Dedicated Teacher

The most sacred profession, teaching, is the only profession, which gives a person satisfaction of contributing, in one way or the other, to the lives of the pupils. I am honored to be part of this profession, which will enable me to make a difference in my students’ life. There are no steadfast ideals in teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, in my opinion, but there are best practices and one can learn to be the beloved teacher in the eyes of the students. Teaching profession for me is in itself is a learning-ground, where I can learn and improve upon my own skills along with contributing in the development of the student. Teachers therefore, are the source with which students groom and enlighten their living and that is the reason, I belief, every action performed or lesson given by the teacher, affects the students’ performance in their later years. Hence, teachers carry heavy responsibilities on their shoulder to make the learning process of the children more exciting and better than the previous ones.

Children who are deaf and hard of hearing are usually subject to inferiority pressure, solitude, and/or inability to establish themselves as a dignified person in this fast-paced world. These challenges, in my opinion, put greater challenge on the teachers. Teachers, thus, should strive to help these children cope up with the situation and succeed with respect and honor. I think that only teachers and parents can alter this perspective with mutual efforts, since the time when the child is young, through nurturing confidence and promoting independence. These children only requires time and affection, which when given appropriately and in appreciating manner, brings forth a great difference in their lives. As a teacher, it is my commitment that I should try my best to fulfill the students’ expectations and enlighten their thoughts with the modern knowledge and with wholehearted efforts I, try to do the same.

Patience is amongst the top most qualities that a teacher must posses in order to pay attention to students’ queries, give proper instructions to complete a particular task and to create a healthy environment for the students to learn and develop their skills. Patience will provide space to both teachers and students, in order to express their concerns and understand each other properly. Teachers, in this case, should act as a parental figure, with which children should feel comfortable, express their concerns, and communicate freely.

In my opinion, ‘a pause’ between instructions and/or conversation will help students comprehend and internalize the message behind a particular lesson. In addition to that, when and where required, teacher should try to involve parents and other family members in the overall education of the child. This will increase acceptance and encouragement amongst the impaired children in the society. Patience is also important for the child’s development, because errors and mistakes followed by punishments and harsh criticism, often leads to discouragement amongst students.

            Excellence in teaching practice requires that teachers should plan their lessons well before the class, to transform each lesson into a unique experience. Planned lessons ease the workload and to the great extend, guarantee the smooth flow of instructions for the students to absorb the content at hand effectively. In my experience, planning lessons before going to the class enable me to predict and be prepared for any of the unexpected circumstances and to come up with immediate alternatives. Planning lessons and benchmarking the teaching practice, also promote creativity and implementation of new and improved teaching methods. This widen dimension of teaching help teachers like me to learn from others experiences and mistakes.

Another important characteristic that a teacher must posses is that he/she should be expert in the field required i.e., he/she should be familiar with the sign language and the means with which children who are deaf and/or are hard of hearing can learn. He/she should be comfortable and fluent in communicating and understanding the ideas presented in the class. He/she should be well versed with the modern technology and media tools available to promote learning amongst deaf and hard of hearing children. Teachers should also avoid discrimination amongst students based on the learning capabilities, and should use fair strategy to evaluate and monitor student’s performances. Variety of techniques can be used for monitoring and evaluation in order to evaluate child’s progress fairly.

Teaching Children with hearing problems, in conclusion, demands that teacher should be patient, impartial, creative, expert in sign language and posses qualities of a good manager. Experience and self-motivation towards teaching the deaf and hard of hearing children can result in effective utilization of these qualities in actual practice, because teaching these students, at times, can be challenging and demanding. Continuous and determined relationship with students that need special attention, enable teachers to empathize and understand their differences, and I belief, this is the first step of being accepting the responsibility of teaching deaf and hard of hearing children.