Mission Impossible?

had to write a silly essay about what it takes for teachers to accomplish the stated missions of the Singaporean Education Service.

the following is what i actually intended to write (the version that i submitted is much watered down...):
I was shocked when I first read the mission statement of the Singapore Education Service. I realized that when I decided to be a teacher, I have agreed to become a miracle worker, having to do 48 hours worth of work in a single day. How can any teacher reading that mission statement not be daunted by the enormity of the Herculean task which he has to perform?

My major disagreement with the mission statement is that it seems to signal to parents and the wider society that they only need to play a passive and supporting role in the education of the next generation. On the contrary, I feel that parents and the wider society should play an equally, if not more, active and significant role in the education of our next generation as teachers do.

However, the teacher certainly does play a significant role in the education of our next generation. In order for teachers to fulfill that role and achieve the stated mission of education, in addition to an act of God, teachers would most definitely require the correct attitude. Here, I am reminded of the main character in the show GTO, Onizuka. In the show, Onizuka’s sole aim in life is to be a teacher who gives his students the opportunity for them to develop their own interests and talents to their fullest potential and help them find their place in the world. He does so with utter disregard for his own wellbeing, even to the extent of going against higher authority and bureaucracy. Onizuka is not an expert in what he teaches nor does he know much about the professional world. But his passion for teaching eventually won his students, the parents and the school administration over.

One could easily dismiss the happy ending in GTO as an unrealistic situation that would never happen. However, I believe that it highlights the very important point that teaching is not just any other profession. It is a calling.

If teaching is indeed one’s calling, then one would naturally have the passion that would enable one to rise up to the many challenges one would face as a teacher. It would drive one to continually improve oneself, equipping oneself with all the necessary skills and required knowledge. Such passion would allow one to squeeze every iota of productivity out of every second without begrudging a single moment of it.

I believe that this passion for education is infections and some would rub off on the students, parents, school administration and even the community that the teacher is in contact with. This would serve to align all the various stakeholders to stated mission of education.

In conclusion, it is only with great passion for teaching can one rise up to the challenge of becoming that miracle worker and achieving all the stated mission of the Singaporean education service. If one does not have the passion, then not only would one be unable to achieve the stated mission, one might find one’s lifespan significantly shortened by the rigors and demands of the profession.