ARE TEACHERS MAGICIANS OR MIND MOULDERS

By Educator Fidelia Akpan

What will be said about our educational system in Nigeria in the near future? I must sincerely say that we have left our cooking pots unmanned and our food now burns.

What is our contribution as parents to our wards educational pursuit? Do we really have time to check our children's note, guide them with their assignments? Or do we conclude as parents that we are really expending huge sums as fees so the school must do everything for our children irrespective of our own duty as parents? We are getting it all wrong. After a child is taught at the school, a good teacher must give the learner an assignment. This is to help the students get himself or herself acquainted with the lessons. 


Today parents see teachers as magicians of some sort who can perform magic at any time. Children these days do not listen in the class or do their assignment because they know that education is "child centred". The child already knows that if he or she does not do well that the teacher will be blamed for the poor or bad result. Fine, the teacher will be blamed or even sacked from the school after he or she has used the various teaching methodology and the child has refused to erase the wrong belief and idea from their mind that the teacher will always be blamed for His own failure . 

The child has forgotten that even if the teacher is sacked, blamed or scolded at the child wrong attitude to learn that the teacher in question has his own certificate which is not transferable to that child. The world will not stand still just because you have refused to join in the train of success. Those in the train of success has left you behind only to become heroes of the world. What will be your excuse or regret later? That you never had the best teacher or never attended the best school? Or that you got it all wrong.

 Please parents let’s stop indoctrinating our own children about our learning. Let our children take ownership of their studies and education. Let them know why they should go to school and how they affect the world positively with their ideas, dreams and inventions. 

We read about Thomas Edison who invented the light bulb. All these great inventors owned their own studies. These days we keep pushing a child when he does not have the foundation on his studies in a particular class this will now become a problem for that child because the child does not have the basis of what it takes to be in the next class. The teacher who is seen as a magician will be expected to perform magic and when the teacher fails to perform the magic, he will be scolded. We all have our part to play as the school, teachers and parents. But these days the work is left to the instructors alone to perform. In the past, if a child misbehaved at home a parent will go and meet the teacher for advice but these days’ parents go and tell the teachers what they think, which is never in line with the teaching methodology. Maybe all what your child needs is a one on one teaching or counselling from the counsellor. Please parents let be careful not to destroy our children's destiny unconsciously all for the sake of ignorance or modernised culture. Ben Carson is what he is today because of his mum. The woman couldn’t read but ensured that Ben Carson and his younger brother did their assignments and went to the Library to read a novel every day. Those novel Ben Carson read every day changed him and the perception of his class mates and teachers about Ben Carson. What positive contribution are you adding to your child's educational pursuit? we are care takers we will be answerable to God on that day. 
Teachers are not magicians they are mind moulders. They can only mould great minds who intend to own their own studies irrespective of his family status. God bless our children, God bless our teachers and God bless Nigeria. 

You can read the following related post
A Letter to our Parents
Should a Teacher be Held Solely Responsible for a Child's Failure

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