BAGAY, Fatima Q.

Educ 1 Child & Adolescent Development w/ F.E.

Mati Doctors College
Submitted to: Mr. Archie P. Mantog
July 09, 2016

THE STORY OF TEDDY STODDARD: A Reflection

This story allowed me to critically reflect that the very heart of education is how the learners are
nurtured taking into consideration that they are individuals with body and soul and that indeed
the main purpose of education is the total development of the individual- both body and soul,
mentally, morally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially. This story reminds of why
exactly I want to teach and how important it is to make connections with students, and learn
about their livesand most importantly, believe in them.
I found myself well very like Mrs. Thompson when I was a neophyte teacher at the Davao
Oriental State College of Science and Technology. Just like her, I also told my students some
little lies in the first day of school to get their interests. But unlike teaching little children, I found
being a college instructor a lot more difficult since I am already dealing with men of principles, of
different ideologies, and of different strands of life.
Most of my students send themselves to school. They work during day time and get to school in
the night. Imagine how dead beat heavy brawn getting their brain out for school people I was
dealing with? And just like Mrs. Thompson, I also had some Teddy Stoddard in my class.
Dealing with the troubled Teddy is difficult, especially if it would become a tug-of-war between
you and your principles in teaching. Every teacher has their own strategies, techniques on how
to bring the best out of their students. But out of my experiences, I have learnt that in dealing
with human beings one should have a heart.

A teacher with a heart is the hardest role I have known on Earth. One doesnt only have to learn
every individuals story but to listen to their stories for you to understand the why on Earth cant
they understand the subject dilemma. It is also not possible to just always bend the line for you
are to develop dependency out of it. So how do we bridge the gap between what we teach and
what they should do? Allow me to quote a Criminology student on his take on this: To fill in that
gap, both sides need to work together. Students need to push themselves to expand their
knowledge and help themselves become more inquisitive, critical, and reflective. Teachers, on
the other hand, should push and challenge the students to become better thinkers and help
them use what skills they know to their advantage. When students and teachers are thinking on
the same page, they will start to understand each other's viewpoint, thus making learning
easier.
Of course, not all stories do always have a happy ending. Sometimes it is found in the sequel.
Just like some movies, I also had some bitter endings with my students. It is when all have gone
wrong even if you have fought hard to make it right. It is when u had tried to fill in the gap but the
other had not. And it is when my bitter ending could become their sweet beginning to start
believing in themselves and strive hard to make things right. This! I always have a word to my
every student that whatever, whenever, and however hard life takes them the only key to
success is to BELIEVE in themselves when they think nobody does. And that every struggle
they have is Gods purpose of molding them into better and stronger individuals that they would
actually become proud of in the future. Some listened and some did not and guess whos at
the top?
As a teacher, a facilitator of development of learners, you are a learner yourself that develops
out from the experiences of developing someone into a higher form of individual a LEARNED
INDIVIDUAL. Indeed, "the heart of education is the education of the heart", the heart of reform
is the reform of the heart a quote from Prof. Alzad Sattar, Usec for Madrasah Education.
So before youll get fond of taking delight out of the red pens and F marks reflect and ask
WHY? Once you have done that, everything will turn out fine. Just believe. #