1. What do these competencies mean to you and why do you think they are important?
Professional Practice - Nurturing the whole child
In my opinion, nurturing the whole child would mean developing the child in a holistic manner. In Singapore's education context, this would mean not only allowing the child to gain mastery in academics, but also instilling good character qualities and values through CCAs, service learning and other school activities. Besides, the emotional and social competencies of the child must not be neglected as these are life skills that will accompany the child as he or she enters society. Learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom and that would mean giving my students enriching and real experiences to interact with their peers and people in society. It is these experiences that would mould them in becoming who they want to be. By nurturing the whole child, it is also critical not to place judgements on our students based on their academic results alone. Rather, we also need to look at other aspects of their education.
- Personally, I believe firmly that parents are a key stakeholder in a child's developmental growth while schools and teachers mainly play a supportive role. The home-school-community partnerships are pivotal in developing the child holistically. It is not a sheer fallacy to say that a child's learning is not confined in schools alone. Undeniably, a child's learning is heavily influenced by the external societal influences such as the social media. It is thus essential that parents work collaboratively with the school in emphasizing the right values and attitudes to adopt and ensuring that the child remains focused in his or her learning. Furthermore, one cannot deny that a child will also look unto their parents as role models and mentors. While valuing their perspectives, the lack of support from parents can sometimes limit the teachers' and schools' efforts.
Personal Effectiveness - Knowing self & others: Exercising personal integrity
More often than not, students do not simply learn just through teaching. Students are constantly observing their teachers' attitudes, character and behaviourism, treating them as role models. Teachers who do not exercise personal integrity and practise good moral values will inevitably influence their students negatively. Exercising personal integrity at all times is critical in maintaining our professionalism as we are accountable to not only our students' development, but to their parents and the local community at large. With the recent spate of events highlighting some teachers' misconduct, the professionalism of teachers has been put to public scrutiny. This has undoubtedly rubbed off some of the trust that parents have previously placed on their children's teachers. Hence it is of paramount importance to constantly uphold our professional integrity when performing our duties and responsibilities.
Professional Practice - Nurturing the whole child
To develop this competency, I have to continually upgrade myself. In order to prepare my students for society and develop their twenty-first century competencies, I would need to develop new and innovative teaching approaches and purposefully instil elements such as Character & Citizenship Education into the curriculum. Besides, it involves a change in mindset in the way I view a child's education. Instead of solely focusing on my students' academics, I would need to broaden up my mind and look for opportunities to develop a child's learning through CCAs and other teachable moments inside and outside the classroom. I see myself having to spend more time with my students, interacting and getting to know them better in order to understand and build on their character and personality.
Leadership Management - Working with others: Partnering Parents
Personally, I would need to go for professional courses that will teach me skills on how to handle parents. Partnering parents must always start by having their trust and support. This would mean investing time and effort to know my students' parents better and keeping them well-informed with their children's learning development. Furthermore, it is also essential to understand their concerns and seek ways collaboratively to address them. Indubitably, partnering with parents effectively requires mutual trust, respect and understanding.
Personal Effectiveness - Knowing self & others: Exercising personal integrity
In my opinion, this competency is really based on one's values and beliefs. More often than not, personal integrity is compromised especially when one falls into a situation and realises that making a morally right decision may seek to disadvantage them. This could result in career stagnation, bad reputation and so on. In situations like these, perhaps one should always remind himself / herself that as a professional teacher, one should always put the interests of our students, parents and community above our very own as they are after all, our primary clientele.
- Professional Practice - Nurturing the whole child
Nurturing the whole child requires an investment of additional time and effort amidst my other responsibilities, to upgrade and develop myself in order to keep up with societal changes. For example, in order to cultivate twenty-first century competencies in my students, I would need to firstly modify my teaching methods. Didactic, chalk-and-talk teaching methods would have to be replaced with more interactive and engaging methods that allow students to stimulate critical thinking. The constant need to learn, unlearn and relearn is definitely a challenge as it involves moving out of my familiar comfort zone.
Leadership Management - Working with others: Partnering Parents
While recognising the importance of partnering parents, challenges arise when faced with unreasonable and demanding parents. There has been recent news about disputes between parents and teachers, putting the latter in a very difficult position. Looking from the parents' perspective, it is perfectly understandable that they always seek their child's best interests at heart. However, at times, no matter the circumstance, there are still parents who always believe that their child is right and have no qualms in pointing the blame to the teacher. It is such situations that teachers would find it a challenge to partner with parents.
Personal Effectiveness - Knowing self & others: Exercising personal integrity
Especially in recent times, there have been several cases of teachers' professional conduct being put into question. Sometimes, such cases occur as a result of unclear boundaries between teachers and students. To some of them, there is nothing wrong treating students as their friends. However, this could potentially create temptations and can cause the teacher's personal integrity to be vulnerable. It is also important to avoid showing favouritism and passing biased judgements. Notably, it can sometimes be a challenge to remain impartial and objective, especially when there are specific students who don't get into your favour.
![very touching.............read complete story
WAS SHE A TEACHER OR MOTHER
There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big “F” at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around.”
His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”
His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.”
Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class.”
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy’s. His present which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.
Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.” After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her “teacher’s pets.”
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer—the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.
The story doesn’t end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he’d met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.” Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”
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