Teacher - A power that changes direction but keeps going

Teacher Impact is profound and enduring. It is one of those impacts that is intangible and like a vaccine has a long term effect.A Teacher in his/her career will impact more than 3000 students. 90% of them (including me)say they wish they had thanked their teachers and how much they appreciated their efforts.

My last decade of professional career has been in the impact space in healthcare and Ed-tech. 2 weeks back, I decided to return back to the Ed-Tech world (K-12). One of the primary reasons for this return was the impact that a teacher in fREADom live class at Stones2Milestones created in helping children learn English. Her life was nothing less than hugging a tornado but she kept going with her energy and high enthusiasm changing her direction to ensure every child gets to speak thus creating impact. It also took me back to what Margaret Fuller said, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader”

In a world where, English stills happens to be the preferred language of professional communication (Fact that, I am writing this in English), I have come across many situations where smart and talented people in an organisation refrain from contributing in a meeting due to the inability to communicate in English. As many ponder over it, we at Stones2Milestones are moving everyday enough distance to solve the biggest challenge.

I was fortunate enough to to read, write, speak 5 languages (Thanks to my gypsy life). When I reflect back on the ability to learn language, its so very true that all these languages have been learnt before I turned 13 and no new language to this level of proficiency was learnt after that. In a world where English still happens to be the most aspirational language, I take this special day to thank all the teachers and a special shout to all the English Teachers around the world and at Stones2Milestones for creating an impact that is fulfilling and long lasting.

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn’t want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher’s job.” – Donald D. Quinn

This quote in the current year is even more apt when the teacher is still doing all of those on a screen