Manal SoherwardyTeacher - Grade 1 Al Furat Model School To a teacher, everyday is an experience. You get to learn something new every day. Being a teacher is like being a leader; you stand in the class room like a military officer and the cadets follow everything you do. You are a role model to them. When we are teaching, we are just not teaching them what the curriculum has to offer, we are teaching them manners, etiquettes, and we are preparing them for life which is ahead of them. The responsibility we hold is a much greater one, as the kids are our future who will not only represent a reputable institution, but as one of my teachers, Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan says, “They will be the real ambassadors of Islam." I love kids. My love for children draws me towards teaching. Children are just amazing. They are fun to be around and make you realize how simple life is; it's not at all about complexity or how intricate things are but rather it's about how the most simplest of things can bring joy to you just like putting their bare hands in a pool of paint, coloring dinosaurs, laughing on how their pencil resembles Sponge Bob. It's like a reminder how simple life is and how complicated we have made it. It teaches us that how we have so much in our lives that we need to thank Allah for. Alhumdulillah. There are different types of children and one technique doesn't work with everyone. We cannot clone any child in our “good kid" image. I personally feel that no amount of taunt or censure for the purpose of admonishment or reprimanding any sort of behavior will ever do as good as a good friendly advice. However, there are times when strictness is the key to discipline. My first day as a teacher was when I was teaching a group of seventh graders. They respected me and it was a pleasure to be around them. My first lesson was about writing an essay on the topic “Mother" and how the role of a mother is underestimated and how we tend to take our mothers for granted. Children started telling stories about how awesome their mothers are and soon a sense of appreciation was felt to the unending services their mothers have done for them. Usually, the jail for a student is not behind bars but behind a desk. With elementary students - my area of expertise - it seems like there are springs on their chairs that make them go all bouncy in the classroom. Engaging the students in extracurricular activities that include hands-on activities, singing, coloring, dancing works best with them. They want to laugh, play, and have fun. They grasp concepts much effectively when they are given that kind of an environment.Teachers should appreciate students because all they want to do is please their teachers, and it means the world to them. It doesn't matter if the letters are dancing on the paper or something is scribbled so badly that it seems like a code to decipher. They just want to make their teachers happy and feel loved. Teaching is an experience worth the shot. It's a satisfactory feeling that you have actually given some service to the community in which you live. You have taught a child his or her basic education that will definitely help him/her in the future regardless of what they choose to become. I am very grateful to Allah for making me part of the institution I work in, for blessing me with such working professionals, supervisors and head of staff that are conscientious, diligent and supportive. As told to Nisma Rafiq/Saudi Gazette
