Lessons I learned from my students
This text came up when I received the following message from a dear student “Thank you, teacher! I have to thank you not only for teaching me the subject but how to be the person who I am today! ”. I was extremely happy that he was accepted into the course and college of his dreams, had sent a message congratulating him, and received an answer that brought tears to my eyes.
Education is not just a form. She, like most avenues of life, travels with reciprocity. As an Educator, Director, and Teacher, I find myself inspired by the lessons that were delivered to me by my students, to whom they committed me to offer lessons. I started teaching at 15 years old. Books, courses, higher education taught me a lot. But great lessons, I learned in the classroom. In practice, on a daily basis. With each of you.
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen master, and peace activist, and the person who taught me Zen through his books, coined the term “interbeing”. It is a term that, for the most part, intends to describe the truth of our interconnection more clearly and correctly. All things live intrinsically connected to each other, exchanging lessons for growth to help us move towards greater Wisdom.
It is with this in mind that I recognize the following lessons learned:
1. Always act with love and compassion
Imagine your emotions as a form of energy. And these various energies — anger, sadness, joy, etc., can be transferred from person to person. If someone feels a strong sense of joy, they radiate that joy and affect those around them, making them a little (and sometimes a lot) happier just by being around them. The use of emotional intelligence in the classroom helped me to understand the different emotions of the students, especially the negative ones. If I lost my temper and shouted like any other teacher, they would do the same. If I reacted with love and compassion even if it did not involve a word, I would receive love and compassion in return. Emotional intelligence in the classroom helped me to resolve conflicts without taking punitive measures. Hostility and aggression would never enter my room. Instead, I have always used self-regulation techniques to provide moments of self-awareness and skills development.
2. The division is a product of our conditioned mind
Belief, race, gender, and any other way in which human beings seek to divide and treat each other unequally are not part of my classroom. Sure, they’re curious, they ask you questions, but they don’t judge. Until the outside world injects beliefs into them that they must judge something in a specific way. This may seem like an obvious point, but we would not have conflicts, crimes, or inequalities if that point was really that obvious. The division is a product of the “small” or conditioned mind, which remains unaware of our interaction. However, with my students, classes have always been naturally accepted and harmonious.
3. We have the potential to do amazing things
We really have the potential to do amazing things, we just need to be willing to put the work into practice and understand that change doesn’t happen overnight. Almost every day I see stories of my students doing incredible and unbelievable things through hard work and perseverance. They didn’t necessarily need to have any prior skills that helped them reach their goal, they just worked hard and never gave up. When we accept that change is a gradual process, the truth is liberating. And that is what my students teach me daily, to make lasting and immeasurable life improvements.
4. Joy in the classroom
A smile is a powerful tool. When analyzing the classroom, we often observe only the exam results or the students’ grades. Assessments are important, of course, but what if grades are not a true indicator of success? Instead of looking at the grades first, I started to worry about my students’ Happiness. In his book “The Happiness Advantage”, Positive Psychology expert Shawn Achor proves that success does not lead to happiness, but happiness does lead to success. Instead of looking at the results and simply asking our students to try harder, we should create them for success through happiness. Happy student! Happy teacher!
5. Learn to listen
Our children beg to be heard. No matter how strange or absurd the story is, just listen. They tell their teachers all kinds of stories, from the classic to the simply strange. What do they really want? Speak, question, learn. Know that your words are important. This helps their self-esteem, allows them to make real connections, and helps them learn to interact with other people. In a world where many of them simply communicate electronically, nothing substitutes for real-world connections at heart.
6. Go deeper
The good news about teaching a language is that we are not limited to a single piece of content. In fact, we are free to teach almost anything that we (or our students) want, as long as we are also honing their skills. Why teach only vocabulary and grammar when our students have a lot more to learn? And when can the language be presented, taught, and practiced more effectively through authentic communication? I am in favor of sharing good ideas. So I set not only language goals, but content goals for each class. When I teach my students a typical subject, for example, food, we not only learn the vocabulary, we learn to eat healthily, and with a visual aid, we learn to make a quick recipe. They were always open, receptive, willing to learn. And it motivates me to learn something new every day.
In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn
Phil Collins
