Teaching is not a bed of roses. Rather, it's much prettier than that.

         Often regarded as one of the oldest and noblest professions in the world, teaching continues to be a career choice of those who wish to help children build their potential in various aspects. As we celebrate Teachers Day on 16 May, I wish to share my humble opinions on why challenges faced by teachers are chances for them to make a difference as they cherish the bittersweet moments in their career.

         As a teacher who has been in the profession for over a decade, I believe that chances and challenges would help with the career growth of every teacher. Frankly speaking, in the early years of teaching, I perceived problems as pain that would kill my patience and passion in educating the schoolchildren. But, as time goes by, I begin to realise that everything that makes or breaks my day at work is both a chance and a challenge for me to perform better as I learn to manage my emotional well-being. Experience is truly the best teacher.

         Needless to say, teaching is more than finishing the syllabus, preparing exercises for enrichment activities and grading papers. It is the study of human characters shaped by children’s social backgrounds and their special abilities. True teachers would be intrigued by unique personalities of pupils as the process of discovering the latter’s learning styles could be an exciting adventure. Chances are teachers will be surprised and enlightened by the findings that would create an opportunity for them to expand their creativity in teaching as they wish to cater the needs of different types of learners.

         However, the challenges may be greater when dealing with demotivated, disrespectful and delinquent pupils who might be too hard to handle. In this case, teachers may need to turn the judgemental thinking into an analytical one. In fact, this is how we do justice to children with struggles we may know nothing about. Indeed, it takes a second to judge a person but it takes a special strength to stop and think. Pupils who look frazzled and uninterested may suffer from sleep deprivation because they have to work to help their poor family. Those who fail to complete their homework may need to juggle between taking care of their ailing parents or younger siblings and catching up on the lessons. Those with bad attitude may come from a broken family and live a loveless life. These cases may be never-ending problems to teachers, but this is the time they take teaching to the next level and deal with the challenges smartly and heroically by saving and helping the problematic pupils, instead of hating or punishing them. This is also how teachers apply love, respect, happiness and humanity (LR2H) in educating the children.

         Teaching is not a bed of roses. It is a room full of beautiful flowers. And, with teachers’ unconditional love for teaching and learning, it will become a home for enthusiastic educators and lifelong learners.

 

A TRUE INSPIRATION

                                                            

    It is not every day that we get to hear the name of a Malaysian being announced as the winner at the Academy Awards, and the moment our country was mentioned in the acceptance speech was the icing on the cake, thanks to Michelle Yeoh, an international superstar, superhero and superwoman who made history at the Oscars.

 

    The much-awaited Oscar win has not only put Malaysia on the world map, but it has also taught us plenty of lessons.

 

    Indeed, it is never too late to accomplish goals in life. As a matter of fact, it takes nearly a century for the Academy to discover and acknowledge our local talents.   

 

    It was not an easy win for Michelle as she has been in the global film making industry for decades. Her inspiring career journey and success story should make us realise that facing challenges are inevitable and the best way to overcome them is by walking through and moving on no matter how hard it gets. With sheer determination and patience, there will come a time when our tears of triumphs would wash away all the pain and misery that come with us throughout our journey.

 

    Also, we need to enjoy the process instead of waiting for successes to happen. As the philosophical law of attraction suggests, positive thoughts would lead to positive results. It is important for us to grow a positive mindset and believe that something good is on its way. To accomplish our goals in a short time may make us a smart person who gains immediate satisfaction, but  to experience delayed gratification made of blood, sweat and tears would make us a wise one. A winner might take it all, but a true champion learns all the lessons and live a better life.

 

Everyone is blessed with a fair share of bittersweet moments in life. Behind the cheerful expressions and good appearance of a person, there may be struggles that we know nothing about. Figuratively speaking, a book may tell a mind-blowing story, but some pages may be torn and dusty, distracting readers’ attention and affecting their levels of interest, but the beautiful ending makes them forget about all the challenging chapters faced in the process of reading. This is why we need to trust the process, focus on what really matters and avoid being judgmental. With this healthy mindset, it would be no surprise that someday, somebody from our homeland would win a Nobel Prize, making us all feel overwhelmed, just like the country’s sweetheart Michelle Yeoh did.

 

 

 

 LET’S TAKE A BREAK

 

We all need to take a break from work, studies and everything else that makes us feel frazzled. The world will never stop keeping us busy so it depends on our smart strategy to ensure that we are physically, mentally and spiritually healthy as we strive for work-life balance.

I have been a workaholic for a long time and I believe many out there share the same boat with me. Sometimes, we need to compromise our health and happiness as we are snowed under with work even on weekends. Despite the fact that the efforts eventually paid off with awards and recognitions, one would still wonder if the entire process was actually worth it and healthy.

As I decided to slow down and take one thing at a time, I was blessed with a new friend who helped me enjoy life all over again. Off days were no more about perfecting some work as sharing stories over a good meal and going to the cinema sounded like better options. It was wonderful to experience the friendly gestures of handshakes and hugs once again when I almost forgot about the power of human touch and its ability to heal a weary heart and a worrying mind. Needless to say, it felt way better than the times I laid my hands on papers and computers while completing some work. Amazingly, the shared moments with a dear friend helped me with my anxiety and overthinking, and nobody would trade this peaceful state of mind for anything. This positive energy gave me freedom and confidence money couldn’t buy.

 

At times, life can be so serious, forcing us to be too hard on ourselves. But, let’s not miss the excitement of living meaningfully by connecting with those who would make us feel comfortable to open up. Funnily enough, we should thank those who have made us chuckle or burst into laughter with their silly jokes and playful behaviours, as they have successfully distracted our minds and helped us escape from never-ending worries and problems. And that’s what makes life strangely beautiful.