Through being a volunteer at CareHut, I realised that when we display
preference of one teacher over another, we're making the other feel horrible.
That kinda causes me to think a bit because our class always discriminates
against certain teachers.

Somtimes it seems that some teachers don't really care about us, that
they are teaching just to earn some fast money. I'm just thinking that the
teachers, especially for hard-working teachers, may just still have a heart to
"gain a place" in the hearts of students. I guess not everyone is into the
profession just for the iron rice bowl. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that
teachers are grovelling for our support, nor are they frantically trying to
entertain students, but I just feel that they actually appreciate it if we show
them our support.

I want to continue my thoughts from where I left off..

Mr CSS is getting better. I was awake throughout the whole of today's lesson! You know, he's actually very smart. I think that when he has ideas, he can communicate them quite well too. But I guess he doesn't really know everything that the brainy people would like him to know, nor does he really have much charisma, which is inevitably important as a modern teacher.

In spite of that, we can be a bit overly mean to him at times. In fact, we can be overly mean, judgemental and critical of every teacher. Maybe that is one of the reasons why teachers leave NUSH. Being a teacher in this school is very stressful. No doubt one of the main characteristics that every good teacher should have is respect for his/her job, in the sense that the teacher sets a goal of wanting to impart new knowledge and life values into students lives. One who respects the duty of teaching can be easily identified; that person will make efforts to understand students and even get down to trying to see things through their viewpoint (oh this trait is so important when we learn the tough sciences). Of course, as a teacher, one must also be qualified. Teaching is certainly not regurgigating the textbook. Hence one must firstly have a broad base of knowledge, and secondly have the ability to make facts and concepts come alive!

In the modern world, as students begin to be more reflexive (or critical, as a pessimist may say), teachers increasingly take on an entertainers role. I think that teachers, like every other human being, would like to be appreciated and well-liked. Who wants to be the social reject? I bet even self-proclaimed social rejects have a deep desire to be accepted. A teacher may be bo chap, but would never be happy to find oneself unliked(unless it's for disciplinary purposes that one has landed oneself into an uncomfortable situation). Hence, in order to gain this popularity, some may try to do things that make the students happy e.g. give sweets, crack jokes (whether they be related to the topic or not), release students early all the time. These tactics may not be good all the time.

What a fix the teachers are in! Do they stretch themselves to be popular, or work their students out in order that they may excel? this is not a dilemma, but rather a very stressful situtation. A teacher can be well-liked and yet train up outstanding students. It just that... this outcome calls for supermen and superwomen to arise from the teaching population.

{+}-{+}-{+}-{+}