Connect, Pause, Engage!

Mulling through my photos in search of the perfect one was no easy task. I spent the last couple days looking for a photo and thinking of some clever way for it to explain my teaching experience here in New Zealand. After realizing this, the task of taking a photo and applying a metaphor that was profoundly deep and exquisitely sophisticated on one hand may be cheesy and cliché but extremely effective on the other. Overall, I wanted to stay true to the image as it speaks volumes to me.

Two weeks ago, my school took part in a 50kg Rugby Tournament. The students on the team were from several classrooms spread throughout Blockhouse Bay Primary School. Each student brought something different and exciting to the table. Some of the students were small but agile while some were slow but unexpectedly powerful. Some understood the logistics of playmaking while others were quite new to the sport. Though we lost the tournament I learned a lot from a day of observation. Students have their own strengths and weaknesses.

This snapshot of a Blockhouse Bay Primary teacher engaging with their students was eye opening. Education isn’t solely about making sure students learn every bit of information they possibly can. Students aren’t sponges that soak up knowledge. It is never one sided. As an educator, you must engage yourself and be a part of your students’ lives. As a teacher. As a mentor. As a friend. Teachers can learn too. Everyday, we learn just as much as the students in their classroom, sometimes more and sometimes less. Each new day brings something different to the table, just as every play within a rugby game. What a teacher learns may not be how to multiply fractions or how to divide by 7’s but rather about their students. What their home situation is like, what their interests are, what their favorite color is, what their favorite food is as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

It is a part of our duty to connect, pause and engage with our students. Instilling morals, motivation and joy is just as much a part of teaching as the realm of academia. Next time you step into a classroom, remember. You’re not just finger painting, you’re not just teaching to standards, you’re certainly not just getting paid. You’re a helping hand, you’re a role model and you’re changing lives.