Teacher Talk: A Novel Initiative of the Rah-e-roshd

Ms. Eslahpazir at Teacher Talk

In Iran the oral tradition of story-telling is a legacy of our ancestors. Although texts exist as alternatives, for teachers to reach out to a diverse classroom, the spoken word is more effective. This was our primary motivation for starting ‘Teacher Talk’, where teachers are given the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges.

Teacher Talk will help diffuse teaching experiences, unveil treasured learnings unknown to fellow teachers, stimulate new ideas while underlining mistakes that are elusive to routine consciousness. Admittedly, as a teacher, each and every of us make a great deal of mistakes in our careers; however, sharing our experiences may serve as a step to prevent similar ones.

Teacher Talk is expected to be a step forward in promoting empathy, perseverance, courage, and cooperation among teachers. Today, human beings are bogged down by the competitive and selfish attitudes prevalent in the education system, riddled with false values.  Cooperation, transparency, and honesty should be the cornerstones of the education system and its administration. RCEC as part of her mission wants to promote a positive atmosphere where teachers come together and participate in a heart-to-heart talk about their failures, and how these can be turned into tools for success.

First Edition of Teacher Talk

Teacher Talk has been inspired by the globally popular Ted Talk series which is a platform for showcasing short and powerful talks on important issues. A public call was made for teachers to submit their ideas for the talk, and a shortlist prepared. The first talk, titled ‘Miracle of the Last Day’, was delivered by a teacher from the primary school for boys. She had a student with disciplinary issues and she developed a positive solution by naming him the ‘best student in class’. This encouraged the student to change his attitude without the teacher adopting punitive measures. The second, ‘Miss Miss may I say?’, was about the need to give students more avenues to express themselves. The third talk was a teacher who shared her initiative ‘enjoy reading’ which was introduced to inculcate the dying habit of reading amongst young people. The joy of learning through Origami was the topic of the fourth talk. The speaker, a teacher of mathematics, channeled his passion for the art form to make his lessons more interesting and attractive for his students. The last talk, ‘Principal Mother’, was about how the speaker juggled being a new mother and being appointed as the school principal. She shared her gratitude for the support extended by her colleagues.

RCEC believes that the education system can be improved in its entirety in a collaborative manner, staying true to its cooperative roots. Teacher Talk is a vital step in that direction.