Professional Commitment
President Obama’s campaign slogan: “Change, We can believe in, Yes, we can” . Millions gathered in Chicago after he won the election. They were shouting “ Change—We can “
We need changes in our academic worlds too. We have to ask ourselves whether we are satisfied with the way we are going or whether we can do something to improve things. We can blame many for many things. But there are things we can change on our part.
First of all you have to have a vision for the teaching profession that you are engaged in. You have to tell yourselves that you don’t want to be an average teacher. “I have to do the best in my work. Whatever may be the work I am doing, can I improve myself?” Any ordinary teacher can be the best in his/her field provided he/she has a mind to work on it.
The two movies that I have seen that deal with lives of the teachers are “ To Sir with Love “and “The Dead Poets’ Society”.
“To Sir with Love “ is the story of a teacher in London who was given a difficult class to teach where so many teachers before him have failed. But he managed, gave them self confidence, disciplined the unruly and even got into a boxing duel with the most unruly student in the class. He transformed the class and when the students heard that he was leaving, they went to the cigarette factory nearby and placed an order for a carton of cigarettes with each cigarette bearing the words, “ To Sir with Love”.
Dead Poets’ Society is a movie where the teacher is trying to teach the students English poetry. He told on the first day of the class to take their text book of poetry and tear the introduction to the poetry and read the poetry to enjoy its richness through their own personal experience. One night the students went to a cave at night and began to read the poems to enjoy their beauty. He told them that poetry should be dripping like honey from their lips.
Those movies have got a message for us---we have the ability to transform the lives of the young who are with us.
Two new books by Thomas Friedman , a well known columnist of the New York Times describe the changes happening in the educational front.
The World is Flat: He describes the changes happening in the world because of the IT revolution and Globalization. Changes in the work place: One need not be in one place for the completion of one’s job. One can be anywhere and do business through the help of people in different countries. He speaks of a tombstone- maker in England who buys marble from India, gets them to China and sells them in England.
I met a person here in Kochi who buys Oil from Taiwan and send it to Albania to refine it and sell it from there. He has his accountants in Delhi who do all the works with the Bank. He does not have an office here at all. He has a turnover of 99 crores in this year.
Things are moving fast .We live in this fast changing world. Our old mentality of asking the world to come to us has to change. “I am a teacher, whatever I have is enough”. No, we have to move with the times and improve our competence.
In his second book titled “That Used to be Us”, he speaks of the changes that are to be made in education. The old days of three Rs are not enough. What drives the modern world is three Cs—Communication, Cooperation and Creativity.
We should not isolate ourselves from the community , nursing our grudges. We should have an open mind and cooperate with others. A good business, industry, or system succeeds only when there is cooperation.
Communication skills are very essential for success in the modern world. As teachers, we have to work in this new world. How can we improve ourselves, make us better communicators? We have to improve our classes, speeches; articulate well and develop the ability to communicate well. With some personal hard work, all of us can improve our communication and language skills. We should have a will for it.
We should be creative. We should not be satisfied with the minimum. The time of average is over. We have to do our work in such a way that we become indispensable. Do our teaching with thoroughness and with utmost care that the people should feel this person is different, and that he/she cannot be easily replaced.
Last week’s Economist magazine came with a lead article on smart phones with the title “ The planet of the Phones.” The article begins with the statement of Steve Jobs in 2007 January when he showed a piece of plastic, metal and silicon , not bigger than a kit Kat and said ‘ this will change everything.” Eight years later, Apple’s iphone appeared in the market.
Even the most basic model of the present day smart phone, according to the article, has more capacity than NASA had when it put men on the moon in 1969. “They are going to enrich lives, reshape entire industries and transform societies.”
We are living in a highly fast moving world of information. We have to adjust ourselves to this new world, make our teaching more effective and solid.
The message is to improve our professional competence.
Seven Habits of highly Effective Leaders by Dr.Stephen R. Covey
Who are the good leaders?
One of the characteristics: To sharpen the saw. We don’t use a saw that has lost it s sharpness. We will sharpen it before use.So should be in our professions. We should be up to date in the field in which we are working. We should read the most recent books t or the journals that deal with the subjects .Give the students the best information/knowledge so that they become the best in the area.
How we can change the system?
Acquisition of Professional competence
Be the best teacher.
Not through popularity or being with the students, simplifying or giving notes etc. All these are good. OK. But more is needed. We should become experts in our subjects that we deal with. Not just the small portion that we are teaching but the whole of it.
