Monday, May 30, 2011

The Gift of Education

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." - Henry Adams.
Teaching is not just a job, it is a global necessity for human survival - not dissimilar to water or food. We need our minds to live, work and contribute to society is a positive way. We need our minds to establish peace and progress. For these reasons teachers are so important. In addition to teaching a subject, teachers can impact the lives of individuals. They might:
Give you the courage to be yourself:
Some of us have been lucky enough to have a teacher who encouraged us to be ourselves. Perhaps we were shy, or easily intimidated. Maybe we were bullied or pressured into doing things we didn't always believe was right. But we had a teacher who gave us the confidence we needed to be okay with who we were and have led a life of better decision making for it.
Make you aware of your choices:
A lot of people grow up thinking they have no choices. The reason for this might be financial- they think that they grew up in a ghetto and that is where they'll remain; it might be family expectation- if I don't become a doctor or lawyer or politician my community will have nothing to do with me; or it might come from within- who would ever want me? What do I have to offer? A good teacher can change that perception. They can make you aware of all that's available to their students, while being empathetic to their specific situation. When you show someone that they have choices, you are changing their world.
Nurture brilliance:
History's greatest leaders all went to school. They all had teachers who taught them to read and write, who educated them in math and science, right and wrong. And amongst them there is sure to have been one or two influential teachers who nurtured their talent, who encouraged them and believed that they were capable of going on to achieve great things. When a student grows up to make scientific or medical discoveries that save lives, to lead a country through a time of crisis, to rewrite the economic structure by which the banking system is based on, often have a teacher or two to thank. Those teachers have left a mark on the world they probably never thought possible.
Give a kid and a pencil and teach him to write, put him in a classroom and teach him to think, provide him with a great teacher and teach him to be the best person he can be.

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