Hey Teach, Glad You Were There

I remember being fourteen, in high school and confused. I thought I knew it all but knew nothing. All I had going for me was my passion for books and in my dreamy messy world there came an angel: my ninth grade homeroom teacher.

Sister Prisca was a petite, soft-spoken nun with the heart of a lion. I argued with her, I questioned her faith and sometimes said the most unforgivable things without being foul-mouthed.

Good teachers make good students who make good communities who make great nations. Nirmala Janssen

She absorbed it all and taught me prudence. Further she honed my critical thinking skills, instilled in me a discipline of the mind, guided my study methods and took me through the final years of high school as if it were a Chopin waltz.

The only thing she never wanted to change was my outspoken nature. “Open your mouth with knowledge”, she said, “and never be afraid if you are standing up for what is right.”

Now 33 years later I still remember her fondly because besides my parents, she had the most influence on my life.

Nine out of 10 people I’ve asked have told me that the people they remember most are their teachers. Funny ones, strict ones, beautiful ones, nasty ones – they have all had an impact.

Since we spend 40 hours a week for 14 years of school (including kindergarten) who do you think influences us the most?

Yet the teaching community is in danger of becoming extinct because we have never realised that good teachers make good students who make good communities who make great nations.

The director general of the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority has the right idea that quality teachers will make for a quality education (our cover story).

Dr Abdullah Al Karam is right to say that if one does over-invest in any one aspect of education, then it would be teachers.

The future belongs to knowledge- based societies and who better to impart knowledge than qualified, well- paid teachers with the passion to teach. And while we invest in everything else, why not invest heavily in a power that helps us think, learn, speak and act with knowledge?

Nirmala Janssen
editor@alnisrmedia.com
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