Looking Back at Beacons

It feels strange blogging nowadays. I guess it's because it has become something I do for school. It kinda takes the fun out of it. The lack of spontaneity is unnerving when you have to write a mini-research paper every week.

But there's a silver lining surrounding every storm cloud. And in this case, the silver lining is having the ability to think for myself. I like such learning experiences because I'm not spoon fed. That's the whole point of an American education really - to learn and think for yourself. The teacher mainly serves as a guide and a mentor.

Sadly, such teachers are hard to come by. The kind who, at the end of the day, leave you with a greater sense of self and the belief that you're a better person than you were before. I often recall with warm and fuzzy feelings Ms Low, my ESL teacher for 2 semesters, and Ms Lesvesque who taught me UGC for 2 semesters as well.

Ms Low always came down hard on us. She was strict about punctuality and had higher expectations than all the other ESL teachers our friends had. Because of that, I felt as if her lessons were worth my time and attention. It certainly helped that she provided the necessary instruction and encouragement that fuelled my interest and made her lessons less work than play.

Gaylene, or Ms. Levesque, is the one-of-a-kind teacher I'll never forget. She was always full of fun and humorous to boot! In a grandmotherly sort of way, she'll only gently admonish and it always felt as if she had our backs. I guess the teacher really does matter when it comes to making history come alive! UGC wasn't dull or boring, it was interesting and engaging.

Then we had the American professors coming down to teach us. Hmm... we had our fair share of eccentric professors, as well as those who were utterly exemplary. Most of us fell in love with Prof. Vishwanath. Haha! And we all agreed that the man was charming. Looking back, it's funny how he commanded our attention with such ease. I think half of us were entranced by his accent. Then again, he kinda exuded charm and since most of us are girls it's understandable why we succumbed to his teachings.

Dr Sachs, too, in his own way was a great teacher. He's another one of those teachers who require you to think for yourself while prodding you in the right direction. I'll never forget the day he called my name out in a booming, God-like voice because I had written a good essay on the exams. That sort of validation was just the kind of encouragement I needed since I'd thought I'd screwed up that paper.

Personally, I think too much praise for one particular student may breed envy and jealousy among the rest. However, the giving of praise where deserved would bypass that nasty side effect and serve the express purpose of motivating the other students, especially if they know they stand a chance of doing better through sheer hard work.

I don't think I would make a good teacher. I lack the patience for one thing. Grading assignments is not my idea of a nice weekend for another. Seeing that, I do have an idea of what a good teacher should be.

I suppose the teacher-student relationship has to be comfortable. It's difficult in the Asian context for students to be overtly friendly with their teachers. We tend to maintain a respectful distance. The teacher at his or her discretion sets the tone of the relationship, and the students tend to dance to his or her tune. I don't see this as a fault per se but it can get frustrating when there is no distinction between the role of teacher and friend. That's why I think the mentor role is the best - it's the combination of the two! Maybe that's why Asian students prefer to be safe than sorry, retreating back into their strictly business facade when in class.

However, as strong-minded individuals, I've noticed that my classmates as well as myself are very critical of our teachers. Since we have new faces every semester, the first day of school is always interesting. First impressions are formed immediately and by the end of the first lesson we can pretty much predict whether or not we'll enjoy the class. Then comes the assessment of the teachers which occurs just as quickly. Those who are easily taken advantaged of lose our respect, those who are unorganized annoy us, those who are overbearingly strict terrify us, and those who are mediocre are forgotten.

I never thought I'd ever remember any of my teachers well, but looking back at all the teachers I've had there are a few that stand out. I guess the saying that many people walk in and out of your life, but only some leave footprints on your heart, is true.