Power of Influence

Oh man, the file transfer is super slow.

"....teaching - or better, educating or nurturing - was one of those occupations which required a very personal delivery of services. To be a good practitioner, one required a combination of heart and head.... Teachers, like doctors, are often placed in positions of great opportunity and responsibility, to be able to influence and change lives." Dr Ng, Minister

This was part of speech from Dr Ng during the recent promo ceremony for teachers. I enjoyed his speech, and I do feel that he has become less clinical and speaking more from the heart.

There was an article in the ST forum that provided a different perspective and as a response to his speech.

I some of the points in the article do resonnate in me, but only for a short while. yes, we are bogged down with many admin stuff, many extra-CCAs and duties, and besides all these, we still need to go for training and courses. And all these will affect our ranking and bla bla bla.well, I don;t join the profession for ranking and promotion, yes extrinsic rewards is a form of recognition and can motivate, but only to a certain level.. To me, passion and the intrinsic motivation to make a difference must be the driving force. and in order for us to improve our pedagogy or the ways we interact and manage our charges, we need training. and for ECAs and admin stuff, yes, we have to constantly review and streamline some of these SOPs. but it is many a times, necessary in order for the orgainsation to stay in focus in terms of the rocesses. I always see Extra-CCAs, esp those organised for students as platforms for me to interact and build relationships with students. some pple will say i sound so civil service.... LOL

anyway, I always feel that in this profession, we shld not underestimate the power of influence that we have on our charges, no matter how small our actions, the way we role-model, our words.

So comrades,
take heart that we do have the power to impact lives, be it small or big
it might not be immediate or tangible in the near future
but it will come back eventually
The challenge then is
to go beyond what is required
build relationships with our charges
find support and solace from our colleagues
and make a difference

oh boy, I am reflective
think must be the past midnite bug

still waiting for the files to go in...