Saw this forum letter and really liked it.
Jan 10, 2006 Dead-end job? Teachers make a difference
I AM appalled by the comment by Everitt Road man Chan Cheng Khoon that teachingis a dead-end job ('No worries even if daughter loses teaching job, says dad';ST, Jan 6). The remark does great injustice to all the great teachers out there.
I would like to share the following excerpt from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's speech at the commencement of Williams College on June 5 lastyear.
It goes like this: 'The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued this way: 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher? You know, it's true what they say about teachers: Those who can do, do, and those who can't do, teach.'
'To corroborate his statement he said to another guest, 'Hey, Susan, you're a teacher. Be honest, what do you make?'
Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, 'You want toknow what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could and I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.
'I can make a C-plus feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A feel like a slap in the face if the student didn't do his or her very best.' Susan continued, 'I can make parents tremble when I call home or feel almost like they won the lottery when I tell them how well their child is progressing.'
Gaining speed, she went on: 'You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder, I make them question, I make them criticise, I make them apologise and mean it, I make them write and I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in maths and hide it all on their final drafts in English.'
Susan then stopped and cleared her throat. 'I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart. And if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make in money, you pay them no attention.'
Susan then paused. 'You want to know what I make?' she said. 'I make a difference. What about you?'
I hope Mr Chan will reflect on Mr Friedman's words. To all the great teachers out there, you make a difference!
Ng Tze Yik
