Translator: Berta Varga Reviewer: Denise RQ
I am a teacher.
In a world where education is in crisis.
This is a strange situation because it is both inspiring
and difficult at the same time.
It is inspiring because I like challenges.
However, it is difficult, but this part needs no explanation.
The duality of this situation provokes inner tension in me.
And this tension prompts me to look for solutions.
The solution could come from above, but I don't believe in that.
I believe that if I am faced with a problem,
then I can help bring about the solution, it is my responsibility, too.
A lot of things could be, and in my opinion,
should be reconsidered regarding education.
But right now, let us look at only one thing.
The one thing I can talk about, and I consider to be the most important.
And this is the teacher.
What does teacher mean?
What is the definition?
Each one of us has a stereotyped image of teachers.
This image determines at least three things:
if we want to be teachers or not,
if we are already teachers, what kind of teachers we are,
and finally, how we treat teachers.
So what do you say we do something about this image?
Maybe we could rewrite that definition.
I would like to show you the image that I have of a teacher, in three points.
Firstly, what it is like being a teacher.
Imagine the moment, when the teacher enters the classroom.
They close the door.
The bell has rung.
This could be a dreadful thing for the teacher.
Because the door is a prison door.
National Core Curriculum, headmaster, parental expectations...
Attention, class!
I said attention, class! Can't you hear me?
Or... this door can be a way to Wonderland.
As I close the door, I shut out everything else.
And in here,
for 45 minutes I do whatever I please with 33 students.
I can tell tales, do magic, dance and create.
This creative process is our second point.
Imagine that moment,
when the class has already started, but the children are noisy.
This this can be absolutely frustrating for the teacher.
Dictating definitions, notebooks opening...
I don't know why you're grinning, I haven't said anything funny.
Jimmy, quit talking over there. Please.
How many times do I have to tell you that you can't have food in here?
Jimmy, quit talking. Come to the board!
Come to the board now.
Or... I try taking the space at my disposal seriously.
And I truly create. Because what do I create?
I create pure future.
Here, in front of me sits my future child's teacher,
my future lawyer, doctor, my future prime minister.
How do you do?
I have the possibility to inspire them to become who they are.
It is not what I say, but how I say it that is going to stick with them.
Therefore, I can take my biology lesson and turn it upside down.
You don't get grades,
but points that become grades only at the end of each month.
There are no compulsory tasks but types of tasks; you choose.
There are no compulsory units but broader topics.
For example, you are interested in medicine,
and you would like to write an essay about the changes of your heart rhythm.
Great! Let me know when you are finished!
Yes, you are good at literature.
A presentation about depressed poets? Perfect for our next class!
You need three points for an A by the end of the month? OK.
Compose a test of 10 questions, solve it, and I will correct it.
And this is where we get to the third point, which is feedback.
Who said that feedback and assessment are the same thing?
If I dissociate the two, I can motivate my students much better.
Let's take Jimmy's case.
Jimmy, you are stupid. You've failed. Now sit down.
Or... Jimmy, you don't really know the definitions
and your knowledge about processes is incomplete,
but at least you tried.
I'll give you a point, and you can retry during our next class.
There is one more important thing about feedback.
It is reciprocal.
They give me feedback as well.
Imagine that moment, when the lesson is over,
the teacher leaves the classroom and returns to the staff room,
plunges into a chair and starts complaining:
the students would not stop talking,
they continued eating,
and the rest of them were busy with their phones.
Let's ban all phone usage anyway!
There was no point of me coming in today.
Or... I don't see them as my enemies,
but instead, I realize that they function as a mirror to me.
A mirror that gives me critical feedback immediately
about whether I'm doing something right or wrong.
For example, I was telling something exciting
but half of the class dozed off?
I should rethink what I find exciting.
Or they asked something I don't know the answer to?
I should rethink how I prepare for class.
If I take them seriously, if I take myself seriously
and I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone,
then I'll learn more during a semester
than I would learn during a 180-hour psychodrama course.
I'm often asked how do I stay so energetic if my salary is so low.
I usually tell them that I think it is the other way around.
If I shape my job to my liking, I gives me energy.
My students themselves make me energetic.
It is a decision.
So dear young people and young souls! Those who can still become teachers!
If you dream about this profession, imagine it this way.
Dear colleagues!
Every minute of the day we have the possibility to decide
what kind of teachers we are.
And dear parents, patrons, and decision-makers.
I think your responsibility is gigantic.
Appreciate and support the good teachers,
because the energy you invest in us is greatly repaid.
We have the magic wand to create the future we all long for.
Being a teacher is indeed cool.
Thank you for your attention.
(Applause)
Thank you.