This video of Joseph Lekuton which was linked within the online unit has filled me with such admiration and has inspired me considerably. Listening to him tell the story of the blind man and the man with no legs was incredible. It made me think and link it to lots of different ideas I have but most importantly the idea that this is the type of situation that will be happening when I’m teaching a class. The children will be the legs where I will be their eyes. I will be able to lead them to a positive destination by the end of the year, not only in their academic life but also within their personal lives. They will come into my classroom at the start of the year having no idea in their minds of where they will be when they finish their 12 months with me. Even if I were to tell them everything I plan on doing with them throughout the year they still won’t understand how much they will develop throughout the year. I will though, which means I can use my education and my own experiences/connections to aid the children as Joseph is doing with his community. I will be able to teach them the academic course set out for the year however that’s not what school is wholly about. I will be able to teach them and guide them on so many different personal, social or global issues that they become aware of throughout the year .
Joseph has a 5 year plan to make his community a model which can help others develop. This is what I aim for in my classroom. My classroom to be an environment in which children are; happy, having fun, enthusiastic, confident, supporting each other, working together efficiently, working individually, setting goals, achieving/working on these goals, helping their community, becoming wonderful citizens, aware of the outside world, sharing their knowledge and stories with me, continuously communicating with myself and their peers, and so much more! All of these things will work together, being combed to make a brilliant classroom ethos which aid others in their development!
Joseph described in this video how he wasn’t going to make this community on his own but he was ‘introducing students to different fields to produce a comprehensive group of people who can return to help a community grow…’. This is what being a teacher essentially is. It’s supporting children develop into individuals who can continue into young students who benefit themselves by going into a field of work which then positively effects their community. If this was happening all over the world then no community would be suffering. Education is the key to building; a better community, a better society, a better world. By education I don’t just mean academic education (which of course is hugely significant) but also education on life and the skills needed which benefit not only you in your lifetime but the other surrounding you.
This is a message I feel is extremely important when going into the teaching profession and it is one which I know will make a great impact on my attitude when I go into a classroom preparing to teach the individuals who will soon be leading; communities, cities and countries.
