Importance of Teachers - not just be done with teaching

To me the responsibility of a teacher is not just to teach but to ensure that we understand as well. Throughout my entire schooling life of almost 8 years, I have encountered all sorts of teachers, those that are committed and do care; and those that can’t be bothered, teach and be done with it.

Last year learning LA was a horror and dreaded period for me. The lessons were simply receive work -> complete it -> submit -> receive marked paper -> brief analysis and the cycle starts again. Lessons were monotonous, boring and absolutely did not appeal to me but I listened on and tried my best. Tests came and went, the grades I obtained were always B4 or worse. LA was “pulling up” my MSG. It was the ACE and OP then which thankfully pushed me over to A1 =) Plus, the teacher had a %$&#$ fiery temper. One of my friends got screwed over because he was drawing (if I remember correctly) and the teacher asked him to stand but that was not the end. The teacher claimed that he was glaring at the teacher disrespectfully, screamed at him and sent him to the door. It did not end there either, the teacher thought he was smirking (from what I saw, he was not showing any signs of disrespect but purely standing at the door looking ahead) and screamed at him repeatedly before calling his parents on the spot. I was like what the hell.

In secondary 2 I expected my LA grades to remain as it was in secondary 1. The teacher was different though. The first assignment on speech that I did on speech came back with a sea of red. I failed it lol. However after thorough analysis and going through of the ways to write a proper speech by the teacher, I improved. During the term test the marks I obtained for speech doubled, yeah!!! Then in term 2, I obtained 19/25 for the TKAM test which was the highest grade I had ever obtained for such tests. LA lessons in secondary 2 were considered a lot more fun than it was in secondary 1. I understood what was being taught and tried my best to apply them, it was great.

Math in secondary 1 was fun and I looked forward to every single lesson. The teacher who taught me captivated us with his interesting lessons and he gave us encouragement too, that was what spurred me to strive hard. He ensured that we understood everything before handing out assignments to us and he would go through it and make sure that we know our mistakes before going on to the next topic, initially I did not do well for maths but through this teacher I improved and my love for math remained.

Sadly in secondary 2 we had another teacher. The way this new teacher taught was absurd. Worksheets were handed out before he taught anything and he expected us to do most of them by the next lesson. How the ^&(* am I supposed to know how to do the questions before him taught them? The terms he used were way too profound for someone like me who was not from primary GEP schools. The way he teaches is plain boring, I could sense that in many of my classmates. The first lesson was already a chore for most of us and the subsequent lessons remained this way. Many of my friends decided to give up on his lessons and self-studied at home. I found that even I myself couldn’t understand anything after his lessons. Math lessons were now dreaded by most of us. This teacher has totally ruined my love for math. The next test is on Monday and I am quite sure I will not do well (mentally preparing myself) as I have yet to understand anything that he has taught. I am devoting the entire of Sunday for revision, the guide books at home should help.

In primary school I have never felt this way but after experiencing one and a half years in secondary school I came to realized the importance of teachers. Teaching is not everything, it is having the students to understand what you have taught that is the point. That’s how I feel.