The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.

                                                                                                                                                       - Plutarch

 

The above quote from Plutarch was one of the many inspiring ideas that I came across during my philosophical studies in university, but it encapsulated a lesson which I have since taken to heart. During my time as a contract teacher, I often thought of my students in terms of their deficiencies – how much more did they need to learn? what skills have they yet to master? – but I soon realised that this approach was a mistake. In a world where information and skills can be learnt online, the role of a teacher is no longer that of a mere transmitter of information, as though students were vessels to be filled with knowledge. Rather, I now think of students as individuals whom I can inspire, whose interests I might kindle, and whose lives I have a great responsibility to impact for the better.  

 

After part time jobs in the service industry and a short-lived endeavour into a business startup, as well as several attempts to publish papers in academic journals and conferences, I had a clear idea of what I was looking for when I was planning for my future: I did not want a job in which the main objective of working is merely to make money, nor did I want to end up in an ivory tower whose concerns are largely irrelevant for the life of a society. What I sought was a meaningful career, where I could harness my knowledge and skills to change lives and to contribute to the future of Singapore. I chose to become a teacher.

 

As an educator, I hope to transform the lives of my students by exposing them to exciting ideas and perspectives. The best teachers that I have studied under were able to make their subjects exciting and relatable, and by making their lessons come to life, I began to appreciate the value of my studies outside of the confines of the classroom. What I seek to do, essentially, is modelled after the teachers who have inspired me in the past. However, I feel that teachers today might have to go one step further:  even if my subject matter can be learnt online, what I can contribute to the upbringing of a student is an invaluable exposure to practices that they cannot engage in through Google searches. I hope to cultivate democratic practices of dialogue and collective decision making within the classroom, as practices that students can learn from in addition to their academic studies.

 

It is indeed idealistic to strive towards creating a democratic classroom, but it is not without good reason. In Singapore, we are not accustomed to engaging in dialogue and collective decision making. All too often, decisions are made from by a technocratic elite without consultation of the people that are affected by these decisions. This model may have served Singapore well in the past, but as society progresses into the 21st century, as people become more knowledgeable and more opinionated than ever before, dialgoue is increasingly inevitable as part of everyday decision making processes. The unique role of a teacher in shaping the future of the nation makes it possible for us to prepare students for a future in which dialogue is more commonplace, where Singapore Conversations occur more frequently.