The student teacher view

It has been a month since i was in sibu. I'm in the middle of getting car licence by now. Well, it is quite unusual because most of my friend already have it in 2008 which is after spm. 

This is my longest "holiday" period ever but i have to admit, it really teaches me a lot about reality. How things that is ideal in theory crumbles into pieces when it is applied in reality. It was such a pain though. But, as the saying goes, no pain, no gain.

You know, during this holiday, i applied for temporary teacher job in my previous primary school and got it . I was happy for reasons that, i can make some money and not just sitting around and also get to experience how it really feels to be a teacher in a real world. I really feel excited.

During my early days in the school, i do see a lot of things that the teacher did is quite wrong(of course it was just my naive opinion). The way they treat the student, is as if they were having some kind grudge on the student. At that time, i don't really understand what did the student do, that could possibly cause teacher to act like that. I have that kind of naive perception even on the nicest teacher in the school. 

I started my teaching session in some random tuesday (can't really remember). I entered year 6 class who will be sitting for upsr in this year. we were mutually excited because i get new students, and they have a new teacher. several days after that, i get to know other classes too. It was a hectic week for me because i have to revise the sylibus and also dealing with co-curricular activities held in the school.

After couple of weeks, i started to get used to the school environment. It was a normal teaching and learning session, when i suddenly notice one of my student is not paying attention and talking to one of his friend. I just can't understand it. For some reason it pissed me off. I gave him the warning, that i am not hesitated to punish him if he does it again. he does behave well, but just for a short period of time and he did it again. So, i punish him as a lesson for other student. They were really suprised. It was clearly written on their face.

After that day onward, i started to understand how it feels to be a teacher. How it feels when your student didn't listen to u while u are explaining the things excitedly on the board. How it feels when u care for their future while they are not. I understand that the hardest thing about being a teacher is not teaching the subject material itself, but dealing with student response in receiving those material or rather their response because they don't want to accept the material. It is then that i started to deeply respect every single teacher who has already taught me or every single teacher in the whole world. It is really amazing, how they can deal and endure the pain. Before this, i do respect the teacher because i have to and it is a norm that society accept. But now, i am deeply in respect with them because of what they do and what they have been through. I also started to understand why teachers in the school are potraying the serious and strict faces in front of the student. Why they do get angry at times. It is not that they hate the students, they did it because they care. They are being cruel to be kind.

Well, i started to be a teacher just like any other teacher i've seen. The scary, serious, man-eating faces at most of the time. I started to be someone who is really strict about finishing the sylibus. Come to think of it, i was really strict that my student can't keep up with my teaching pace. 

I never really realise what has gone wrong until i'm back to being a student in the driving institute (getting the licence). I get to think like a student again and feel how they really feel while in class. Before this, i  understand that, when the teacher excitedly explain things, student have to appreciate it by paying their full attention and opening their eyes widely. They shouldn't sleep no matter how tired they are. They should focus one hour straight and not losing it even for one second. Well, i forgot that, they are just human. Human do feel tired. I forgot that, as human, it is hard to pay attention for even 3 minutes.  Also, one thing worth noted is that they might not look like they are paying attention but they actually are.

So, i am saying that, both teacher and student have their own reality. When it comes to focus, it is not wrong for teacher to expect it from student, it is wrong when teacher expect 100% focus in one hour straight. It is good enough that they can focus to what u r saying for 3 minutes in every 15 minutes. Apart from that, not all of student can understand the thing after the first time u said it. U might need to repeat it at least another two times. About teaching materials, u might not need to deliver every single thing in class. They won't really get it. Focus on more important and practical things that would be useful to them in answering the papers. Give them hands-on practice or quick quiz more than your boring lecture. Human understand more if they do it rather than just seeing and listening. U can't really judge a student's achievement by seeing how he act during class session. Give them time to digest the thing u said in the class in their own individual time. Don't bulk up all of teaching material in one session. Human brain does have its limit.

Want more tips? Sign up just for rm.... Nahh... Just kidding. That's all i got for now. I'm not sharing this because i know things more than u, i'm sharing it as one comrade to another in this battle called life.