Teachers have an overflowing plate, so support them
For the better part of my 40 years as a teacher, before I retired, I taught the stragglers, the strugglers and those who were weakest academically.
The public perception of teaching is usually narrower and localised. Anecdotal accounts from relatives, friends, working associates or neighbours provide only a glimpse what goes on in schools daily.
The teacher's job today is hard. She is responsible for the overall emotional, mental and psychological growth and development of the children under her charge.
She leads by example and multitasks to cater to the differing needs, abilities and characters of the children; and must make her lessons easily understood, interesting and challenging.
Teachers are surrogate parents, doctors, nurses, counsellors, advisers, friends, playmates and trainers.
They have an overflowing plate of student assignments, meetings, conferences, excursions, tours, professional portfolios and courses to attend to.
Planning lessons and marking students' written work and assessing projects take up a lot of their after-school hours and many find it exhausting and exasperatingly difficult to juggle professional work and responsibilities, and personal life.
It is to the credit of most teachers that our children and grandchildren receive a comprehensive and premium education.
The best gift Singaporeans can give to teachers is to support and endorse them.
Happy Teachers' Day.
Ho Kong Loon
Straits Times
1st Sep 2009
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