“MÔRE KLAS!”

Hierdie brief is spesiaal vir alle onderwysers en opvoeders regoor die wêreld wat motivering verloor het en soms nie waardeer word nie. Ek hoop dat dit jou sal bemoedig om met die groot en belangrike werk wat jy doen, voort te gaan!

“MÔRE KLAS!”

As dít die manier is waarop jy mense by jou werksplek groet, is dié spesiaal vir jou geskryf. Volgende week begin die skole weer. Hoekom gaan jy terug? “Want dis my werk!” Is dit jou antwoord? Jy is die juffrou of meneer wat ander mense se stoute kinders of tieners deur nog ‘n jaar moet help, met baie moeite en min waardering. So ja, dis jou werk. Jy’t dit mos gekies.

Ek glo dat baie dinge in ons lewens beter kan word as ons net sou stilstaan vir ‘n oomblik en onsself ‘n paar vrae vra. So om terug te kom na my eerste vraag: Hoekom gaan jy terug? Of eerder, hoekom het jy onderwys gekies? Wat het jou gemotiveer om ‘n onderwyser te word? Kom ons wees eerlik, geen tiener maak klaar met hoërskool en dink ‘ek kan nie wag om terug te kom nie’! So wat is dit wat jou lewe in hierdie rigting gestuur het? Ons almal weet dit was nie oor geld nie… Miskien vier vakansies? Of was dit ‘n liefde vir kinders, vir mense…?

Jy sien, motivering speel ‘n baie groot rol in ons lewens. Hoekom ons sekere dinge doen sal uiteindelik bepaal hóé ons dit doen. As jou motivering baie laag is, sal jy tog nie jou beste insit in ‘n les wat jy al twintig keer aangebied het nie. En as jou motivering baie hoog is, sal jy daardie selfde les vir ‘n een-en-twintigste keer aanbied asof dit die eerste keer is wat jy dit vir enige iemand leer. Dis hoekom motivering verskriklik belangrik is.

Ek hoor jou – en al die ander onnies (kan ek julle maar so noem?) – wat met teleurstelling sug en sê dat motivering saam met dissipline by die deur uit is. Daarna is dit doodgedruk deur ander onderwysers wat kompeteer vir posisie en leierskap wat geen simpatie en belangstelling toon nie.

Maar hierdie realiteite was nie daar toe jy jou lewe gekies het nie. En niks van hierdie probleme behoort invloed te hê op jou motivering nie.

Ek wil jou uitdaag om terug te gaan na die tyd toe jy opgewonde was om skool te hou. Die motivering, my liewe juffrou en meneer, was binne-in jou – nie buite nie. Jy was opgewonde. Jy het liefgehad. Jy het hoop gehad. Ek wil jou uitdaag om hierdie jaar anders te begin as vorige jare. Begin met ‘n hart vol verwagting en opgewondenheid. Miskien sal die volgende paar punte jou moed gee vir hierdie nuwe skooljaar.

• Jy het net sowat 200 skooldae om ‘n groep mense se lewens te verryk. Ja, daardie klomp wesens wat nie kan spel nie en heeldag na elektroniese toestelle in hulle hande staar, is die volgende generasie – en JY het 200 dae van hulle lewe in jou hande! Hou op om jou vak aan te bied. Leer mense. Dink aan jou gunsteling onderwyser toe jy op skool was. Wens jy nie daardie onnie kon al jou vakke aanbied nie? En wat het daardie onderwyser spesiaal gemaak? Jy kan vir die kinders en tieners in jou klas, ‘n “gunsteling onnie” word. Aan die einde van elke dag, vra jouself of jou leerders beter af is omdat hulle vandag met jou tyd spandeer het. Die antwoord sal jou sê of jy lewens verander het of net tyd laat verby gaan het.

• Moenie vergeet dat daardie leerder wat voor jou sit dalk die enigste liefde van ‘n volwassene by jou as onnie gaan kry nie. Jou woorde en jou dade gaan ‘n lewenslange uitwerking op daardie kind se lewe hê. Ja, hulle kan jou mal maak en jou moed het dalk in jou skoene gesak toe jy uitvind ‘n sekere mannetjie is hierdie jaar in jou klas! Maar dis juis daardie kind wat jou nodig het. Doen bietjie moeite met onmoontlike kinders. Gee ekstra aandag en liefde. Die grootste verandering kom net as gevolg van groot liefde. Jou woede en kwaai woorde gaan geen verskil maak nie. Dit gaan waarskynlik net die seer wat alreeds diep gewortel is, verskerp. Jy kan die kwaai onnie wees vir wie almal bang is of jy kan die onnie wees wat lewens verander.

