Education Minister Ronald Jones is reminding teachers that words can cause harm.
He is therefore encouraging them to think before they speak as they interact with their charges.
The former educator passed on this advice as he addressed the latest batch of teachers who will be commencing studies at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College from September.
“As teachers, we have to be so careful what words come out of our mouth, because when they come out don’t care how much we apologise, we can’t pull them back. It has already penetrated the being of a delicate child. Don’t care if the child is 16, 10 or 3 years old,” he stressed.
“Those words have already decimated the confidence of that learner. I am saying that because I recognise in our humanity there are many problems that we carry on our own shoulders. There are many pains we carry in our own beings. But, as a professional we have to think before we speak”.
“Knowing that the damage is done now, [it] is a damage that could possibly last forever. I would like a conversation with many of our criminals or those who are on the borderline and ask them about their educational experiences. Which teacher gave them hope, which teacher gave them a sense of wholeness, or which teacher completely devastated them,” the Minister said.
Jones went on to explain that the self -reflective teacher consistently thinks about how he or she impacts upon his or her charges.
“If you don’t care, you do not reflect. But if you truly and genuinely care you must reflect all of the time,” he pointed out.
“Teaching has never been about Maths, English, Literature, IT… those (subjects) are only by-products of a transformation that the teacher or tutor or instructor encourages”. (TL)