Teaching is a simple word, yet vague. It can be defined in different perspectives. It can be described from one's view, outlook or stance. Plato always talked about knowledge and education in his works. He clearly demonstrated their significance from the Allegory of the Cave where the cave depicts the human condition and the sun symbolizes knowledge. With his so much discussion about it, we could really tell that he showed interest on education which he marked it with pedagogy, an art of teaching. Plato even suggested a systematic way of attaining it. According to him, one must begin at an early stage and that it can be taught through storytelling and poetry (Mondal 2014). Storytelling and poetry are examples of teaching strategies commonly used by the teachers. They have become part of teaching. But what is teaching actually?
I was a teacher for 11 years and was thrown to different fields of it. With my experiences, I can tell you about my realizations about it and hopefully with those realizations you can formulate your own definition of it.
First, there's a lot of pressure in it. But if you are 100% passionate about it, I don't think you'll consider the pressure. As a teacher you have to deal with constraints such things outside of your control. One of these is time. Time, it's always gold. (Oh how I wish I could bewitch it). Every minute matters so deal with it. There is a time for preparing lessons, studying the content (which is very crucial), practicing the delivery (which I consider at my early years of teaching) and conducting consultations with your students (mostly overlooked, limited but needed). Why prepare the lesson plan? Well, it is one of the significant components in teaching. With lesson plans, you will be on the right track. It helps you achieve your activities based on the outlined goals. The better prepared you are the more you can handle yourself to some unexpected classroom events. Why study the content? Yes, there are some teachers laid well their lesson activities but during the actual teaching they failed to dig in the topic by citing scholarly works. The topic should not be coming from rumors or somebody's own opinion. Remember, knowing the content is mastering the subject. With this, you can formulate not just questions, but thought-provoking questions to reinforce the HOTS (High order thinking skills). As John Cotton Dana, a librarian, said, "Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." This of course does not refer to knowing the content alone. Teachers should engage themselves to professional development. If we want our students to learn, it should start from us. Why practice the delivery? Why not? Though you've been teaching the subject 10 times, this does not mean you can handle everything. You might encounter unlikely events. Even do monkeys fall. Rundown the lesson plans before plunging yourself into it. Toss yourself to what-if scenarios. Though practicing may cost extra time, yet, I'm telling you it's way better than seeing yourself as pathetic loser. Practicing may usually means failing in it for many times, but what comes next to it is not perfection but satisfaction. How about conducting consultations? Yes, I see it as part of teaching that requires time. Consultation, though done usually outside the classroom, is truly significant. In teaching, we are not just dealing with students who wanted to finish a degree. We are dealing with lifelong learners. Somehow this is the best part where we can touch them as mentioned by an unknown author "A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart." If we teach our students well, we get appreciation. Probably, they will say "Oh teacher, you explained clearly." But, if we reach out and touch their emotions, you will here them saying "Thank you miss." 5 years later, they may forget the lessons you taught to them but your touch will certainly not be forgotten. This is the very core of teaching, we touch lives.
The second realization is that teaching is fun. When you teach, you interact with different students. There are students who are eager to listen, does not want to listen, too tired to listen and preoccupied to listen.That is why your lessons must be engaging. Why it has to be engaging? A teacher must teach to each individual learning style as mentioned by Howard Gardner, an American psychologist, in his theory of multiple intelligences. If we want our students to learn then we have to recognize their different personalities. Such recognition should be reflected in teaching. Explore to more effective methods of assessment. Probably, ask the students to express their ideas individually or by group. Have them show their thoughts through drawing, choir singing, poetry, role playing, making organizational charts and etc. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." Get the students involve don't just do the talking. We are there not to tell them but to facilitate their learning process. In addition, the teacher must be equipped with wit and sense of humor. Yes, one must have keen intelligence to answer possible questions from the students. But of course, if you do not know the answers, don't trust your random guesses. Sense of humor! Certainly needed but not all the way through the lesson. The question is how do you bring humor in the classroom especially when your talking about the significant relationship between complex exponential to trigonometric functions. Does it make sense? It does. Humor, specifically the no-hurt humors, lighten the topic. Laughing relaxes your mind and your whole body as well. Clinically speaking, it releases endorphins. These are brain chemicals that help reduces the stress level. Thus, laughter is the best medicine.
Third, teaching requires passion. Yes. In teaching, content matters but what matters most is how you teach the content that the students will remember it meaningfully. Passion is defined as any compelling emotion or powerful feeling. How do you fused it in teaching? First of all, teaching is not a just a job. If you see it as a job only, then you are not into teaching. It's a calling that needs dedication. Somehow, it has to be developed in you with enthusiasm. It's like a dream come true. You have to love it. With such love you will be inspiring young minds. But how are you going to maintain passion if you are overloaded with paper works and if your classroom is like a hell? I guess overloaded with paper works is not a problem. It's a challenge and all you have to do is work with Mr. Time-Management. About the hell? Just say this all the time whenever you get there. "It's a beautiful morning to go to Hell." It's a matter of mindset. Instead of seeing your students as little devils devouring your interest in teaching, think of them as angels falling from the sky. Then, there is heaven!
Fourth, acting is an essential tool in teaching. Teachers should be trained like actors. The moment you get inside the classroom, you have to leave behind your problems. No matter how sad you are about your sick dog, well you really have to stand tall and smile as you get inside. Why? Because the future generation is waiting for you. But every performance requires practice so does in teaching. Furthermore, infuse some theatrical styles. How is this done? Do I have to dance? Why not? I tried this once in one of my lessons. I asked my students to stand and dance with the music I played. Of course, they won't do it unless you will start wiggling and so I did. Then, they followed. It was fun and was one of the good times I had in teaching. With theatrical styles, you have transformed the typical classroom set-up into a new learning environment as needed now in our evolving world. Gone are the days where the teacher will said on low-toned voice, "Okay class, open your book on page 20...." Acting will be even better if you add some voice projections. This does not mean you have to shout all day. Just know when to you use high and low pitch. In addition, voice projection is coupled with body actions. This is helpful too if you want to sustain classroom management.
Lastly, You don't get rich in teaching, but if you want to change the world, you teach.
Mondal, P. (2014). Plato's Theory of Education. Retrieved November 24, 2016, from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/platos-theory-of-education/40135/
