Fides Media Living the Faith
By Vivian Ononiwa and Ebube Edieh
A workshop has been organised for the teaching staff of Stella Maris Girls’ College, Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, with the theme: ” Effective Teaching Process and Teacher Relationship”. The programme was held at Good Shepherd Hall Okpuno, Awka, on Friday, September 15.
The Chancellor of Awka Diocese, Rev Fr. Dr. Charles Ndubisi, as the first guest speaker of the day, in his remarks, acknowledged that being a teacher was not an easy vocation but should be taken seriously.
‘We want you to know that we see all efforts towards the support and care given to the children at your service,’ Fr Ndubisi said, urging all staff members to be fishers of men by catching the children young in order to improve their potentials in life.
The second guest speaker, Fr Maximus Okonkwo, Education Secretary, Awka Catholic Diocese, spoke on the effects of vital communication of teaching/learning process between teachers and students in a classroom setting. He further gave the strategies to impart positive behaviour to the children to include; Positive Remarks, Team work; Body Language; Active Listening; Feedback, among others.
During the interaction, he explained how a teacher should communicate with parents, which, he said, was through report sheets that aided immediate response about the negative/positive attitude of each child.
The priest said such skills helped students to become interested in pursuit of their education and to strengthen parents in nurturing their children as well.
Lady Nnoye Ezeuzo, Principal, St Albert the Great Secondary School, Agulu, the third speaker, urged teachers to enforce more of practical lessons to students. She explained how the visual and practical aspects of study were more effective and easy to recall.
She said that the combination of the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching would go a long way in improving the educational system.
Fr Dennis Nwabuaeze, Manager, St Michael’s Model Comprehensive Secondary School, Nimo, spoke on the relationship between teachers/teacher and student/student, noting that it determined the progress of the school. He said the relationship between teachers would determine the learning capacity of the student.
He also said the respect for teachers towards each other was important, as well as that from a teacher to a student.
The manager advised the teachers not to see the school as just a workplace but also as a home, noting that the failure of teachers to put in their best in the formation of students, as well as the lack of empathy in the education system, had caused a lot of damage.
‘The secret of getting the student to be more attentive is when you try to know the student at a more personal level, knowing their weaknesses and strengths, to enable them to work and achieve their dreams,’ Fr Dennis said.
He reminded the teachers that they were the foundation builders and bedrock of any successful individual, noting that it was important that teachers put in all their effort and not look for rewards immediately but to be selfless and pray for the betterment of their students so that blessings would never depart from them.
