Hello! Ever wondered what teachers do after school dismissal? Saw us at the school gate? Most probably rushing for a course. It's been some time since I attended any in-person course as most of them are being held online. There are pros and cons for each of the modes of delivery. Depending on our travelling time, sometimes I can take an hour and a half to reach the course destination. Thus, through the online mode, I save on the travelling time. On the other hand, I know this convenient approach has also resulted in a new term known as 'zoom fatigue' which is almost unheard of in Pre-Covid era.
A good thing about being teachers is that I get to move a lot at work. Teachers hardly sit at the teacher's desk throughout the entire teaching periods. We do activities with the children and by moving constantly across the classroom, we gain proximity control - one of the classroom management strategies. Physical closeness to students has been proven to increase students' engagement. Literally and metaphorically speaking, the distance between teachers and students play a role in the learning environment.
If you had some interactions with children, you know it's harder to get them to do something like taking a shower through a phone call or a shout from the kitchen compared to being right in front of them. So, moving about ensure the students receive adequate attention.
Teachers in Singapore regardless of subjects specialisation will still attend courses even after graduation. The educational theories and children development acquired during University will not sustain our entire teaching career because the real world moves fast. Even though we can't predict the future, we can prepare children to think critically and creatively and cultivate their character development.
Teaching in the classroom is only a part of teachers' work. In Harry Wong's The First Days of School book for beginning teachers liken a classroom to running a restaurant. You have to be prepared before the opening hours and besides the dishes, factors such as the location, service, ambience would affect the quality of the customers' experience.
I have a tab on housekeeping to show activities beyond the classroom. While these activities are more visible because they are physical and tactile, most of our decision-making happen in our heads. They may appear as document or explanation of decisions that drive the direction.
