Fish?

'Everyone is getting mad! Fish are thrown everywhere!What on earth is happening? Targets are searched. There you are! Watch out! Ouchh!! They will never miss even one. Still, neither of us stands...'

Well, neither of us stood as there were some who still looking blur, couldn't figure out what was happening just now. As a result, our lecturer called us passive learners...hihi...

Today's lesson started off a bit different. Prof.Madya Dr Raja Maznah had thrown toy fish at us and asked us to start throwing them everywhere. And that was why we didn't stand and would rather sit and threw the fish, afraid that we couldn't handle ourselves and couldn't stop playing. Well, we're good at playing if given the opportunity to..hehe.. After the 'fish throwing session' our lecturer introduced us a philosophy named 'Fish Philosophy'. At first, i felt a bit weird as why this philosophy didn't sound very scholarly. Instead it sounded like a philosophy for fishermen and fishmongers in the market, like how to get good catch, or where to find it and what strategy to be used to make your selling profitable. But my guess was not totally wrong. Indeed, this philosophy originated from the World Famous Pike Place Fish Seattle Market. And these are the 4 concepts being portrayed in this philosophy:

• play
• make their day
• be there
• choose your attitude

After being introduced to this philosophy then only i could connect it with teaching. In my opinion, this Fish Philosophy is important to be used when teaching so as to make students feel motivated to learn. As a fan of motivation myself, i feel that this philosophy is sharply directing to the point of how to make students feel happy and that, they are going to school as a place where they can get knowledge and have fun at the same time. Maybe, many people don't know but i feel glad that i know this one thing. Teacher plays a major role in determining students success. In school, teachers are everything to the students. Whatever the teachers do will motivate or demotivate them. And whatever the teachers do will be highly regarded. So, even a simple praise that they are looking good today will make a remark upon them for at least a week, a little game to be implemented before or as a closure of a lesson will enlighten them and a show of concern will make them feel that they are acknowledged by their teacher. Well, possibly they would feel that their teacher will forget one or two of them as there are many to be taken care of in a class. I still remember how my friends and I adored this one lecturer in our previous college. She dressed so nicely everyday and she looked so presentable to our eyes. And, to be truthful, each one of us could not wait to come to this particular class just to see what was she wearing that day. So, try to make the connection. The teacher's atitude also could be the reason for students to come to class and learn, right?

Reflecting back my days when i was a temporary teacher in a school in my hometown, i supposed i had never cared about some concepts of the philosophy before. What i cared was that I had to finish the syllabus and other things did not matter to me. I tried to set an attitude of being a nice and full of smile teacher on the very first day, but the moment i stepped into the class, as a teacher, for the very first time in my life, i thought i need to change my attitude. Since then, i could be considerd as a fierce teacher. Even the prayer that they recited at the beginning of the lesson i would ask them to read it properly(with correct intonation and pronunciation). See, how firm can i be? But after i learned this philosophy, i supposed being fierce is not wrong, but there should be some ways that students can feel the teacher's warmth and concern.

So, i hope when the moment i become a real teacher arrives, i would be ready to serve my clients as how they should be served. But, beware, don't let the 'BE THERE' part influence your mind and heart..or else Halo effect will arise and you are no longer a good teacher! Till then.. .

References:

www.grand-blanc.k12.mi.us/qip/fish%20philosophy.htm

http://teacherweb.esu1.org/esufirst/stories/storyReader$8