Local educators were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones to make children interested in school, by embracing their profession and seeking innovative ways to make learning fun and interesting, by award-winning American teacher Ron Clark.
Addressing teachers, administrators and students at the National Cultural Centre on Monday, Clark, who is also a motivational speaker, shared his experiences and techniques that can encourage a more conducive learning environment for students.
The high school teacher was invited by the Education Ministry as part of activities for Education Month 2013, to deliver the feature address to teachers at the transforming minds workshop.
Clark stated that persons employed as teachers who see the profession as just a job should not be educators.
“You’ve got to push them, because, if you don’t, it’s the future of your country that will suffer… the future of your country depends upon you pushing the brain thrust in this country,” said Clark, as he made reference to China and other countries that are working to push their gifted students by investing in them.
He continued, “You got to have each other’s back, you got to defend each other, you got to be strong, because, if we are all strong, it’s going to flow down to all the kids.”
He highlighted the various innovative measures he has used to get his students excited and ready to learn.
Clark, who teaches Mathematics and History to fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students, said he was successful in getting children to learn by changing the lyrics of popular songs into that of math problems and history lessons.
Clark transformed a 100-year-old abandoned factory into a school dubbed ‘The Ron Clark Academy’, which is located in Atlanta, Georgia. It caters for fifth through eighth grade students.
According to him, teachers from other schools are allowed to witness how lessons are taught innovatively at his school, so that they are challenged to go back to their respective schools to implement similar innovations and cause a revolution of fun teaching.
He has won the Disney Teacher of the Year award in 2001, appeared on TV shows in America, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, and is the author of a book called ‘The Ron Story”.
Backbone of the education system
In her remarks at the forum, Education Minister Priya Manickchand stressed that teachers are the backbone of the education system.
“If you didn’t do what you’re trained to do, if you didn’t do what you promised to do when you became a teacher, then it would all be for naught and so it’s extremely important that you be the best that you could be, and that’s why we understand fully that you have, in addition, to having issues with how to teach and be a good teacher, you also have your lives to live and we get that,” she said.
As such, she reiterated her call for teachers to work diligently with the country’s future generation.
