Changing lives as a teacher

Yesterday, I was searching for information in order to prepare my classes for today. And I just happen to run accross with a news in the New York Times, about Educational Experiences that change a life.

You have to read it.

Few things are so touching and motivating for a students, that the words that a teacher can say.

And it is true. I don't remember all my teachers, of course I remember my first teacher Mrs. Rosa, and I won't forget her.

But at the same time, I still remember many situations in which I could learn something amazing, and it all became real because of a teacher.

It is true that a teacher can change the life of a students, for good or for bad.

But as a teacher, I wonder if I am doing that on my students, if I am giving those educational experiences that change lives. I feel that I haven't done so much. It is not that I don't want, but I feel that I am not changing the life of anybody. Probably, not the way I want.

I can't judge myself so hard, because of course that I am helping my students everyday, but I would like that someday, one student will come to my class, and he or she will tell me: "Teacher, do you remember when you taught us this ... well, that made me think and then I decided to take a decision in my life", or "thanks to you, I chose the right way in life", or "I am the way I am because of you".

Dreaming is easy, actions are harder. I hope that day will come soon.

Travelling to the south. Day 3

The last day, we got up early again, we had the chance to hear speeches related with the responsibility in having pets, the properties of some trees, and how to get money without killing the trees. After lunch, we went to paint in wall with drawings about ecology.

At night students have the chance to show what they are doing in their clubs.

What I liked about this, is the way some students talked. In some way I felt proud of they way my own students could present their work to the rest of the students. And I say "in some way", because, I am not sure if I have contributed to give those tools to my students. I want to think I did it. But more than that, I felt happy that some of my students are very responsible to prepare their speech, and present it so well, that they were very professional in doing so.

I hope more students can follow their example. And at the same time, I think giving the chance to the students to participate in clubs, and then participating in different activities like this, it would be very helpful to form responsibility, strength to know that they can do anything they want without being shy or nervous to talk to more people.

It is funny, but I am still a nervous person, even being a teacher, but when I have to do something, then I do it.

Give your students the chance to talk in front of more people, and they will feel they can do even greater things.

Travelling to the south. Day 2

After having some problems in finding the place we were supposed to stay the previous night (a boarding school), the second day was great. We got up very early in the morning, and we took breakfast just to go to the opening ceremony in the center of the city of Cañete. We had the pleasure to hear some interesting speeches from very important important people, all connected with ecology.

After that, we went to another place to choose which speech we wanted to hear. My students chose to hear the speech given by SAG (Agriculture and Cattle Service). We learnt some information about animals and the law to take care of those animals in extinction.

We came back to get lunch, and then we visited the Mapuche Museum Ruka Kimvn Taiñ Volil, dedicated to our native people culture. This was the most interesting for me, unfortunately, the time was so few and they were like in a hurry to tour us inside the museum, so no time to really get all you can get from this amazing place.

Students had the chance to know more about our own native culture, games and planting trees.

It is so amazing that our culture has such connection with the Earth, actually, mapuche means people of the Earth. I think it was a good lesson of the love that our native people have for the planet and all the creatures.

Travelling to the south. Day 1

Last friday, I had the chance to travel to the south of Chile, I went with a group of students to the National Gathering of Ecoclubs, in the city of Cañete.

I must say the travel was really long, and tiring, we took the first of three buses at almost 9 in the morning, and we almost reached at 9 at night. Very long. But it was worth it.

Ok, until now, There is no connection between this and my classes of English. But I was thinking that the class in not all, I mean to say, there is so much more than just a subject.

I feel that most of what we remember from the school is not the subject itself, but the experiences we got. And for sure, that when students are faced to situations in which, they must be responsible and mature, then those activities are essential to the life of a student.

We just can't think and pretend that being in a classroom is the only way to learn. There are more ways.

Give the students the chance to prove they can talk in public, and it will be the start in their lives as responsible and grown up students. Believe me.

A multi-task teacher. When just one task is not enough

Teachers have many things to do, that is for sure. And maybe that is why it is so stressing being a teacher.

But that is normal in our world of teachers. I have been busy in these days, too many things to do. I am a teacher of English, and I have to prepare material everyday and correct works and tests. I am the one helping the parents with all their doubts and problems. By now we are planning some actvities to get money and fulfill our projects for this year.