Knowing more about the new areas of development or research. Provide that information to the students. These will inspire them.
Emerson’s words: Hitch your wagon to a star.
Where can we make changes?
Our attitudes should undergo changes.
Why are we here? Just for a job? Or more than that?
We may have differences of opinion with the management or colleagues or with the Principal. But don’t allow those differences to hamper our professional life. Give your explanation , opinions and leave them there. Don’t take anything personally.
Being pro-active is good for the staff as well as for the Principal / the Management—Accepting the opinions of others.
In Kerala, we have the habit of allowing the differences to destroy the person too. We become very personal in the expression of opinions. Extreme negativity---We relish these negative remarks.
Reach out to others. There should be a change in our mind-set in order to become professionally competent in our teaching.
I wanted the best for the college where I taught. It was a very good college but I wanted to make it better.
Introduced different programmes—Intensive Instruction in Science.
Academic Review for the publication of Research articles.
Appointing teachers with Ph.Ds
Computer proficiency for all MSc students
Starting of the MBA, Research Center
Shankar Award for two consecutive years
You have so many good things happening to you. You are in the heart of the city that is going to become one of the great cities in south Asia.
Even if you get average students, you can make them better .Devoting more time for them. Developing new programmes
Each Dept should think of ways in which the students can be inspired, motivated. Make your Department the best in the college.
No place for lazy students or teachers.
You should have a personal library of your own. Buy books that pertain to your subject. Now with the help of internet , you can have the best books at your disposal. You don’t have even to walk to the library for books.
New courses are available for self-improvement.
Massive open on-line courses(MooC)---offers free on-line courses worldwide from the great universities of the world.
We can use them to improve our academic standards. Offer these to our students too.
What a shame to find teachers spending their time in gossip or loose talk.
You have no complaints with regard to salary and benefits. Why not give their contribution to the betterment of the society?
Tenured professors in American Universities—after ten years of teaching, evaluation by peers in the Dept.
Publication of books and journals.
Publish or perish ---the slogan heard in their departments.
A constant striving to do the best.
According to a report in the New York Times, India produces more than 3 lakh engineering students but those who are employable are just only a lakh of students. Others are deficient in communication skills.
You have to see that every student who goes out of this institution becomes transformed. Make it compulsory that they take a course in communication skills, that they become articulate and knowledgeable about their subjects.
Computer literacy should also be a part of the education in our colleges.
Along with this, we should give them an understanding of moral values. We don’t want to create monsters out of our educational institutions.
Teachers should not waver in their determination to excel in their areas of specialization.
Let me cite an example of one of our very famous teachers: Prof.C.A.Sheppard.
When he goes to teach a play or a book , he reads all the works of that author and become competent in that area.
When I was in the postgraduate Board of Studies in English, I persuaded the Board to introduce changes in the Syllabus so that it may reflect the changes happening in the literary world.But when I was gone, they changed the syllabus and omitted it , thinking that it would require more reading. Just repeating what has been prepared earlier, without doing any kind of revision or further reading is very uninspiring.
So many resources are available now .The question is how to make use of them.
Steve Jobs: Stay hungry, stay foolish ---the concluding words of his Stanford Address. He says further; “the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Sheryl Sandburg, the chief Operating Officer , Facebook in one of her recent graduation speeches at Barnard College(2011):” I encourage you to think big.”
You are aspiring for autonomy. It is a great opportunity for future developments. The opportunities are at your doorstep. Don’t run away from it.
Read the speech of Sheryl where she speaks of her work without neglecting her family responsibilities.
Richard Livingston, the a former VC of Oxford University, in his book, Some Tasks for Education: the goal of education is the “habitual vision of greatness.”
Catholic Professors’ Meeting
Congratulations.
New and very inspiring venture by the diocese and the Cathedral parish.
KISS at the meeting----narrated by Abp.Sheen. I would be short.
Prof.C.A.sheppard, Prof.Ulahanan Mappila, two professors of great repute at S.B.
Their commitment to the subjects and to their students are worthy of special mention. We have to see our profession as a God-given opportunity and one that gives us a great role not only in the community but in the lives of others.
