to fit each child and their needs. Find her on twitter @ChizuB
Now, I know why she was chasing you around with a cane, Mary. Great poem, good exposition. Now, kindly permit me to go teach some young men new tricks. :-)
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