We were finding it a dull read. I’m not saying it is a dull book, (for those of you who haven’t read it, it isn’t badly written) but I don’t think it was suited to grab the attention of 18 year old boys living in the year 2004. Not only was it a dull read, but the whole classroom environment was dull. We were sitting in a bland classroom that had one lonely poster on the wall which had probably been left behind by the previous inhabitant judging by its faded appearance and dated look.

I almost think my teacher agreed with me as he half-heartedly defended why we were reading the book. There were so many other topics and themes we could be reading about that would engage us, I thought as I drifted off into a daydream and  began developing a vision in my head of a utopian classroom that looked something like this:

Before entering the classroom there is a thought provoking message on the door that changes on a daily basis, perhaps an interesting quote or breathtaking image. Something to set the tone and get some inspiration flowing.  As I enter the room, there is an explosion of colour as creative and interesting posters and murals adorned the walls and ceiling. The carpeted floor requires we leave our shoes at the entrance – one wouldn’t want to get mud on a pristine Persian rug now would you? The teacher, a leggy, blond, former swimsuit model strolls in (remember this an 18 year olds’ fantasy) and tells us she’s got some extremely relevant and interesting books to choose from for our set work. “This one’s about a drug addicts struggle to get clean and be accepted into society, and this one’s about the lives of the teenage children of New York’s rich and successful, purrs Ms McKenzie as she glances over at me and gives me an inviting wink.

Ok, so it’s a pretty far-fetched vision, but I was and still am convinced that if teachers can find more ways of relating to their target market then we’ll see an improvement in interest and therefore results. There is a big gap between teachers and learners, now more-so than ever. The things that interest children and teenagers now are very different to what they were as little as 5 years ago. I believe teachers should embrace this and tap into what makes the youth tick. Embrace technology and social trends and incorporate them into what you teach this generation to whom the words chip, boot, window and apple have completely different meanings to what they did to the previous generation.

Think like a business. You’re a teacher. Your ‘product’ is knowledge. Your ‘target market’ is your learners. In advertising, a business will do whatever it needs to do in order to make it’s product appealing to the target market. So package your knowledge enticingly. Make it colourful, and start thinking like a business.

Here are some more words that have taken on a completely new meaning thanks to technology. Use them in their new context to your class to “wow!” your learners.

I suppose I’m generalising here, because even in the work place (i.e. business) there are people who absolutely despise their jobs to the point of rather wanting to work on a kibbutz or log pine trees somewhere in remote Siberia while drinking vodka and singing the “Volga Boatmen’s Song”.

My point, however, is that teaching should first and foremost never be seen as just a job. If there are teachers who teach merely for the pay slip every month, then I sure as anything want to keep my own child far, far away from them.

I was recently invited to speak at the parent teacher evening of *Habibia Primary School in Cape Town. The event itself was hosted at Alexander Sinton High School as Habibia do not yet have their own hall. During the various talks given by many of the teachers, I was surprised, no, shocked, to hear of the challenges that their teachers face daily in terms of the learners (for the benefit of our international visitors, the students).

From general laziness and incorrect uniforms to offensive language and adult material on cellphones, I simply sat there thinking “Wow, times have changed since I was last in school”.

But, have times really changed all that much? Are learners far worse now than they were 20 years ago?

I’d like to say that things were much better when I was in school, but reflecting back on those days, I was reminded that there is certainly no new sin under the sun.

There was general laziness, there was always uniform and hair-style issues, there was certainly offensive language and very often alcohol and drug problems too. Not that I was involved in any of those, barring general laziness and the occasional detention for styling my hair with gel (wax was not the ‘in thing’ during my high school years). At the end of the day though, discipline has always been a problem since Adam and Eve first bit into that apple.

So the question begs, have times changed? Are learners worse? Do they give teachers more reason to go on stress-related leave and be out of the classroom so frequently?

My father, ex Head of Science at Fairmont High School, once told me that never in 20 years of teaching did he send a child out of the class during a lesson, nor refer the child to anyone else for discipline. He always handled everything ‘in-house’ so to speak. Granted, those were the days when corporal punishment was still allowed, but I doubt very much that he metered out many beatings.

