when i was able to do tutorials a year ago to two high school students, i appreciated teaching… it was fulfilling… i have this tutee who barely pass all his subjects, and if he does, it’s only about the passing mark… he’s got separated parents and maybe this has something to do with his effort in his studies… he doesn’t rebel only that he doesn’t give enough attention to his studies since he thought his parents wouldn’t even bother about his grades… he always forget what we learn in just an hour so i decided to alot more time to the kid at no extra cost… sometimes it even costs me our snacks… but slowly, he’s getting higher grades, more than he ever should have to pass all his subjects… thankfully, he graduated high school with flying colors… his ambition was to become an actor and singer, talk about attention…

I share your observations a hundred per cent. And you do ask valid questions. What must a teacher do to instill the importance of education? In my opinion, number one is the motivation that shall be used to make the student work. Just giving the lesson won’t cut it. The teacher must not only make the lesson interesting, he/she should show the relevance to the student’s life. Nowadays, students are plagued with too much distraction. Media, computer via the internet, malls, commercialism not to mention drugs, and I have not yet rubbed the surface. It seems to be a losing battle but we must do our best to make education work.

Having teachers like you care about students make a big difference!

@Kyle: Im looking forward to your article. Sounds interesting.

@Josie: Parent involvement definately plays a big role in education. The last PTO meeting, only 8 parents showed up out of a student population of a little over 1000 in our school! I dont think its the key though. Its important, but I’ve seen so many students who’s parents try their hardest to help their kids, but it just doesnt do any good. Education is so complicated. Maybe its time we ask countries such as Japan what they do because they are so successful in the classroom. I think discipline is a huge issue too. Teachers can’t do anything to discipline kids. I still think that some students need a good whooping whether it be by the teacher or by the principal.

When I came to Guam to live with my dad, he was a lot more lenient about school. Though I appreciated it at the time, in hindsight I see that my mother’s methods, however hard they seemed, were far better for me and it was because she was involved. I didn’t excel in school soley because I had a good teacher or a good school, but also because my mother took it upon herself to carry on when I wasn’t in the classroom. I think parent involvement really is key in a kid’s attitude towards school and their motivation to succeed and it’s not enough to just ask your kid “Did you do your homework?” at the end of the day.

Speaking of tests, I gotta go take one. Later. :P

It involves a lot of psychology dealing with kids… and it’s even harder because what will work with one kid won’t necessarily work with another (of course this applies to adults too). But I have faith that you’ll get through to them… :D