It is axiomatic that good education is the cornerstone of the human race in its expedition to the future.
Yet, our attention and bulk of the resources are channeled elsewhere: incessant pursuit of armament and ceaseless proliferation of institutions to satiate our vices. Take Cambodia and what’s happening at Sihanoukville, more commonly known as Kompong som to the locals, billions of dollars are poured into construction of majestic buildings known as casino while, comparatively, a spare change is what left for education. While that is real, this post aims to focus on the people in the classroom — the students.
Many teachers are not so much baffled by the lack of intrinsic motivation in students; however, we are confused by the reaction and decision exhibited by some students facing impending predicament. It defies commonsense. Teachers, usually, spend extra time outside of work to think of a solution, hoping to find a magic wand that can miraculously galvanize their troubled students to do something with and for their lives. Nonetheless, I have seen and can testify, with my own experience, that those efforts, far too often, go in vain. And yet, we don’t give up. In this regard, we are just like our students; we never learn from our lesson.
On special day like Teachers’ day, no gift means more to us than a written note on a card to tell us how you have benefited from those countless hours that we have spent to inculcate important values in life and to impart essential knowledge and skills assisting you in your preparation for the real world. Attending lessons is like going to a play; you have to do your part to have a good time: first, you should want to go and second, you should be open-minded to the interpretation by the actors which requires you to be aware of what’s happening. Such collaboration between audience and actors would hardly result in any bad show. My plea to the students: be there, not just physically; be grateful; be open-minded, to critique and not criticize.