Teaching and blogging

Blogging is something that is still new in Malaysia. In fact, bloggers do not have good reputation in this country. A blogger is always considered as someone that is unethical and rebellious. Bad highlights and misused of blogs for political platforms have really worsen the situation.
One of the questions that I would like to answer in my weblog is “Can a teacher become a blogger?” For me, blogging is not something that is totally strange to us as educators. As a teacher we are encouraged to keep records and journals of our daily teaching experiences. In our daily lesson plan itself, we are required to make a reflection of every lesson we taught. This instrument is vital in evaluating the effectiveness of each lesson.
Being reflective of our daily teaching experience is crucial because it will benefit us in the future. As a baby blogger, I always believe that my blog entries are precious journals that will help to encourage me in difficult time to come. Every success and failure in the classroom should be recorded so that it can become a source of reference in the future.
To make it clear, I am not suggesting that every teacher should become a blogger. We have our own ways of keeping record, such as writing diary, audio and video recording. As long as it can be a medium that helps you to reflect back to your lessons in class than you are doing the right thing. My personal experience has taught me that if we teachers do not take time to post-mortem our works in the class then we will not improve.
In a nutshell, teaching and blogging are two components that complement each other. Blogging can be a powerful tool that helps us to be a better teacher if we use it in the right way. So, the answer is YES, a teacher can also be a blogger. I’m proud to be a blogger myself.

The Joy of Teaching

Nowadays, teachers are challenged with so many hurdles and obstacles that sometimes can discourage us. There are a lot of bad issues reported about education’s world today. Teacher’s competency, education policies and problematic youths are some of the highlight in the press.

With so many challenges around, sometimes as a teacher we feel discouraged and frustrated. As for me, the only thing that encourages me to stay in this education line is the ‘the joy of teaching’ itself. I am attracted to the teacher’s role where I watch my students’ progress and grow everyday. The satisfaction of knowing that I have made a contribution in changing their lives really motivates me to stay in this job.

Teaching is special because it offers us a lot of unforgettable moments that really make a difference in our lives. I will always remember the face of my students when they say “I get it” or “Ooh”. These are the moments that I treasure the most and for me it is something magical. Plus, it is only exclusive for those who are playing the role as a teacher.

In general, teaching is a job that is challenging, exhausting and full of disappointments.Yet if we really take time to recall the magical moments when our small and significant efforts have brought a huge impact to our students, then maybe you will realize that teaching is a wonderful calling.

Learning To Teach vs Teaching To Learn

In Malaysia, there are a variety of reasons why people choose to become teachers. Some are by choice, some are accidentally push into Education Field. But for me, no matter what are the reasons. Those who are teachers now, are those who are called by God to carry a very important task. That's why every teacher (including me) should appreciate this calling and let us improve ourselves to become a teacher that can change the world through our small classroom.

The question now is whether all the training we received from our respected institutions are enough to prepare us. For me, teaching is a rather unique profession. After enrolling for training to qualify as teachers, actually the real lesson start at the classroom itself. This is the place where we learn new lessons & new experiences everyday.

Some of these lessons will make you laugh, stress, angry or even cry. Classroom teaching is something that will make you a better teacher by experience. So, for those who are still new in this Education line, don't be afraid to experiment new methods, new skill, new strategy and improvise it to suit your teaching style. Teaching is a unique business. My methods of teaching may not be applicable to others. Each of us have our own way of educating. That's why I'll never question other teachers ways of teaching as long as it serve the purpose of education.

In a nutshell, graduating with degree or diploma in Education marks not the end but the beginning of the task of becoming a better teacher. So let us "unlearn" and "relearn" to become an effective teacher.