Mary Pouline, Author and Founder, Sapience Publications
Specially Tailored for Teachers – Series 5
Hi friends, I am Mary Pouline.
Here I am, continuing my series on Tailor-Made Tips for Teachers. I am sure the ideas will not only inspire you but also ignite you. Let’s get started.
25.The five steps for good preparation.
Imagine you are a class 10 student. A science teacher comes to your class and says, “Students, take page number 20 and start reading. If there is any doubt, ask me…” No one, of course, bothers to ask questions! Forty minutes later, the bell rings. The Class is over.
In another section of Class X, another teacher tells the students: “Now, all of you, close your books, look at the board, and listen to what I say. I will draw a diagram on the board, using colouredchalk, to explain a new concept. Follow it carefully.”
As she drew the diagram, she kept explaining each detail. After 40 minutes, the bell rings. The class is over.
Now, which teacher do you think did better? The second one, of course. This is just a simple example. It tells you how important planning and preparation are for a teacher. When you are prepared, you are more confident; you waste less time, your impact is more significant, and students benefit immensely.
Here are five steps for good preparation. 1. Identify the objectives. 2. Plan to sequence the lessons logically. 3. Create a realistic timeline. 4. Plan for lesson closure. 5. Conduct Q & A sessions. Remember, you’re making a huge impact when you prepare for your classes.
“When teachers prepare their lessons, they are more confident; they waste less time, their impact is greater, and students benefit immensely.”
– Mary Pouline.
- Who are Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants? A Useful Note.
The Hindu Newspaper, dated 2nd May 2021, carried an article titled “Stranded in the digital world”, which said that life is becoming difficult for the elderly who are not in the know of online transactions. An 89-year-old woman expressed her difficulty with technology. Not only she, but many of us who are much younger too, may have problems with the new technologies.
Nowadays, we often hear the expression, ‘Digital Natives” and ‘Digital Immigrants.’ What are they? A digital native is a person who was born after digital technology arrived and has grown up with it – generally after the 1980s. In contrast, a digital immigrant was born before the 1980s and is somewhat uncomfortable with digital tools. Do you qualify to be a digital native? Whatever it is, life is getting increasingly difficult for those not digitally savvy.
Now, what is my point? The kids in our classrooms are all digital natives. Educators and policymakers can no longer pretend to be ‘foreigners’ in this digital continent. Don’t worry. It’s not as difficult as you think. A little effort, for a few days, will soon make you feel like a native in this digital world.
“We, educators and policymakers, can no longer pretend to be ‘foreigners’ in this digital continent. A little effort, for a few days’ works wonders.” – Mary Pouline
27. An ideal teacher’s qualities.
There was a teacher called Robin. He was a little different – nobody, neither his students nor his colleagues, ever saw him looking dull, tired, or sad in the school. He always looked fresh, energetic, and happy. Many asked him the secret behind his happiness.
One day, he shared his life secret. When he was in the 5th grade, he lost his parents in an accident. He was sent to a boarding school, had nobody… Obviously, he was dull, helpless, and sad all the time. When he was in the 9th grade, he met an exceptional teacher, and that changed everything in his life.
How? One day, this teacher told Robin: Listen dear, being sad, you can’t achieve anything; every feeling happens twice, once in your mind, and once in reality. Before it comes to reality, you can stop it and divert it to a happy mode. You know, no one is interested in listening to someone’s sad story; they already have enough; you don’t need to become ‘one more problem’ for others; instead, be an inspiration.
From then on, he started following his mentor’s advice; by and by, it became his habit to be happy. After he became a teacher, whenever he crossed the corridors, from one class to another, if he was feeling a little low, he used the time to recharge his inner self and switch over to a happy mode. We can all be exceptional teachers, as I mentioned above. A single word, a little attention, and sometimes just a look at the right moment can turn around a life.
“A single word, a little attention, sometimes just a look at the right moment, can turn around a life.” – Mary Pouline
- Have you ever come across a checklist like this one? Explore and Experience.
You would be a blessed teacher if your students told you any or all of the following at some time in your teaching career. 1) Thank you for trusting me. 2) Thank you for helping me discover my passion. 3) Thank you for turning my weaknesses into possibilities. 4) Thank you for your support. 5) Thanks for your understanding. 6) Thanks for your acceptance. 7) Thanks for your excellent explanation. 8) Thanks for not giving up on me. 9) Thanks for your patience with me. 10) Thanks for being a candle in my life.
If you are a pre-primary or primary teacher, maybe your students’ parents would have told you the same. Recollect such lovely moments and rate yourself. Such moments would have made you feel like being on top of the world. Right? Try it. It is a great brain booster. It helps you to perform better. If your score is high, congratulations — you are what you are called to be: a great teacher. If your score is low, don’t worry; every day is a new day; start now. You know, teaching is indeed a divine call. I tell you, you are blessed.
“You know, teaching is indeed a divine call. I tell you, you are blessed!”
–Mary Pouline
- Why are women preferred for early education? Must know.
Everybody knows that women are the preferred teachers in primary and pre-primary schools everywhere. Historically, in the US and Europe, the teaching profession became an acceptable career path for women in the mid-1800s, when women seeking employment was more of a rarity. Savitribai Phule is regarded as the first female teacher in India. She started a school for girls in Pune in 1848, with 9 girls on the rolls, and taught them herself. For venturing to give an education to girls, she had to face much ridicule and opposition from the public. Well, even before Savitribai, the Christian missionaries had started the very first school for girls in India in 1819, at Kottayam, Kerala, and that school exists even today, and it is a higher secondary school now.
You may ask, “Why are women preferred for early education?” Well, it is accepted that women teachers are more supportive, nurturing, and open towards children. Globally, the recent trend is that 3 out of 4 public school teachers are women, and 97% of early childhood educators are women. They seem to understand children’s minds and hearts better than male teachers. Kids naturally seem to feel more secure in the presence of women. We salute all the primary and pre-primary teachers. On their dedicated, sincere and sacrificing service stands the nation’s educational edifice.
Women teachers are more supportive, nurturing, andopen towards children.
– Mary Pouline
- Want to acquire decision-making skills. Here are the best choices.
To become a leader, you should think like a leader. One of the essential qualities of a leader is good decision-making. Every teacher is a leader, and their role is to create more leaders. Leadership qualities have to be nurtured in every childfrom the very start. Leadership does not mean bossing over others. Instead, true leadership is doing things and getting things done in the right way, at the right time, and with the cooperation of all. As Swami Chinmayaannda said, the youth are not useless – they are used less. The youth are not careless – they are cared for less. The task of the teacher is to reveal to the students the immense potential within them and to motivate them to realize that potential. That’s every teacher’s unique privilege.Here are three steps for good decision-making;
- Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Over time, you can become an expert in decision-making. Every child falls before he learns to walk and run. Right!
- Set up a time frame for making decisions. Do not postpone too much. The theory should meet practice.
- Encourage others to make decisions. It would be best if you always thought the game was bigger than the player. The organization is bigger than the employees. The purpose is bigger than you and me.
The youth are not useless – they are used less. The youth are not careless – they are cared for less.- Swami Chinmayaannda
We sincerely dedicate these 30 Tips in our PAT (Passionate About Teaching)Series to our great teaching community. Stay Blessed. Thank You.
