A Reflection on Molder of Dreams (Guy Doud)

To give you a glimpse of how my life was molded, let me begin this way.  About 20 years ago, I was asked to answer an algebraic problem on the board by my math teacher that forever altered the direction of my life.  It was a simple task but, like the stamp of a searing hot branding iron, my life was permanently marked by that event. It happened when I was in second year high school.

As an overview, my elementary life was fraught with mediocrity.  I envy my 6 year-old son because he can already read when he was in Grade I.  When I was his age, I would simply memorized all the words in one page just to pretend that I can read.  I couldn't do simple arithmetic either, a mere sight of numbers during our class could bring shiver down my spine, so to speak.  I simply hate mathematics.  There were times that I wanted to quit school because my Grade I teacher spanked me for not being able to answer even simple mathematical question supposedly given to preschoolers.  And a first grader like me is not a preschooler anymore.  So without beating around the bush, I was just an average student during my elementary years.

In my first year in high school, I was still terrified of numbers.  There were times that I would skip math classes lest that I might be called during board works.  I was doing well in other subjects but my grade in math was horrible.  To emphasize, it was the only subject that thwarted my path on top of the class list.  However, in my second year, my math teacher asked me to solve the problem on the board.  It was actually my first time doing it because whenever my name was called I would respectfully decline.  No amount of prodding can make me stand and solve the dreaded mathematical question on the board.  On that day, I obliged myself to give it a try.  Just when I finished answering it, my teacher noticed that I solved it incorrectly, bad memories from my elementary years kept flooding my senses.  A thought that my teacher would scold me for not giving the right answer or she might embarrass me in front of my classmates.  But lo and behold, in a kind and caring voice, she asked me to do it again and showed me how to do it right this time.  Soon after, I found myself loving mathematics and it helped me gained my confidence back.  I became the president of math club and graduated in high school on top of the heap.

In a nutshell, Guy Doud said it succinctly “every single one of us is a teacher and as a teacher we are called to do all kinds of things”.  The legacy that we can leave behind is not teaching our students the basics of arithmetic nor the intricacies of history but by touching the hearts of people and opening the minds of children in the full light of all the facts about the world in which they live.  We have the moral obligation to make them more human.  We should also teach them to weave their dreams high to know their purpose. In the grand scheme of things where fulfilling a dream seems tough, we encourage our students to recall their resolve to achieve more in life.   Indeed, a simple act of kindness can really make a big difference.  Therefore, as a teacher we are supposed to be moulder not slayer of child’s dreams.