Thursday, March 26, 2015

MY EXPERIENCE AS A TEACHER

Experience they say is the best teacher and if experience has never taught you a lesson before, you might not be a human being. Lol Aims and objectives in human life has forced many to enter certain fields and grounds unfavorable to them, but as far there is four corners in the world everything is possible. Going through the ups and downs in life with the agenda to succeed. For not until a year ago I never knew the hardships and problems teachers face. You will ask a Ghanaian politician the reward for teachers and he will tell you is in heaven. Always pursuing self interests on the floor of parliament. Today’s piece is based on personal experience, friends experience and hearsay about been a teacher. I have kept this piece in my draft for quite a long time and hope the right time to publish is now, I mean now. Teaching as a profession is of many kinds. But to cut everything short I have grouped it into two forms teaching in the rural area and teaching in the urban area. If you teach in the rural area there’s woe and in the urban area more cheers. Teaching itself is a difficult job and not meant for any lazy person. Racist cannot teach and most especially ‘too known’ people from different background and unique character in the classroom. TEACHING IN THE RURAL AREA If you’re a teacher and you teach in the rural area congratulations for surviving all this woes. Young ones wish to be grown-ups while Elders wish they were still young. One thing about teaching in the rural areas is, never think of resting for the sake of you have taught what you suppose to teach. You will teach and leave the few seconds, if you ask a student what you taught he would be starching his head, making teaching in the rural areas very tough. Also, scanty salary , double work . In this day and time teaching for a whole month and receiving as low as Ghs 50 as a salary. Teaching and also been a labour hmm ei no bi easy saa o ! Beside, trouble-some and disobedient students. It has come stay that, charity begins at home (don’t mean they don’t train them well) and also since most of the people living in the rural areas has no formal education they do not know the value of education and therefore don’t respect teachers. They don’t even care of stoning (you) the class teacher or insulting them (you). Moreover, absenteeism and lateness. Never think of teaching full class or start lessons on the usual schedule time unless it’s Monday and examination week. A class of thirty (30) students and only eighteen (18) regular students. Lateness is a normal thing (in rural areas) and can be compared to pig and dirt. Classes suppose to commerce at 7:40am and students arriving at 8:30am. To add salt to injury, they think everything is free. For where… ? It has been a reality that of real African men. Government offering students free education, free uniforms, free feeding, free shoes and free books. What again …? Parents in rural areas are dread more than a lion. A child will attend school without a pen. How can you go to farm without a cutlass… ? Furthermore, they don’t do home works (Assignment). The world is full of problems but one differs from other. A child has to go to farm before he gets to school and after school he goes again to cultivate foodstuffs to sell before he eat. Tiredness and forgetfulness also prevent them from doing home work and if luck is on your side they will do the home work but oil will surely stack in the book. Ungratefulness and pretenders. If you have monitored the Ghanaian media for sometime now, you will be hearing teachers been beaten-up and classrooms turned into lavatories. No wonder Jesus Christ did many miracles yet they betrayed and crucified him, that Isis man for you, you will do everything for him but will never appreciate it. There is saying in Akan (The major ethnic group in Ghana) which goes if you don’t praise me don’t ruin my reputation. “I declare war if…” hope you remember the exact during the 2012 election in Ghana Hon Kennedy Agyapong’s treason statement. The some happens in rural areas against teachers but this time this way ; ‘’ ..if you cane my child for…’ The most upsetting of it all. Parents fighting teachers (if you have been a victim, you know what I am talking about ) going as far as calling mob to beat-up teachers. The last but surely not the least, in case of anything involving education you will be called upon (Ekurasi Burga) for instance, someone want to write letter to his/her son in the city to sent him/her money. THE URBAN AREA Hallelujah to the Kings of Kings Hallelujah to the Lords of Lords In the present of our Kings Hahaha…. Hope I got the lyrics right? Yeah! I remember, this the very song sang in the cities whiles those rural schools are facing woes the urban areas are dancing to the tune of Don Moren song . Teaching in the city is of many forms but hence I am discussing only two. i. Teaching in the Montessori schools. ii. Teaching in the grammatical oriented private schools. ii. The Montessori Schools The Montessori schools called after Maria Montessori. The woman who founded Montessori education by 1897 a philosophy theoretically cover infant education through matriculation from high school, in practice most Montessori schools offer infant education through 8th grade, 90% of Montessori schools have very young children ages 3 to 6. The centerpiece of Montessori approach is allowing children to learn on their own while being guided by the teacher. Montessori teachers do not correct work and hand it back with lots of red marks. A child’s work is not graded. The teacher assesses what the child has learned and then guides him into new areas of discovery. ii. Grammatical Oriented Schools Unlike the Montessori schools, this form of education is strictly based in the classroom and student following whatever the teacher teaches. Also a well contracted timetable is followed religiously to suit the children condition. The centerpiece of grammatical oriented is to impact knowledge and skills into the child’s mind in the classroom in order to become responsible citizens in the near future. PROBLEMS URBAN TEACHERS FACE. Unnecessary terms and conditions, teachers in the cities are offered with huge amount though but face some kind of embarrassment applied in the appointment letters regarding no teacher leaves the school till the last child leaves, a certain amount of money deducted from their salary when report to school late, and dress code etc. Making it difficult if you find yourself there. ‘The help me grow motive’, thus heads of teachers in the cities have a mentality that you applied for teaching because you wanted money and so therefore they will used you for what they what. Money they work … they chop, when it comes to classroom works you will do and they will earn money and the glory without appreciating to you. Strictness thus the heads will monitor your every move in the school the way you teaches, the way you stand where teaching and others and mostly teaches who find themselves there don’t feel at home.