About the bigger Dreams and the biggest Dream ever.
The journey to the peak of the tallest mountain for a commoner may seem so impossible. First, that dream must promise a better future than the one we are already having now.
Comfort Zone is too heavy, can’t pull myself out of a place I know to unknown territory with a land of uncertainty. I must want to get to the foothills of that mountain in the first place.
Replicating What already works.
During those time when I went from school to school to do Relief Teaching, I can’t help but noticed that no matter which school I went, no matter how stressed up or ineffective the school administration can be, there will always be at least 5-10% of their teachers who are very popular, truly inspiring.
The thought of duplicating what works didn’t come to me until I came to school X in Tampines Town. I must have the word ‘spy’ chopped on my forehead. Immediately after the first Assembly, I went to the canteen to have my breakfast, a lady teacher came along. Almost immediately, she lamented “you know, I wish I am just a Relief Teacher, with no stress and no heavy Responsibility to deter me from doing what I am supposed to do : which is to TEACH”.
Pleasantly surprised, I replied “Hold on, I was thinking of the opposite, I was thinking how nice will it be if I were in your shoes, to be able to stay in a school long enough, to really know the kids, connect with them, to really teach well and help make a difference in at least a child’s life.”
She laughed “This is impossible, the amount of unnecessary workload, the amount of OTHER things you had to know, you can’t even cover the syllabus, let alone have time to really get to know all 40 kids. It is impossible.”
I didn’t know how my answers came “I don’t think so, I went to no less than 10 school in the past 3 years, each school has their fair share of overload, but somehow, I can always name 5 teachers in each school of about 100, who can BE A GREAT Teacher, a teacher who commands the respect of the kids and her colleagues. All we need to do is to emulate how they think and what they do that is unlike the other 95.”
At the CORE it is the learning self, the sense of self
that can only be connected through CARE, talent can only be expressed on safe nurturing grounds
sincere CARE, and not 100 people who shouts “CARE” day by day……when they haven’t themselves felt much of this energizing energy of LOVE, like a battery, the healing touch, that loving gaze and those sweet words have to come from a genuine sincere source, the loving hearts of confident adults (in the eyes of the child).
As for the teachers, they in turn, need to be inspired by leaders who are true to ‘nurturing each and every child’.
All throughout my school life, I had this childish wish : give me a Great Teacher like Miss Han and I will soar like never before, that other teacher never came. I guess like every one else, they too have about 100 teachers but saw few. “But teachers are supposed to teach us good things and help us become good person…… all I want is to see a Good Teacher.
Halfway during my 3 of 7 jobs, I lamented, give me a Great Boss and I will surely shine. Mystically, I did find a good boss shortly after that prayer. However, reality has it, he too needs a good boss. So my wonder work lasted for 2 years. Do we wait for An Angel to pop in and ‘happily ever after’.
During one essay-writing Tution class of Grade 1 and 2 kids just after Christmas : Chldren, Teacher is a mind reader. I can hear your prayers. Do you believe I know what you are praying for the past week/month. I know you are praying for something, in your deepest of wishes. I can read your mind. I grinned. ” Their eyes went ….
“i know many of you are asking God for a Good Teacher comes 2 Jan, or the good teacher whom you are having right now don’t leave. Or change your current horrible teacher. You cannot imaging what life will be like if that teacher is still around.”
So each time, whenever I chat with her child, I talk about the reality of impermanence, positive thinking, self-motivation and how we can surround our thoughts with gratitude.
Good news is that it doesn’t have to take the world to ‘make the right turn’. Things don’t have to be linear : 1+1
but exponential, stroke of a good luck. As long as we align our thoughts toward a common good, we will eventually fit into the flow and ebbs of good development. Like driving a car, to get into the expressway with heavy traffic, we sometime have to speed up, slow down to find our place in the scheme of things.