One day visiting a student of ours in the US, he asked me about one of the teachers. The teacher was not known for any outstanding contributions. I was curious to know more about the student’s relationship with the teacher,.He was telling me that he could not forget him .He was a great disciplinarian in class and got the class really inspired. Even after so many years, he is being remembered. The teacher passed away in the year of his retirement. All of you have similar experiences in your contacts with students. The great advantage of a teacher’s life is that he can change the lives of people. Nobody else has that advantage.
“SOME people think that good teachers are born; educators know that good teachers are made. They are made over time, through education, perseverance, practice and guidance. Newly minted teachers may be shiny and bright, but teachers with experience connect with students. They are the coin of the realm for student achievement. It takes time to get from here to there”.
It was reported in the press recently:
Sixth Grade teacher from Arizona, Judith Tensing, wrote on the report card of the 6th grader in 1993…”It has been a joy to have you in class. Keep up the good work. Invite me to your Harvard graduation”. The student, Christine Gilmer graduated from Harvard on May 23,18 with a Ph.D in Public Health.
Speaking of the impact of teachers, Henry Adams said “Teachers affect eternity.”
How can we become the best teachers?
Teachers should become the best in their respective fields… .. .. by knowing more about the subject, the developments in the subject and presenting them in inspiring manner.
Stephen Covey—Seven Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
“Sharpen your Saw; Be pro-Active”
Should also know about the faith— should be good communicators of the faith.
I recall the influence of a teacher who taught us Maths in the Middle school. The prayers he taught us is still remembered ….A prayer to the Little Flower.
Prof. P.C. Thomas ……about his devotion to the Eucharist.
Teaching poetry in MA..The Wreck of the Deutschland—Role of the Virgin
My niece was doing research at Caltech ,California---the Professor of Aeronautical Engineering..giving them books on meditation---saying rosary with a Chinese student…
The Bible I gave to a student..while he came to say good bye after finishing school…writing about in the Manorama in his reflections on his alma mater.
In spite of the large number of educated people in our community, we don’t find many coming to the forefront with confidence, explaining or defending the faith.
Benedict XVI “Negative Tolerance” in the Light of the World.
Pope Francis’ talks and books –opening a new window to the understanding of the Faith.
His book –God is Mercy- should be read by all. Very simple, at the same time very enlightening and consoling.
He speaks against clericalism and the arrogance coming from the following of just rituals and traditions.
“When the awe of salvation wears off, we think we can do everything alone, that we are the protagonists. And if that person is a minister of God, he ends up believing that he is separate from the people, that he owns the doctrine, that owns power and he closes himself off from God’s surprises.” The Holy Father calls such an attitude the “Degradation of awe”.
God’s mercy is infinitely greater than our sins; his medicine is infinitely stronger than our illness that he has to heal.”
The Church is a field hospital where attention is paid to healing the wounds first.
John Allen: The Future Church…Ten characteristics. One important one is that Church will be more evangelical—Gospel based.
We have to fall in love with Jesus.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.(Jn.14:6)
Once I heard a follower of Islam recounting the contributions of Islam to the world. What I thought at that time was : “Would any Catholic teacher be able to recount the contributions of Christianity to the World?”
Science, Law, Human Rights, Democracy. Capitalism, Religious Freedom etc.
Faith and Reason.
Faith is not blind and irrational but supra rational. There are things that cannot be measured.
No one is against science. Science unravels the secrets of nature. Questioning and experimenting….Development of reasoning—our gift from God.
(The Tao of Physics—Fritjof Capra---encountering a non-material dimension in the heart of modern Physics.)
Francis Collins, the Head of the NIH, the Director of the Genome project ,wrote the book Science, the Language of God….his story.. the great defender of the faith now.
Two other books--- How the Catholic Church built the Western civilization
By Thomas Woods
Universities, Law, Developments in Science
Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History :
Rodney Stark…
Deals with Suppression of Gospels, Crusades, Inquisition, Scientific heresies, protestant Modernity etc… tries to demolish all the misconceptions that were held against the Church. …
”I am not a Roman Catholic and I did not write this book in defense of the Church. I wrote it in defense of history.”
Gary Wills : Why I am a Catholic
When people ask why I do not go in search of a Popeless church, I answer sincerely that I want the papacy. It is a blessing, a necessity –it is a requirement for the mystical body of Christ to remain one body….Even in the darkest hours of the papacy, there is more life and light within the Church than in the groups that split off from it…. A person who loves the church can have a lover’s quarrel with its leadership. He can appeal from the Pope to Peter .He cannot wish to do without Peter and still be true to the Gospel, since it is Christ who made Peter the first of apostles, our brother with a special mission to care for us, the servant of us servants.”