• Elke leerder wat voor jou sit, het potensiaal. Hulle besef dit dalk nie eens self nie. Maak ‘n keuse om elkeen se potensiaal raak te sien, maak nie saak hoe stil of hoe stout die kind is nie. Jou geloof in hulle is dalk al wat hulle nodig het om suksesvolle volwassenes te word. Die beste en mooiste geskenk wat jy vir jou leerders kan gee is om in hulle te glo wanneer hulle nie eens in hulself glo nie. Moenie net in die 80% en 90% leerders glo nie. Kyk vir daardie outjie wat 50% kry en sê vir hom julle gaan saam werk om dit 55% te maak!

• JY HET POTENSIAAL! Potensiaal is ‘n saad wat nooit doodgaan nie en dis binne-in ons almal geplant. Wat is jou potensiaal? As jy dieselfde mens is as wat jy laas jaar was, het jy nie gegroei nie. Verandering is nodig! Jy moet groei. Jy moet jou potensiaal najaag! Jy moet ‘n beter mens en onderwyser word! Jou potensiaal eindig die dag wanneer jy jou laaste asem uitblaas. Moenie dat dit vroeër eindig nie. Gee jou alles – vir jou man of vrou; vir jou eie kinders; vir jou leerders; vir jou kollegas; vir jou hoof; vir jouself. Moet niks terughou nie. Leef voluit!

• En dan laastens, hou passie lewendig in jou hart. Ek ontmoet onderwysers op ‘n daaglikse basis wie se passie-vlam lankal geblus is. Ek besef dat daar baie redes is, maar passie is ‘n hartsaak. Wanneer jy passie het vir wat jy doen, het jy nie motivering nodig nie – jou passie motiveer jou. Steek weer daardie vuurtjie aan die brand en raak opgewonde oor die invloed wat jy op mense se lewens kan hê! Jy is SO NODIG in ons samelewing! Ons het jou nodig! Die wêreld het jou nodig!

Ek wil graag eindig met ‘n ietsie oor myself. Ek het jare gelede ‘n woord gekies wat ek dink my as mens 100% beskryf. Sonder om vir iemand daarvan te vertel het ek toe vir my man, my ma en vir ‘n vriendin ook gevra om vir my ‘n woord te kies. Ek het nie woorde om vir julle te sê hoe opgewonde ek was toe hulle almal dieselfde woord as ek gekies het nie. My woord is “teacher”. Ek gee nie skool nie, maar dis WIE ek is. Ek IS ‘n “TEACHER”. Daar is nie ‘n dag in my lewe wat ek nie vir iemand iets wil leer of self iets wil leer nie. Dis asof dit my hartklop is. En dit is die rede vir hierdie brief aan jou. Ek het ‘n passie vir onderwysers en ek wil jou graag help om jou passie lewendig te hou.

Teen die muur in my studeerkamer regoor my lessenaar staan geskryf:

“I WAS BORN TO SERVE SPECIFIC PEOPLE! I HAVE GOT TO FIND THEM!”

Ek wil jou uitdaag om elkeen wat jou pad langs kom te sien as iemand vir wie jy gebore is. Jy is veronderstel om in hulle lewens te wees. Maak dit die beste tyd van hulle lewens en dit sál jou beste tyd wees.

Onnie-groete!

Debbie de Jager 

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“GOOD MORNING CLASS!”

This letter is to all teachers and educators around the globe who might feel demotivated or unappreciated.  I hope that this letter will encourage you to continue the great work you are doing in educating the next generation of leaders throughout the world!

“GOOD MORNING CLASS!”

If this is the way you greet people at your workplace, this letter is especially for you.  Next week the bells will ring at our schools again.  Why are you going back?  “Because it’s my job!”  Is that your answer?  You are a teacher to other people’s naughty kids or teens and have to get them yet again through another year with a lot of effort and little appreciation.  But it’s your job.  You’ve chosen this path.

I believe that many things in our lives could improve if we would just stop for a moment and ask ourselves a few tough questions.  So to get back to my first question:  Why are you going back?  Or rather, why did you choose to become a teacher?  What was your motivation?  Let’s be honest, no teenager leaves high school thinking ‘I can’t wait to come back’!  So what propelled your life in this direction?  We all know it was not about the money…  Maybe four holidays?  Or could it be a love for children, for people…?

