Angkush Poonye
What does it take to be a good educator in today’s generation? Technology is ever evolving, and the youth is always one step ahead of us. Educators need to keep adapting to the constant changes. The changes go beyond the new norm of online teaching.
Going beyond one’s subject
As an educator, we do not only teach a subject in which we are qualified. Educators also assist in shaping a student’s personality by teaching subjects such as Life Skills, Social Emotional Wellbeing (SEW), Human Values and so on. Last year I had the opportunity to teach SEW’s sensitive themes to Extended students of Grade 7. As much as this proved to be a learning experience for me as an educator, it was also challenging.
As an educator, one must choose one’s words wisely. When explaining sensitive topics to students, one must think, think, and think. We do get trainings to teach these themes, but I must confess that once we step in the classroom, the situation can change. We need to sail through the ongoing mood swings and mid-teenage crisis of our students. Our secret formula to manage it all is to be adaptive as much as we can.
This year, I am teaching Life Skills to Grade 9 students who will be sitting for their National Certificate Examinations in a few months. Within a few weeks in class, I realized that it is futile to just make them read and take notes on life skills topics. I had to keep them engaged (and awake). So, I decided to give them freedom. Freedom to design any form of artwork to address any global human rights issue. And it turned out to be a success. With some words of encouragement and advice, my students created some interesting posters to address worldly and relevant human rights matters. Even if out of 34 periods, I meet these children for only 1 period per week, I was impressed by their dedication and enthusiasm when I decided to give them the freedom to express themselves.
The Importance of School Clubs
The modern educator does not stick to his or her timetable only. Clubs help students to develop their interpersonal skills. Through activities and teamwork, students can grow as broad-minded and empathetic individuals. A commendable student is not one who is able to only score ‘A+’ in all subjects. Today’s students should aim to be all-rounders. This does not imply that students should be perfect at everything. They should be able to multi-task and have hobbies while focusing on their academics too.
Universities do not look for high achieving students only. They would like to have students who are able to manage a stressful situation. They would like to have students who have an interest in something that goes way beyond their chosen field of studies. They would like to have students who will be growing up as responsible citizens of the world.
This year, I created the CSE Finance Club to educate students about relevant global matters such as forensic accounting and crypto currency. The first talk was held during the first term and the Mauritius Prisons Service staffs delivered a great talk on how prisons operate in Mauritius, how our local prisons are funded through annual budgets, the extent to which prisons can be self-sufficient etc.
Finance Club: CSE Staff and MPS officers
In my opinion, the modern educator should be an adaptative individual. We should be ready to go beyond our subject. We should be happily involved in clubs to help in shaping our youths’ future. We should be willing to mentor them and assist them in their transition from confused adolescents to strong-willed young adults. I have also learnt that as educators, we do not always receive gratitude and the backlash is never ending. Yet, I choose to be adaptive and try to have a positive influence on my students. Working as educator is not easy in today’s world. It demands guts and perseverance. Hail to all educators of the modern era!