Valerie Jones, a young journalist once wrote that I have so many differences with the Chruch but I will never leave the Church because it is here that I receive the Eucharist.
A teacher affects eternity…….
Tuesdays with Morrie:
Forgive every one. Loving others is the important experience in life.
“As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on - in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here. -Morrie”
―Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others.”
Teachers are the backbone of any country, the pillar upon which all aspirations are converted into realities.
Addul kalam
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward
Lent Talk to Jesus Youth Animators
· Let me begin with the words of the Holy Father on Ash Wednesday: “I ask you a question: Do I cry? Does the Pope cry? The Lord does not ever tire of having mercy on us… He is inviting us to return to him with a new heart.”
· Lent is a time for a change in our hearts and minds. The etymological meaning of the word Lent is spring..It indicates primarily the season but more than that, it signifies a new beginning, a new direction.
· Walker Percy, one of the modern novelists of the US once said: Christians go about saying that they have the good news but they behave as if they were carrying bad news,” meaning that the Gospel does not have any significant impact on their lives.
· The Holy Father Pope Francis, hence, is asking us to go back to the basics of our faith. Repeated themes in his messages stress repentance, showing mercy and offering forgiveness.
· In the interview given to the America magazine, he says: ” the Church is first a field hospital”, taking care of the wounded first.
· In The Joy of the Gospel, he says, the Church is not a toll house.
· What do these ideas imply? The need to show mercy and compassion.
· Henri Nouwen has given the title “the Wounded Healer “ to one of his books dealing with the ministry of caring for the people. He says:” Ministers are powerless people who have nothing to boast of except their weaknesses. But when the Lord whom they serve fills them with His blessing, they will move mountains and change the hearts of the people wherever they go.”
· We forget that we are wounded healers and that we need healing first. Many a time our holiness is a disguised form of arrogance. We walk with the external trapping of holiness but internally , to use a phrase of a great poet, we are “hollow men.”
· Once in a train journey, a young man introduced himself , saying that he is returning to the US after a Ph.D. from MIT but now is searching for a spiritual direction in life. He asked: What is the distinctive quality of Christian life?”
· Many young people raise the same question. We too ask the same. What makes us different? what is the essential feature of our life?
· Jesus was asked about his teaching and he summarized his teaching into two commandments .
· St. Paul after describing all the spiritual qualities said that greater than all is charity.
· We know what St. John has said: God is love.
· This is what is lacking in our life—Love. Love implies total submission to the will of God, reaching out to our neighbors, being sensitive and showing mercy.
· There is a great movie: The Dead poets’ Society where the teacher is telling the students in his class to read poetry by experiencing it…Poetry should be dripping like honey from the lips of those who enjoy it.
· How much more should this become true of our lives? Love should be dripping like honey form our lives.
· Once Bishop Sheen said in one of his sermons: “ When I see children playing , I can see the pictures of their parents…their characters reflect what their parents have instilled into them”.
· Can we say about ourselves? Do our lives reflect our faith in the Lord, our love of the Lord?
· Do our institutions, schools, colleges and parishes reflect this Christian love?
· Once I received a Christmas card from one of my students who was a resident at the hostel when I was their warden. His words remain unforgotten in my mind..
· Tuesdays with Morrie is a very powerful book on love and forgiveness. It is the story of a student taking great pains to meet his old teacher ,Morrie ,a professor at a Boston University who was suffering from a terminal illness. The professor’s final message to Mitch Albom: Don’t hold grudges .Forgive everyone.”
· Lk.Ch.6 and Rom.Ch.12 show the paths that we have to take in our lives---the path of love and forgiveness--- Internal change. Positive attitudes. Reaching out to one another, anchoring ourselves in the love of the Lord.
· Let me conclude with the words of Thomas Merton in Thoughts in Solitude : “My Lord, I have no idea where I am going. I don’t see the road ahead of me .I cannot know for certain where it will end. But I know that You will lead me by the right road. Therefore I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face the perils alone.”
· Let this Lent be a new experience in our lives---an opportunity for repentance and forgiveness, for being open to all and sensitive to the needs of others. None of us is perfect. We are pilgrims on a journey , sometimes losing our way but trying hard to find the right path. We have to remind ourselves that the“ Church is not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners.”