You see, motivation plays a major role in our lives.  Why we do certain things will ultimately determine how we do it.  If your motivation is very low, you will not put your best effort into a lesson that you have given twenty times already.  If your motivation is very high, you will take that same lesson and present it for the twenty-first time as if it was the first time that you were teaching it to someone.  That’s why motivation is extremely important.

I hear you and all the other teachers out there who sigh with disappointment and say that motivation left when discipline walked out the door.  And life is sucked out of the little motivation left by teachers who compete for position and leadership that shows little or no sympathy and interest.  But these realities were not there when you chose this life.  And none of these problems should have an influence on your motivation right now.

I want to challenge you to go back to the time when you were excited to teach.  The motivation, my dear teacher friend, was inside of you – not outside.  You were excited.  You loved the idea of standing in front of a class filled with kids.  You had high hopes for everyone sitting in front of you.  I want to challenge you to start this year with a difference.  Start with a heart full of hope and excitement.  Perhaps the following might inspire you for this new school year.

• You only have about 200 school days to enrich the lives of a specific group of people.  Yes, those human beings who can’t spell and stare at electronic devices in their hands all day long are the next generation – and YOU have 200 days of their lives in your hands!  Stop teaching your subject.  Start teaching people.  Think of your favorite teacher when you were at school.  Don’t you wish that he or she could teach all your subjects?  What made them your favorite teacher?  You can become the “favorite teacher” to so many children and teenagers.  At the end of each day, ask yourself if your students are better off because they have spent some time in your class today.  The answer will tell you whether you are changing lives or just passing time with a career.

• You don’t know your students’ circumstances.  You might be the only adult who truly loves them.  Your words and actions will have a lifelong impact on their lives.  Yes, they can make you mad and you might have felt like running away when you learned that a certain young man was to be in your class this year!  But it’s exactly that child that needs you.  Put some effort into changing those “problem” children’s lives.  Pay extra attention and give some love.  When you truly love them, it will change their lives.  Your anger and angry words will make no difference.  It will probably only intensify their hurt.  You can be the strict teacher who everyone is scared of or you can be the teacher who changes lives.

• Each student in front of you has potential.  They might not even realize it.  Make a conscious decision to see everyone’s potential, no matter how quiet or how loud the child.  Your faith in them may be all that they need to become successful adults.  The best and most precious gift you can give them is to believe in them when they don’t believe in themselves.  Don’t just believe in the 80% and 90% students.  Look at your 50% student and tell him you are going to work together to make it 55%!

• YOU HAVE POTENTIAL!  Potential is a seed that will never die and it’s within all of us.  What is your potential?  If you are the same person you were last year, you have not grown.  Change is needed!  You need to grow.  You must go after your potential!  You must be a better person and teacher!  Your potential should die when you do.  Not a minute before.  Give your all – to your spouse; to your own children; to your students; to your colleagues; to your headmaster; to yourself.  Don’t hold back.  Live fully.

• And lastly, keep passion alive in your heart.  I meet teachers on a daily basis whose passion was smothered long time ago.  I realize that there are many reasons, but passion is a heart issue.  When you have passion for what you do, you don’t need to be motivated – your passion motivates you.  In fact, it pushes you.  Ignite your passion again and get excited about the opportunity you have to change lives!  You are SO NEEDED in our society!  We need you!  The world needs you!

I would like to end with a little story about myself.  Years ago I chose a word that I thought completely describes me as a person.  Without telling anyone I asked my husband, my mother and a friend to describe me in one word as well.  I was ecstatic when they all picked the exact same word I chose for myself!  My word is “TEACHER”.  I don’t teach kids at a school, but it’s who I am.  I AM a teacher!  There is not a day in my life that I don’t teach someone something or learn something new myself.  As cliche as it might sound – it’s in my blood and that’s the reason why I wrote this letter to you.  My heart beats with passion for teachers and I would love to help you keep your passion alive.

On the wall in my study just above my desk I have a quote that inspires me daily:

“I WAS BORN TO SERVE SPECIFIC PEOPLE!  I HAVE GOT TO FIND THEM!”

I want to challenge you to change the way you see every single person in your life.  If their paths cross yours, you were born to touch their lives and to serve them.  Make it the best moments of their lives and it will inevitably be your greatest.

Teacher greetings!

Debbie De Jager 

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