Posted by Teaching is not the profession that evolved recently. It’s a revered notion which existed since the beginning of the world. I am not wrong, if I say, teaching was not new when the world came into existence. I am utterly delighted to put my words in front of you, and share my views related to the phenomenon of “adapting resilience in the teaching profession”. I am entirely convinced that my words lack the power to deal with the subject as required. The joy of teaching is always associated with the love of it.
Teachers are like a fertile land that can give a yield of vivid vegetation. The potential of yield decreases and sometimes land becomes barren by the action of acid on it. To sustain the potential of soil, numerous remedies are considered. The action of acid can be contained by spreading base on it. Likewise, teachers are also required to sustain fertility by adopting different activities.
The bitter truth for us as a teacher is that we are sometimes frogs of the well and not the frogs of the ocean. We talk of resilience but don’t want to embrace the current trends. The philosophy explained in our revered Islamic text, regarding resilience can be understood by this profound saying
قديم ثابت وجديد نافع
(Cherish the old traditional practice, along with adopting the new ones).
This practice of inculcating both; past and current practices, gives the sense of continuation. The friction between those who believe in the past and those who believe in the current will never arise when both will adopt each other which will eventually multiply the benefits.
To take the discussion further, I want to highlight three key activities that can be helpful for creating a resilient environment for ourselves.
Activity number 1 Embrace change
The famous book, written by Spencer Johnson, “who moved my cheese “gives us the best lesson to embrace change. Today’s topic resilience suggests that at times because of our already conditional traits and personalized working styles, we resist change. This resistance is the testimony of our indolent nature.
For me a teacher should be like a liquid, which according to chemistry doesn’t have any definite shape, liquid takes the shape of the container. In this epoch, the change is; adopting technology, embracing diverse attributes of students, knowing students’ perspectives and their viewpoints which will definitely help to increase their confidence in us. Students in this era, ask for an explanation, if we fail to satisfy their hunger because of our lack of effort and ignorance, then we are not doing justice to our profession.
Activity number 2 for observing resilience, “Sink or Swim”.
Another salient feature for remaining resilient is, keep going. This therapy of, keep going is unique in itself. At times we become adamant to move. In our revered Islamic text; movement is life, and inertia is death.
As electricity is generated by the movement of electrons, likewise electrifying performance can be achieved by constant mobility only. Our ego is the reason for inertia. If, the keep going therapy is not adopted in real-time then sinking will become inevitable for us. In the current scenario, we are sometimes asked to upgrade and empower our own selves. We deny coming in compliance, giving the excuse of our seniority, or ignoring the fact that we are behind the race which becomes the most devastating situation for us.
Activity number 3 for practicing resilience “Bouncing back after a setback”
In life, we can change a few things, and there are a few things we can’t change. The disasters and natural calamities which can’t be tamed and controlled by us, sometimes, leave us shattered by aftermath consequences. The ability to bounce back in these situations is the real litmus test for the sufferer. The loss sometimes pushes us to think, why me? The fact is, it can happen to anyone at any time in life, but bouncing back is necessary. I want to cite an example from one of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s RA discourses which He RA delivered after the flood in Surat. This flood had damaged several properties of the al-Jamea campus, but He RA expressed in an eased mode, showcasing the optimal form of resilience that these types of calamities tend to happen and al-Jamea classes were conducted seamlessly in Burhanpur. During the current pandemic, al-Jamea’s academic days were not less than any other year. This is the ideal example of resilience.
At last, I request all to ponder upon the revered prayer uttered by Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS.
The above excerpts from Aqa Maula TUS discourses are the ideal meaning of resilience.
Thank you!