He told me: “Adrian, the trick to getting those kids to respect you is by using subtle techniques that show them you’re very much in control of the situation. Never, ever lose your composure in your classroom. Own your classroom, and let them know that when they walk through that door, they’re walking onto your property and into your domain.”

This is not achieved by screaming and shouting, nor by dishing out wholesale punishment in my opinion. The trick is to set the tone from the very first lesson onwards.

When I was in grade 8, I had a teacher, Mr Titus, who set the tone very well during our first history class. He told us upfront that he was not there to be our friend. He was there to be our teacher. He laid out the rules for his classroom, and also detailed the consequences of not adhering to his rules. He applied the “do not smile for the first 4 months” philosophy and needless to say, we experienced quality teaching in his class with few discipline-related disruptions.

Did he possess some magical power? No. Did he have unwavering support from the Department of Education? Probably not. Did he have advanced training and high qualifications from some top university? No. Was his salary much higher than YOURS? No. Was his salary higher than YOURS at all? Probably not.

So, my advice to teachers is this:

1. Stop complaining about the money. If it’s REALLY about the money, then find a different job.
2. Stop complaining about the children. They need love the most, when they deserve it the least. You can make your mark in history by making your mark on them.

You might ‘only’ be a teacher, but by being a teacher you can shape the future. If you cannot see the truth behind this, then in the words of Danny in Hot Fuzz: “Jog on!”.

* Habibia Primary School is an institution that is working hard at making it’s mark in history despite facing daily challenges. The school has many experienced teachers, some who have been teaching for over 40 years. This is a school were teachers do not complain about the state of education, but simply get on with the job of educating the nation.

“Die geld is te min, die geld kom te laat in die maand, die geld hou nie tot die volgende maand nie en die verhogings is te klein!”. Dit is die tipe klagtes wat ek moes aanhoor.

Dit was nogal iets om aan gewoond te raak, want ek was op daardie stadium tog net te dankbaar om ‘n werk te hê. Ek het egter gou agter gekom waaroor dit eintlik gaan. Dit gaan nie, net, oor geld nie, maar eintlik gaan dit oor ‘n gebrek aan waardering.

Ja, hierdie kwartaal veral is besonder kort en die hoeveelheid werk wat gedoen moet word is besonder baie, maar tog dink ek dat as onderwysers net meer bedank en waardeer word vir wat hulle doen, hulle minder sal kla oor geld. Onderwysers wil ook maar net weet dat hulle nie verniet moeite doen nie!

Daar is sekere mense wat voorheen in die onderwys was en besluit het dat die geld te min is en die werk te veel is en daarom onderwys verlaat het, en ek respekteer ook daardie besluit. Tog weet ek, dat ten spyte van die nadele van onderwys in Suid-Afrika, is die gevoel wat jy kry wanneer jy agterkom dat daar selfs net een leerder is wat jou moeite waardeer, dat daardie gevoel dit alles die moeite werd maak. Dit is immers waarom al hierdie kla-kouse nog in die onderwys bly!

So, aan alle onderwysers, wanneer een van jou kollegas weer kla oor geld, herinner asseblief daardie kollega aan die “vergoeding” van sien dat jou leerders vorder in hul werk na aanleiding van moeite wat jy gedoen het. Sê tog ook asseblief net vir daardie kollega dat jy hom/haar raak sien en waardeer!

Sterkte met die res van die kort kwartaal en mag die opstel van eksamen-vraestelle julle nie te veel laat nagte gee nie! Ek waardeer julle moeite!

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”

To stress his point he said to another guest: “You’re a teacher, Lynne. Be honest. What do you make?”

Lynne, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, “You want to know what I make?” (She paused for a second, then began…)

“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Olympic Gold Medal winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents CAN’T make them sit for 5 without an iPod, Playstation or Wii.

You want to know what I make?” (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

“I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding ISN’T EVERYTHING.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their working out in maths. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.”

(Lynne paused one last time and then continued.)

“Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.

You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?”

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Anon