"Advice to the Teacher"

Advice to the Teacher

by

Sheykh Sadullah Khan

ECHOES OF THE HEART

As we enter the new academic year we present an extract from Sadullah's paper on VALUE-BASED EDUCATION delivered at the Teacher Development Seminar in Pasadena, USA.

ADVICE TO THE TEACHER

The Holy Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, "I have been sent as a teacher" and "have been commissioned to complete the pattern of human behaviour". These prophetic traditions emphasize the significance of education, of ethical values and of moral conduct.

AIM OF EDUCATION

It is my contention that the aim of education in Islam is to functionally inform and positively transform the student; i.e. initiate a catalytical reaction leading to continuous development of the student's beliefs, thoughts, actions, potentialities, faculties, expressions, motivation and aspirations.

Our academic institutions and educational systems must be faith-based and value-laden. Learning is meaningful where there is cognizance of its usefulness. Education is beneficial if it transmits and promotes deeply cherished values of sincerely, honesty, integrity, sense of responsibility and concern for the rights and welfare of others.

5 PILLARS OF CLASSROOM WISDOM

1. Command respect

A good teacher is a person who respects children and whose students, in turn, respect him or her. A person who knows how to make a child feel special. A person who is creative enough to open whole worlds to young minds. The confluence of respect and responsibility navigates the journey to ethical fitness.

2. The Key factor is the "C" word

The key factor that makes students like school, study hard, achieve and stay in school, is the "C" word, but its not "curriculum". The word is "caring". CARE deeply about each student and about that student's accomplishment and growth. It begins with the teacher recognizing the student as an individual who brings particular experiences, interests, enthusiasm, and fears to the classroom. The teacher taking time to acknowledge a student's life outside the classroom, enquiring about the family's welfare or the student's participation in an extra curriculum activity. To teach people enough to school them, we must meet their deep human need to feel cared about.

3. Know, Enthuse and Motivate

Know the subject, convey it with excellence, enthuse the student with the relevance of the subject-matter and motivate them to greater heights.
Teacher competence has aroused much concerns from teacher educators, education professionals and the public. Teacher competence could be classified into two main categories: interpersonal skills and classroom procedures. Interpersonal skills refers to teacher's proficiency in creating a comfortable social atmosphere, and demonstrating warmth and friendliness towards their students. And classroom procedures refers to the actual classroom practices which are teaching methods and techniques.

4. Collaboration

To achieve holistic development of the student, there must be collaboration between the three primary role players in the education of the child; the teacher, co-teachers and parents.When parents asks, "Does my child have a good teacher?" knowing what we do today about the importance of the home in children's achievement, I ask, 'Does your child have a good parent?" We don't have to be perfect to be good, but we do have to be a team and we do need to make an effort to do our job together.

"A student's success in school starts in the heads and hearts of his or her parents and teachers. The way we see them and the way we make them see themselves is what they will become".

1995 Hawaii teacher Linda Holt
of the Year

5. Information for Transformation through Character Education

Today, the vast majority of Americans share a respect for fundamental traits so character: honesty, compassion, justice, courage and perseverance. Yet, in today's world, all children face great uncertainties in a complex and sometimes troubled society. Therefore our challenge is to provide youth with the self-esteem, stamina, and support they need to survive, to be successful, and to develop into strong, competent, caring and responsible citizens.

Character education presents life with context, inviting students to listen, share, explore and reflect. Cultivating knowledge for purposeful living, students learn through literature, art, humanities and throughout the existing school curriculum the benefits and consequences of behaviour. They learn the power of choice. They learn to appreciate the qualities of being human and to share their appreciation at home, in school, and in the community.

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Points to Ponder

You, O teacher/parent, are the decisive element in classroom/home. Your personal attitude and approach creates the climate. You possess a tremendous power to make the child's life miserable or joyous. You can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. You can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. Your response decided whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, a child humanized or de-humanized.

The moral message you send must be clear, consistent and repetitive. Children will judge your values not by what you say but by what you permit them to do. They will judge you not by your best moments but by your last worst act. Thus, everything you say and do, and all that you allow to be said and done in your presence, either reinforces or undermines the credibility of your messages about the importance of good character.

"No person gives his child a better gift and inheritance than knowledge and good moral training".

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