Teachers' confessions: 4 stories they won't tell students

Be it a professor, facilitator, mentor or a teacher, most students usually have someone they look up to in school.
We look up to these figures as they embody the spirit of a person who is wise and intelligent. Some of you might even be considering a similar career path as them.
Although they may seem to be perfect individuals who can never do anything wrong, but like us, they are humans too.
Student reporters from Republic Polytechnic headed down to various institutions to quiz them on issues that bug them in class and even got a few of them to confess their bad habits that they are trying to shake off.

Confession #1: "I won't admit that I don't know how to answer a question"
Mr Mohammad Malek, a Physics teacher in a secondary school, confessed that he would not admit if he has trouble answering questions his students pose.
But he has a trick to counter that issue when it arises.
“Sometimes, when a student asks me a question which I do not know the answer to, I will not reveal that I have problems answering it. Instead, I will ask another student whom I think will know the answer,” says Mr Malek.
If the student he picks fails to answer, he then proceeds to the next step which is to ask the class to find out the answer themselves- all in the name of independent learning.
While the students scamble for answers, Mr Malek will do his own research and present the answer in his next class with them.
Mr Malek admits that students have noticed and commented on his witty 'strategy', while his colleagues agree that it is a brilliant attempt to dodge an embarrassing moment in class.
“As long as the current students which I am teaching are not aware of this trick I use rarely, I believe it has a positive effect on their learning.”
Confession #2: "I get self-conscious when students laugh behind my back"
Miss Catherine Chee, a Mathematics teacher in a Polytechnic, gets self-conscious and paranoid when she turns around to write something on the board and catches the sound of her students giggling or laughing.
Attacked by a sudden inferiority complex, she starts to wonder if she is dressed inappropriately or if there is something on her face.
“But whenever this happens, I simply remain quiet and the students will perceive that I am angry, when actually, I am not!” says Miss Chee.
“It always happens and whenever I do not speak or if I simply stare at my students with an expressionless face, they will keep quiet instantly. This method works all the time.”
Miss Chee chanced upon teaching accidentally during the job recession period and fell in love with it soon after. Despite the obstacles she faces with her students, her passion for teaching is still burning after 20 years.
Confession #3: Talking behind students' back
Another teacher, Mr Chin who does not want his full name to be stated, confessed that he had once thought a student of his was suffering from a mental illness.
This happened when he first started teaching.
“For instance, when I am in front of the class explaining something, she would put her scarf on her head like a turban or hold her hair in a ponytail as she mimics a doll with a spring for its neck.”
This made him wonder whether his student was mentally sound.
When Mr Chin shared this story with his colleagues, some of them laughed it off while others were curious to see this girl in action.
Until today, he has no idea if the student was seeking his attention, testing his patience or just plain "loopy".
But Mr Chin says this experience eventually made him more open and receptive to students' sometimes unpredictable behaviour.
He believes being eccentric is another form of ‘wanting to get to know you better’—much like a handshake.
Confession #4: "I allow students to call me by name"
An academic staff in a Polytechnic, Miss Ratna, confesses that she allow her students to call her by her name.
“Students tell me that calling me by name makes them feel closer to me.”
Through research, encouraging students to call teachers by your first name instead of Mr/Mrs etc. creates a friendlier atmosphere and helps to do away with the idea that you're an authority figure over them, and will encourage them to be more open and friendly with you.
“However, traditional teachers tell me that this makes it more difficult for me to discipline my students.”
Ultimately, what would all of us do without our teachers? Most teachers give students something to take back home besides their homework. We depend on them to grow and rely on them to succeed.
As an ancient Chinese proverb goes, “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself”.

-Edvantage