What you say can make or break!!!!!!

Working in the education industry, you see a lot of good things and sometimes really bad things.

I’ve told you in one of my previous posts that I’ve been teaching for the past 12 years.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com

It feels like I am posting my lifetime’s happiness and sadness about education all here on steemit. But these all true stories!!

I’ve been working with this co-worker since I started giving school.

Now in my opinion, what a teacher says to a learner can either: make or break them.

I know I am not the perfect teacher but.... a BIG BUT... I am always trying to think before I say anything negative to learners or teachers.

This spesific teacher is always, and I mean always, busy telling learners how dumb they are, how their life in school is just a waste of time for them and for her.
I can tell this story, because I was in class while it all happened.
I saw the sadness on some of the most clever learners’ faces
How can you say something like that to a child of 13 years? They are already starting to understand the importance of school so why would they want to waste their time in it?

I looked at the teacher when the learners went out. I asked how she could say something like that to learners. She asked me if I could not see how dumb they are?
I replied that she can’t say they are dumb, because she is teaching them!! That means she must be a dumb teacher.... which I also told her.

Boy!!! Was that the wrong question/comment, she chased me out of the class running after me yelling terrible words at me too.

Later during the day, the same learners came to my class for maths, I greeted them and started with my usual mental maths test. Now, I could see the learners were not their usual self, chirpy, happy and just all over the place. They took out their books and immediately did what I asked. No talking, no eye contact just sitting in class as if what that teacher said was true.

I realized that the incident had a greater effect on some of them, more than I imagined.

I decided there and then that I am not going to “bore” them with the maths lesson for the day.

I decided that these learners needed some inspiration, to see that someone still believes in them.

I took them all outside without bags or books, we all went to the pavilion. I started asking questions about what they could see that was interesting to them, I also told them after their turn it would be mine.

At first they didn't want to participate, but slowly they started giving answers. They named trees, the buildings, the tuckshop everything they still liked about the school.

After them it was my turn, I looked at them and said: “I see a bunch of kids with broken hearts, I also see and know that all these learners here in-front of me today heard something they were not supposed to...” I went on saying: “ you here in-front of me are all always happy and chirpy, you are my most clever maths class that I ever taught. You are made by God for a reason, you are in this school for a reason, you are in my class for a reason. You are not here to listen how teachers saying bad things to you. Lift your heads up, and take everthing bad said, with a pinch of salt”

After all that has been said, one of the learners put up their hand and said” mam, I see something I don’t like.”

Feeling like a total failure of everything that I’ve just said, I asked what it was?

He stood up and pointed his finger in the direction of the the teacher who said those terrible things to them.

I couldn’t keep the class quiet with all the laughing untill the bell rang, quietly also laughing on the inside!!!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com