Teaching children is arguably the most joyful of professions on the planet. It is certainly among the most challenging too. Every teacher worth his/her salt is constantly innovating and most happy to discover better and more effective ways of teaching and mentoring. In fact one of the hallmarks of an exemplary teacher/mentor is her/his drive to connect with each child individually, even while working with a big classroom. They want to make sure that every child gets their attention.
At Touching Lives the mentors have established this culture of teaching so that not a single child is left behind. All children who enter the classrooms here, are sure to have established a deep bond with their mentors. Right from the tiny tots of the Beginners Batch to the budding teenagers of the After-School Batch, each child learns with undivided attention, the moment these teachers enter the class.
What makes these teachers so special and why do children love to learn from them?
Apart from delivering the information effectively, knowing their subjects in great depths and preparing well for their class, these mentors are more conscious, balanced and alert during their class. With every situation they encounter in the class, whether it appears to be a challenge or a moment of celebration and joy, they are adept at leveraging it to their advantage and to build stronger and deeper bonds with their children.
Here are some teacher-student moments that can become a turning point for both –
1. When a child is upset with you:
You can either get upset and the child distances herself from you more OR you can use the situation to form a strong emotional connection by spending quality time with her and by clearing the air between you.
2. When a child does not understand the concept that you are trying to teach and everybody in the class has understood except that one child:
You can either feel frustrated and move on to the next topic, giving more importance to the lesson plan for the day OR you can use your presence of mind, innovate and make sure that the child understands, feels positive and confident about himself and builds a deep trust in you.
3. When a child asks for your help after the class but you have planned to finish your pending work :
You can give priority to the administrative work assigned to you OR you can work harder, be spontaneous and balance your priorities i.e. your organizational responsibility as well as being there when your students need you and ask for your help.
You can be a star in the eyes of your institution as well as in the eyes of that child!
4. When there are only 2 or 3 children present, and all others are absent:
You can either cancel the class, be upset that your lesson plan will not work and that your syllabus will lag behind OR you can feel glad that these 2 children needed extra individual support to improve e.g. their pronunciations in English language since a long time and that today, you finally got the opportunity to help them improve!
5. When a child does not have a computer at home and asks for your help to work on a project or to make an online application:
You can either turn them down due to lack of time and resources OR you can resolve to make it happen for them anyhow and be a part of their journey and happiness!