When you work with children, you can find magic everywhere! Trust me, I am not the only person who believes that. Children and their ‘superpowers’ can make you feel that you are the youngest, most beautiful, the cleverest but also their mum, dad, psychologist, superhero!
I had these feelings throughout the year and this made me have one of the best years in my life. Let me explain you why… When you work with children, your priority should not be to cover their academic needs but also to talk to their souls and make them trust you. Children are our everyday warriors. Remember yourself as a student: you had to go to school, learn and memorise English, Maths, Geography, Science etc. But how are children supposed to do this and why? I think that this is a question that all children have…
This is the time that they need a role model, someone who succeeded in his life and can show them the importance of their role as a student. When I say succeeded, I mean a person who is happy with his personal life and work. In my opinion, except for parents, teachers should also have this role. Although there are parents who were not able to continue their studies to the University or find the best paying job, I strongly believe that they should be role models in reference to their children’s behavior.
However, children also need someone who will give them the motivation to succeed and work hard at school. As a teacher, I am not expecting all the students to study to the University. Some of them will follow a different career path and if this is something that makes them happy, I totally agree with that. However, I strongly believe that children should always try their best at school, not in order to succeed in tests and be competitive, but to learn the appropriate skills that they will need to their adult life. Moreover, do not forget that when you struggle with something and you try to make it better, this is the time that love blossoms.
Teachers and the way that they promote their work is the key to success. Every child is different and each one needs a specific educational approach which is influenced by the different educational and emotional needs they have. Teachers need to work hard in order to understand which the specific needs of each student are. Therefore, when teachers identify and answer these needs, this is when they able to create a powerful bond with the child. I am sad when I hear that a child does not like school. This means that we, the teachers and the school staff, are doing something wrong.
As we are approaching the end of another productive school year, I feel blessed for all the students that I met through my career as a teacher. To be honest, when my students achieve in a lesson or in a behavioural task and I do not mean winning an award, but the small steps that a student is doing every single day in order to learn something, I feel so proud that I think we can conquer the world together. I always call them “my children” and this means a lot to me.
I am so grateful for all the students I have met, meet and will meet in the future because they give me life lessons and make me a better person.
My dear children, your strength, patience and pure feelings will always melt my heart.
Have a nice summer!