It has been 7 years since I left the teaching profession. Do I miss teaching? I miss it tremendously. To those in teaching, never take it for granted.
What do I miss? Interaction with parents, teachers and students on a daily basis the most. Teachers must never take this interaction for granted.
Record the learning experiences so that you can pass it on to others. Parents who are not in teaching have such a wealth of knowledge about other fields of study.
The primary school which my grandchildren attend had a meeting with grandparents, parents and children where grandparents spoke about their hobbies. It was such an interesting meeting where we realised the knowledge grandparents have to offer.
In the world of literature at schools, teachers have so much to give.
I spoke to a South African mother whose South African husband is a CEO of a major food store in New Zealand. She said her son, 12, who is a student in that country, is encouraged by his teachers to read at least for 20 minutes a day.
I experienced this. He was sitting in my lounge and said he must go and read. He enjoyed it. He was reading the seventh Harry Potter book.
I believe human beings love to read when exposed to it. Reading opens up new worlds every day.
Some of the children’s books I would recommend are:
- Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, written in 1963. The emphasis is on imagination.
- JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
For high school, I propose the following:
- Fools and other stories by an author I have met in real life and a person for whom I have great respect – Njabulo Ndebele.
- The Story of an African Farm, by Olive Schreiner, in which she tells the story of the lives of two young South Africans growing up in a very unequal country
- Not without laughter by North American writer Langston Hughes.
In my retired years, I am trying to read as many classic books I should have read, and the latest ones which have been published.
My New Year’s resolution is to expose myself to writings from the East, which our young people should be exposed to by their present teachers.
South Africa, let us continue to inculcate into ourselves with a good reading culture. Read the word to read the world.
* Brian Isaacs.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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