With all its complexity, one thing is paramount in education: the teacher.
However, education virtuoso Geoffrey Griffin, the founder of Kenya’s Starehe Boys Centre, said that “all planning, all systems, all decisions” ought to be learner-centred.
For education to take place, the supportive environment requires both the learner and the teacher should work in tandem. In this special relationship, pupils experiment and make mistakes without the fear of consequences.
So many years after school life, people may forget the great concepts learnt, but it is hard to forget the teacher who gave his or her all to make you a professional or a good citizen. The teacher does not just control the classroom, but should turn the student into an individual who is ahead of society’s basic requirements and standards.
According to what they called the Starehe Way, the boys centre targeted graduates who have “initiative and finitiative”, a person with the ability to finish what they start. That is the work of the teacher.
Good teachers are many, and we will soon tell their short stories, honouring them for making the world better. They are known to look for their students when they are absent, they may plead with the somewhat difficult learners to give schooling a chance.
Such teachers have turned rogues into future excellent parents and top executives, just because they took time to understand their learners and nurture them. According to Dr Griffin, a good teacher ought to teach all his lessons, ought to ask a colleague to sit in when they are unavailable, and they don’t just disappear in search of greener pastures. They give notice of exit and take time to complete what they started with the pupils.
Whatever the case, the teacher needs to walk a thin line between being the teacher and being the student. The teacher needs to be a learner when he appreciates that the student thinks differently and learns how to respond to their many and sometimes complex challenges while he remains the authority.
It is a misconception that the teacher must be cruel to instill discipline. Any form of cruelty towards the learner begets timidity that does not inspire innovation or continuous learning through debate and asking questions.
Stephen Krashen, a renowned linguist, observes that the moment anxiety level goes up, learning is correspondingly minimised. What should thrive, as former vice-chancellor of the University of Nairobi Francis Gichaga told Freshers at induction, is curiosity.
Classroom teaching is at its best with fun, kindness, calmness, prettiness, and of course decent dressing that enhances social and emotional connection with the learner. A well-groomed teacher is known by the collar of his shirt.
A great teacher does not talk the learner down, something that wounds instead of healing the pupil. Any form of discrimination is unacceptable.
No matter how little a student learns a new concept, it works wonders to praise his effort. Even when they are tested, the exams are used to assess and evaluate learning and know how to help the learner in personal growth.
Further, while maintaining a safe distance, the teacher can create class social media accounts through which they can ask questions or raise concerns, either using their parents’ gadgets or their own, depending on the school rules and regulations.
When the learner feels that the teacher listens, is responsive and willing to help, they borrow that to become responsible adults in the future.
Declaring to a learner that he is a failure before classmates kills his spirit. Teachers ought to appreciate that many students look unto the teacher for love, particularly when they miss it at home or in the neighborhood.
In some communities, discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, race, or language thrives and the way a teacher welcomes the learner into class either makes him feel good about himself, the school and the teacher or lose hope.
Good teaching takes focus from the teacher to the learner. Some teachers spend much of their classroom time talking about themselves instead of teaching. It is better to do what you are supposed to do and then leave. As a professional, cherish your work. Love it not because it is easy but because it is hard and you want to make the students learn to overcome difficulties.
Good teaching should not end at school. A good teacher will follow up a learner’s progress even after graduating. Send them congratulatory messages when they are excelling and encourage them during difficulty or loss. The teacher can selectively attend some of the parties if invited. So, a teacher ought to teach. And that is it.