Now, I will be out for some days, I will be travelling to the south with some students, because they will gather in a national meeting for ecoclubs. So I will be posting my experience on that.

Is it tiring to be a multi-task teacher? Yes it is, but it is so worth it, that you enjoy every minute you are working for it. Yes it is tiring, but once you start doing many things, you feel strange if you don't do them. You get used to be a multi-task teacher.

The key is scheduling your time, don't worry too much about things, and you wont get stressed.

But by now, I will know a new city in the south. Learning what other students do within the country, about the environment and nature.

why to continue studies to get perfection

I have been very busy in these days, and it is because, apart from preparing the material for my classes, I am already taking courses.

I already shared with you my course about videogames and education that I took last year. And the last semester, I took another e-learning course about research skills in relation with ICTs. Well, now I am taking another e-learning course called multimedia, and until now, we are just starting, but I have already learnt some terms and how interesting can be a page that uses hypertext, video, images and audio. And I hope to be creating material to share with you all.

In addition, I am about to start a short course in relation with the use of blogs, and soon I will start another course for teachers of English with level B2 or ALTE 3. I feel really excited to start soon these courses, because I really enjoy learning new things.

Next friday I will be travelling with a group of my students into a national gathering of ecoclubs, and of course, I will be sharing that new experience too.

I think, it is never late to study and learn something new, and it is essential in the life of a teacher to continue improving and learning, because even if we don't want, things are never the same, and we have to adjust to that.

That is why I have been a bit busy in these days. Is it too much? Well, if you like something, then you will always have a time for everything, the point is that you don't make excuses that there is no time, because it is a matter of just scheduling and time management.

You must take into account the following aspects:

1. Learning is a life-long process.
2. You can have a big and long experience being a teacher, but it doesn't mean that you know everything or that you have the answer to everything.
3. Studying is not just a process that you do in a formal way. You have millions of pages on internet where you can get information to continue learning.
4. Facts are always changing, so you must be updated.
5. Your students are changing too, they are not the same as previous years, so their knowledge and questions are different, are you ready to answer those new doubts?
6. Learning is one of the most amazing things we can do in our lives. Don't you enjoy so much when you discover a new fact?
7. If you demand a lot from your students, then be prepared to be demanded a lot by them.
8. Don't be stubborn, and get along with the modern times. Don't stay in the past.
9. Finally, it is good to be a student again, not just to learn something new, but also, to understand what it is being a student in a modern era.

Are you studying nowadays? what are you studying? what was the course you enjoyed the most?

Just teachers teach?

Most of the responsibilities about teaching is given to the teachers. It is true though, that we give the content to the students. But, as I have said before, education starts at home. And not just teachers teach, no. Everyone who is in contact with the school life can, and must teach, not content, but values.

Today, I had one of those experiences that I won't forget for many years. I had learnt something not from a teacher, but from an honest and simple singer. A singer who infused in me the passion of doing things for other people.

Fernando Leiva, a chilean catholic singer, to whom I had the chance to know and hear his words today, really taught me an enormous lesson.

He shared many things about his life, but I can say two things that really touched my heart.

One is, that no matter what or how, God will provide all you need. And when you feel like down or almost giving up, just relax and leave all in the hands of God. He knows it all. But be patient.

A second point is that he was not just words, he was also actions. Actually, I could say he was just actions, because he is the kind of person that is not just happy with saying things, but also, doing what he is saying. I liked his passion for his belief in God. But as a teacher, what I won't forget is that, this life is so short to be complaining, that instead of doing that, I must do things, move, change, love, improve, and really put passion in my work.

After I had that meeting, while I was teaching to my students, I could feel that I was the teacher I wanted to be since so long. I really felt happy teaching and I saw myself complete, and loving my profession. Thanks Mister Fernado Leiva for his teaching of passion. Thanks for teaching me to be a better teacher.

source of the video: youtube

Teacher: learn a lesson of solidarity

This is the week of the solidarity. So we had the visit of a friend priest to talk about Solidarity and Youngsters. Father Rafael talked about solidarity in present times, and how it must fight against the injustices and consumerism.

But as teachers, we know that we have to be supportive with our students, and motivate our students to be supporitve too. I will share with you what Father Rafael told us about it.

