Teacher is….

To describe teacher metaphorically is not an easy task to do. It is because I think that we have to find something which is very significant towards the profession of a teacher, the responsibility and to describe the passion of them in teaching and educating. Like in Malay, there is a metaphor that currently has been debated about its accuracy and appropriateness as to portray teachers. The metaphor is “candle” in which it is like it burns itself for the lights of others; meaning that the sacrifice the teacher has done for the success of the students. Why it is debatable because it is nowadays not anymore relevant to teachers because many people say that teachers receive high payment for their jobs. The word “sacrifice” is no longer applicable in this situation.

This time we are assigned to give a metaphor to teachers. I can come out with a metaphor but I think this is more like my expectation of myself as a teacher and describing me in the future.

I choose “berry bush” to describe myself as a teacher. First and foremost berry bush has many twigs and branches that I imagine as the knowledge I have for my students, and the knowledge are something they should know either it is within the syllabus or something in the outside world to be applicable to their lives. In this era, we do not only have to provide students with something that can ensure them to pass examination but we also must offer them with knowledge that will be very useful and relevance to their lives.

Next is the fruits or the berries. The fruits resemble the responsibilities of me as a teacher to my students in which I have to be productive in order to enhance the quality of teaching that in turns results in the excellence of students in learning. The “fruits” must be fresh and quality for the achievement of greater result for people that “eat” them.

The next point is berry bush, although it is small in size can still be a place for hiding. This time, the responsibility of the bush to hide kids from any danger is like myself giving protection to my students. As we know, in this high-tech era students tend to be very vulnerable to the outer influences and threats from any sources. Therefore I have to ensure that although they are given much freedom and rights for themselves but there must be a limit to all that.

In a nutshell, the profession of teacher cannot be seen with only one-eye-opens. We must not take the role of a teacher as very limited to the teaching of students and not more than that. Besides that we have to respect teachers as the responsibilities are somehow much more difficult and challenging than doctors, lawyers and others.