Among the adults that young people interact with, parents and teachers are those that they will see the most often. As a teacher in the near future, I will be spending my time with 40 youths in a single classroom; maybe 120 if I teach three classes; probably 200 or more if I am in charge of a CCA. This number will grow as I continue to serve in the school.
Youths, as we all know when we were at that stage of life, have many needs. While young children require immense love and attention, youths need no less, though in a different form. Adults tend to neglect this fact: when their children are promoted to secondary school after the PSLE, parents often think that their kids are now "all grown up" and should be left on their own. In actual fact, youths at this stage need a lot of friendship and mentoring. In a study to find out what young people want, many said they just wanted to spend more time with adults who show care and respect for them.
As teachers, other than imparting subject knowledge to our students, we should also recognise our role as being a caring adult. We could provide a listening ear, a source of encouragement and a person whom they can celebrate their accomplishments with. Moreover, if we are all willing to give our time and share our experiences with youths, we could give them hope and inspirations. Therefore, be not afraid to share any pitfalls/obstacles that we faced in our lives, tell them how we overcame these barriers that shaped who we are today.
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