The first point is welcoming. We have to welcome the person who needs our help. We have to welcome our students when they need us. Here, time is key. We need to give space on our busy schedule to our students.

A second point is hearing. And this is, probably, the hardest part. As teacher, we tend to have in our mind too many things, that even if we can give that time to our studetns, it is hard to concentrate, and really hearing what they have to say. And it is even harder to really put ourselves in the shoes of the other.

And the third point is building. Because inside every problem, there must be a solution. So, we have to start working, building solutions together, really going to the actions.

We are clearly in a consumerist world, And we have to know which is priority: the materials?resources? methods? evaluations?

I think we all know the answer. we all know which is the priority: the students.

Why some teachers don't have education?

The other day, I posted why do I hate some teachers? in relation with the irresponsibility of some leaders of teachers, that instead of finding a final solution, they are calling for more protests and strikes to improve the education in Chile.

Today, I was reading a post of Humberto Maturana in relation with the same topic, and I would like to share with you some of his thoughts.

Humberto Maturana, who is a prominent Chilean biologist and well-known philosopher, says in his post called "¡Queremos mejor educación! (We want a better education!):

"When I ask for something, I need that the soul of the person who can satisfy my petition, can agree with my soul and welcome me"

"When I demand (...) I doubt that the wishes of that person will agree with my wishes, and I turn to a hidden or a explicit threat, trusting that the right or the force can assist me"

"If we are honest to declare that we want to improve the education within the country, what we have to do is talking, generating spaces to settle agreement between the wishes (...)"

(You can check his complete post in Spanish here. Or you can check his page in English here.)

I agreed with his words, and I feel that the only way to really make a change in education, is by talking without the violence that some arrogant people think it is the right way.

Again I say, how can we promote values, respect and responsibility in our students, if we, as teachers, don't show that way first? That is why I say that some teachers don't have education.

Talking about the problems is the way we have to solve them and get a final solution. By the reason, not by the force.

why do I hate some teachers?

To clarify, I am not talking about my coworkers, which I really respect and value a lot (I have learnt a lot from them during all these years), I am not talking about my own teachers, because I am here due to their help and support when I was a student.

I am talking about those teachers who are supposed to be our leaders, and instead of showing us "the way", they just really lost their own way.

Since too many days, strikes and protests have moved the foundation of our education in Chile. And I agree that we have to fight to get a better education, and the rights of the teachers, and all of that. It is just. for me, and talking with a really personal view, ... for me it is really enough.

It is impossible that after a long time, there is no solution to the problem of the quality in education. I feel it is so much absurd, that the leaders of the teachers continue calling for more strikes and protests, and when they are not allowed, they say that they will use the law to fight against that ban. Isn't it so stupid? (Sorry, my foul language). It is just... I really think it is so stupid to continue wanting more and more strikes and protests that just bring destruction and a huge loss, instead of just gathering for two or three days, to really talk with the government and finding a real and final solution.

It is so unbelievable that those teachers call for more protests, and they say they won't be responsible if there are "infiltrates" that are destroying all, even knowing that protests will just bring more loss. What kind of teachers are those?

I feel that we, as teachers, have a huge responsibility in wanting a better education, but we can't commit the sin of teaching about respect to our students, when we don't respect others.

I'm sorry to say, but I feel that some teachers really need more education.

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What is the future of the teacher?

The other day, I was reading on the newspapers about a robot that was teaching on the classroom. Most of the students were happy to have this teacher helping them in different subjects. The robot was controlled at distance by a person, who already had the lesson plan and all the activities in advance. So, the robot was more realistic and could interact with the students.

For me, this is was a really interesting news, and it made me think about the future of the teacher. I know that in order to solve a need of the society, teachers (people) won't disappear.

But I was imagining the future, how will be the teacher of the future. And with so many technologies, gadgets, internet and all ... which will be the kind of teachers who will exist in ten or twenty years more? But the thing that worries me the most... is the fact that having so many tools to study and learn new things... the role of the teacher, probably won't have the same importance than years ago.

In order words, if I have all the chances to do all by myself... do I really need a teacher? Probably yes, to tell me what to do, how to do it, when to do, and the reason why I must do it. But I have the feeling that teachers will become just another tool in the process of learning, and they won't have the relevance that they must have.