this is not much a do about nothing..

Be a true guru

TEACHER TALK
By NITHYA SIDHHU

The word “guru” to denote teacher in Malay serves as a reminder to teachers of their responsibilities and duties.

FROM THE very beginning, I have, as a teacher, worked hard and diligently. I have never minded the work because I have always believed in the power of good teaching.

Even as I write this, I am aware of how strongly I believe that effective teaching does touch and change lives.

I have also grown accustomed to being called Cikgu. Everywhere I go, I am dogged by this name. Sometimes, or so it seems to me, the name my father gave me has ceased to matter.

In fact, in every school I go to, some students won’t even know my name or if they do, are rarely able to pronounce it correctly. So, under these circumstances, I have accepted the fact that my name is Cikgu.

Origins of guru

When I first started writing for The Star in 1996, my column was called “They Call Me Cikgu”.

Back then, if a foreigner had asked me what the word meant, I would have just said, “teacher”.

But there were times when I had wondered: “Why are teachers called Cikgu? How did this name come to be?”

I finally discovered the answer in the book The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

In Sanskrit , the word guru is made up of two syllables: gu and ru. The syllable gu means “darkness” while ru refers to “removal”. Guru is used to refer to a person who can dispel darkness.

Darkness here refers to ignorance, lack of understanding, skills or knowledge. It is the job of the guru to illuminate the darkness found within the mind of his disciple, devotee or student.

While God remains the supreme guru of all mankind, I believe that teachers are his instruments.

If we take teaching to heart, we ought to be able to find in ourselves the commitment and zeal to provide motivation and inspiration, give guidance, disseminate knowledge, hone skills and act as a facilitator in the learning process.

To be a true guru, however, we have to first educate ourselves and constantly improve in terms of our knowledge, skills, competencies and attitudes.

Poor English

Nowadays, we often hear complaints about teachers who lack professional competency and yet do nothing about it. While these teachers do not form the majority, they exist

In the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (ETeMS) for example, and despite numerous support and training efforts by the Education Ministry, there are still a number of teachers who are dragging their feet about mastering or improving their command of English.

One of their excuses is that the students can’t handle the language. As such, they use Malay as the main medium of instruction.

As a Science teacher I would agree that our efforts to teach this subject in English is hampered by students who are weak in the language.

Teaching them in English is an uphill task, especially when students do not come from an English-speaking background.

However, this weakness on the part of students should not be used as an excuse by teachers.

So, who is to blame when the implementation of the ETeMS policy suffers setbacks? Teachers’ attitudes, I fear, have been a contributory factor.

Some Science and Mathematics teachers have come to rely too heavily on government-supplied CDs to take on the role of substitute teacher.

I have passed Science classes where all that the students do is simply copy notes from the content of a CD projected onto a screen.

The reason? Their teacher does not speak English well and refuses to conduct the lesson in English.

A few years have passed since ETeMS was introduced but there hasn’t been much improvement on the part of some teachers, be it in their attitude or language competence.

Improve yourselves

With the introduction of English language proficiency testing, and follow-up refresher courses for those who need them, is there going to be a positive change among these teachers or are they going to protest yet again the whole idea of teaching the subjects in English?

I read an interesting snippet in the newspapers recently about the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, who starred in the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha”.

She had gone to The Juilliard School in New York to improve her English delivery skills. She recognised that it would be an asset and would lead to more movie offers from the West. I commend her move to spend time, money and effort to improve her English.

As teachers, it should also be our goal to continually improve and become good Cikgus.

Is Cikgu, however, the right name for a teacher? Does it reflect the knowledgeable mind of a good teacher?

What is the right name by which we should be called? Actually, we should be called Cik Guru.

And, to honour the noble meaning of the word guru, we should not be addressed by the shortened Cikgu.

However, I don’t think anything is going to change as we have become accustomed to it.

Why do some Science and Mathematics teachers keep on teaching these two subjects in Malay? Isn’t it because it is customary for them to do so?

Why do some Malaysian students keep wanting to be taught Science and Mathematics in Malay? Isn’t it because they are more accustomed to Malay than to English?

And, think of this: Even if you tell him otherwise, why will the Malaysian student always call you Cikgu? Because it is the custom to do so.

But, acceptance of what is customary shouldn’t change your realisation of the following: while you can’t change the fact that you will always be Cikgu, you can decide whether you are a true guru.

So, Cik Guru, before it’s too late, wake up and smell the coffee!

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Labels: cikgu, guru

posted by Miss Aini @ 8:18 pm