A Trip from the Eyes to the Minds
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Copyright © 2017 by Ghada M. Alsaket
It’s the time when I stand in front of my students and start explaining the lesson. I can’t really describe my feelings in that time. Oh God! How I love teaching English! Like the doctor who helps the mother to give birth to her child. The teacher helps the student to give birth to an educated and skilled mentality.
I give the information simply and to the point. I look at the students’ eyes. I walk here and there… searching for this sign that I love to see each time I enter the class.
Still I can’t see it. I need to do something more… Oh! I have to say an example and to illustrate the idea visually on the board. Some of these students are visual learners. Things must be materialistic because they can’t understand abstract ideas by themselves yet. Let’s give some examples to support their understanding too. Yah, I’m almost there by this drawing and these flashcards.
Let’s look again… I need to find this sign… Ya … Thanks Allah. I finally saw it. The sign is the sparkles of knowledge and understanding that shone in their eyes. I started to pass the gates of their minds. This sign is the clue that I’m doing a good job. I am now in their minds. I can plant anything in this small mind and make it bigger. I will teach them what I love to teach. I will make them love English just like me and here I’ll plant my life skills that I earned by time; kindness here and commitment there...etc. I have much work to do because I can see in their minds what they lack and what they really need. I have many plans in my mind for each of those according to my assessment that I do every time I come into the class.
Now let’s look at these eyes while they do the activity. The eyes of these little creatures actually tell more than one can imagine. They are happy and smiling. They are having fun working together. The sparkles of learning are shining in their lovely eyes the most now because they can do the exercise easily. There is someone who is disappointed and worried. I think she can’t apply what she learnt. Oh! And there are two here who still have flat eyes. They are lost and can’t find the path. Let me go there, I will go to them to support them; they really need me. I’m talking to them right now and looking at their eyes again directly to find my way in there. I pat over their heads and shoulders to give them assurance, confidence, and support. When they start to react, I will give them very simple exercise and help with answers many times. Then, I will give them simple exercises… Yes! They started to do it! They can do it!
More exercises will work better with them. They need more support than others but I have to go to other groups and check their progress. I will give them something to do while I go to others.
More interaction between me and them occurred after a while. They got it! They got the lesson and can do well in the practice. This girl is awesome and this one is good. The two slow-achievers are better now and can work well with basics. I have to keep being simple with them to achieve progress in their learning.
Wow! The bell rang and I’m done. What a wonderful day when you teach the subject you love and you feel that you really do something. You teach little brains to make them think bigger. What a wonderful mission that of a teacher!!!
What do you think?
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