MAY 16 — Since today is Teachers’ Day, let’s stop for a few moments to think about the people who’ve given online lessons to our kids during the lockdowns and are now back in charge of physical classes.

Malaysia’s educators (covering early years, primary, secondary and tertiary) number almost half a million so this is quite a few people slogging away in classrooms and lecture halls trying to up the cognitive skills of the nation on a semesterly basis.

Gentle reminder to us all: Teachers are more than just instructors. They are mentors, role models, and friends. Or at least the best of them are.

When we celebrate Teachers’ Day, we’re not just honouring someone who talks at the front of the classroom; we’re saying a special Thank You to everyone who has ever taken it upon himself/herself to care for a group of students under his/her charge.

Without teachers, formal education would come to a standstill. And no matter how much we sing the praises of online education, I don’t know how bad a hit the country will take if overnight every teacher is rendered redundant.

Teachers add the personal touch to a system which is filled with rules, requirements, "standards” and formal techniques, all pushed down the throats of students.

Sadly, some teachers fail to do more than serve as human mouthpieces for the nuts and bolts of this machine.

However, the good ones, in fact, end up "saving” our students from being nothing but mindless regurgitators. Good teachers set our kids on the path of discovery, expanded curiosity, rich tinkering and the joyous absorption of any topic which so characterises authentic learning.

No bed of roses

The teaching profession was and is never easy.

Imagine facilitating five or six lessons to groups of between 20 to 40 students, not all of whom are exactly angels, not all of whom see learning as their raison d’être, some of whom woke up in the morning with an unquenchable desire to disrupt the class and make you want to call the United Nations for a binding resolution to get at least half the class to sit down and shut up.

These lessons which they strain to deliver every day had to be prepared beforehand according to pretty strict "templates” slash "unit plans” (some of which may be rejected if the Head of Department decides don’t match the excitement of a world-class TED Talk, or which simply isn’t "engaging” enough), during and after which they are required to perform assessments.

In about 20 years in the education sector, I’ve heard of or seen many "war stories” relating to teachers and lecturers. Below are a few "highlights”:

• Teachers walking out of class as a result of being bullied by students; these are usually new teachers untrained in classroom management but it affects seasoned ones as well
• Teachers being cursed (with the foulest profanity) in an auditorium during a public lecture because a student with Asperger’s couldn’t control himself
• Teachers being reprimanded by students because said students’ IDs were outdated and didn’t match what the exam centre had on its spreadsheet
• Teachers taking anti-depressant pills and even engaging in suicide ideation from the stress of work
• Teachers being warned by superiors that they can’t be too creative beyond the stated "lesson objectives”
• Teachers shouted at by parents (and even students) because the system which handles subject registration. timetabling, attendance and so on is miles below par and somehow the teacher is being blamed
• Teachers’ family members wondering why said teacher still needs to attend late-evening meetings

Anything helps

So, in honour of this day and teachers, maybe as parents and students we can take a few minutes and ask what little extra we can do (or refrain from doing) to ensure this "backbone” of our society gets all the appreciation and assistance due to them.

I’m not saying let’s give every teacher a 5-star holiday and up their pay by 40 per cent. Not at all.

Maybe heads of schools need to listen more to them as individuals, ask them what they really need.

Maybe students who always moan about the lack of activity during classes can propose new learning activities or, hey, even take up the instructional role for once i.e. do some "active learning” and all that?

Or, when all is said and done, I believe teachers and lecturers want what practically every employee wants: A kind appreciative word at the end of the day.

Happy Teachers’ Day, Malaysia.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.