Our Purpose

My conversations these days are interspersed by the words “…..life will never be the same again.” What I do know is that my life as a teacher will definitely not be the same again.  I keep hearing the term ‘the new normal’ and can’t help but wonder, when has life ever been normal for us, teachers?

As I sit to pen down a few thoughts about why we the teachers of English of GEMS Modern Academy, Dubai, felt the need to start this blog, I find myself going back a couple of years in time. It was the year 2014 when I had started a new phase in my career as a teacher. I had joined the school that I am currently teaching in and I had no clue what I was in for!!

As a teacher, my foray into technology, for the purpose of teaching, was limited to typing out question papers and when I was in the mood to be fancy, maybe a couple of worksheets. And here I was, where I was expected to carry a laptop into my classroom and actually use it while teaching. Needless to say, it was not a tool….. it was an aberration for me. I often asked myself in those days, why do I need technology to tell my students what I could and will anyway? How could a PowerPoint presentation be more effective in filling up my students’ minds with all the wonderful things that I wanted to tell them?

To cut a long story short, I hated technology. In many of my angry rants I would blurt out saying, “How can technology replace a teacher?” Till one fine day, a much younger colleague, in his ubiquitous calm manner said that technology can never replace a teacher. However, a teacher who uses technology might be able to replace a teacher who does not. His words made me stop in my tracks and as much as I would hate to admit, they weighed heavily on me. I began to ponder and introspect.

The more I thought about it, the less I liked myself. I realized that I had quintessentially become that very teacher that I myself detested in my student days. The words of George Bernard Shaw, “Those who can’t do, teach” began to mock me. Was I not that very same person who very proudly had said that I am privileged to be in one of the most powerful professions in the world? I am in the business of moulding minds for a better future. Moulding…. I reminded myself….. not filling up empty vessels with my knowledge, my experiences, my ideas and beliefs. I asked myself if I was really allowing my students to have their own  journey or was I merely handing them mine? I did not like the answers, and as much as I detest change, I knew it was time to address the elephant in the room. And thus started my tryst with technology. 

That was the beginning of my new normal. During the various professional development courses based on technology, I now began to listen with the intention to try it out. I did allow myself to fail but I did not allow myself to stop trying. After all these years I still fail ……miserably at times! I still do not allow myself to stop trying.

I can say now with complete conviction that the life of a teacher is in perpetual beta. In our line of work, we are constantly shaping and reshaping knowledge as it were. In this ever-shifting and ever-evolving world of education, a flexible and open-minded attitude and the willingness to learn is what defines us. The most dangerous people are the ones who think they know it all and who stop learning. Perpetual beta leads to perpetual innovation which leads to Kaizen – continuous improvement. 

And that brings me to the purpose behind this blog by the Department of English. Our objective is threefold: 

• to help us reflect as a team on pedagogy and best practices 
• to share our joys, trials and tribulations, mistakes and success
• to build a network of like-minded teachers 

As an educator, I don’t think I am any less than a pioneer. We are constantly breaking the glass ceiling and exploring beyond the boundaries.

So dear pioneers, let us not be in competition with technology but let us partner with technology to evolve and empower not only ourselves but also those young minds that are entrusted to our care.  

In conclusion, I have to say that George Bernard Shaw must not have had teachers like us. If he did, he would have said, “Those who can do, do. Those who can do more….Teach!”

By Bipasha De

Head – Department of English