A Teachers Contribution

Interesting observations from the funeral on the weekend of my uncle Boris Srhoj. The thing that stood out for me was that fact that many people in our family were amazed at how many people this great man had touched. Being at a secondary school for boys and being the 1st XV coach for 25 years, of course you will have emotional people and of course you will have made a big impact. Boris headed the middle school for twenty years and engaged hundreds of boys each year, watching them grow into wonderful men at Year 13. Boris was a great man with a fine teaching skill set, and he possessed the values we all respect and believe in, he lead by doing.

The thing for me is that teachers are all in the same boat as uncle Boris. We may not be in a position to get the response at our funerals but the great teachers make a similar contribution. We make a similar impact too, it is just that we don’t really realize how big. If you are sharing and practicing the similar set of values as Boris, if you possess that skill set that great teachers possess, if your actions speak louder than your talk, then you are making a massive contribution. Teachers, don’t belittle your performance, or ponder your effectiveness, just get out there and enjoy it. Its a rewarding job but that motivation comes from the inside.

By the way if you are a crap teacher then disregard everything above, because you are just clipping the ticket and getting on with other stuff, so don’t take any moral support from my ramblings.

Just while we look at the NZC and the collaborative values and beliefs that schools should consider, pause a moment, it is important. It might seem, politically correct and all these sickofantic discussions on vision and values, and all that bullshit, but it is important. So teachers drop the moaning, and the, “we’ve done this last year”, “ not the vision again” “do we have to”, and take some time to think how important it is to be on the same waka. Boris’ waka.