TEACHERS AS MENTORS Ekpeme Temiagin Project Coordinator, Sapele Center For Development, Sapele, Delta state

Who is a teacher? One can simply say a teacher is one who teaches. In view of this simplistic definition I just gave, it suffices to say that “we are all teachers”. Whether we agree or not, every single one of us is a teacher in some capacity as we teach ourselves and teach others daily. As a matter of fact, throughout the course of our lives, we never stop learning or teaching.

‘What makes one a teacher? The teacher of today is a highly complicated individual, personally and professionally, a fact which makes any simple definition a bit difficult, but of course to be a teacher requires specialised training (credentials), knowledge, critical thinking and all other facilities of intelligence with the ability to transfer knowledge to others Teachers are one of the more influential people in the lives of our children and should be enthusiastic about their topic/subject and takes delight in sharing what they have learnt.

Who is a Mentor? To put it simply, a mentor is a great teacher.

What is Mentorship? Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced person. It is a learning and development partnership between someone with vast experience and someone who wants to learn.

Character of A Mentor/Great Teacher Compassionate A mentor is a compassionate person. Teaching is a very humanistic profession, and compassion is key. A mentor models that characteristic to the students his/her actions and as a result, students will be more open to understanding the world around them. Empathetic Empathy is simply being able to put yourself in someone's shoe and see things from a different perspective. This helps in understanding the true position of a person. One becomes less judgmental but more ‘accommodating’ Positive Mentors are positive. Being a positive person is not an easy task. Being a positive teacher is even harder when we are always met with problems with very limited solutions.

Builds Good teachers build broken children. A mentor bridges gap and builds relationship, friendships and a community. Great teachers always look to make things and improve things in and outside of the classroom. Inspires A mentor inspires. People look at a mentor and they want to be like him/her. Thus, a student wants to be a better student, even better, they want to be a better person. A great teacher transforms from average to better. He/she uncovers hidden treasures, possibilities and does magic right before everyone's eyes with his/her wards. Develops good teacher keeps developing themselves. They raise the bar for themselves and encourages their wards. As a matter of fact, the goal is that a mentor’s ward gets bigger or surpasses any height that he/she had attained.

Why should teachers be mentors? They should be because the children, though having parents or guardians, are of the Community and we are all part of the community. A community is a system. Individually, we will think we when we ‘drop the ball’ at our end, when we don't put that extra effort it required to get results, it really doesn't matter, but it does. for when we produce children who are sound, its half the walk to greatness. when we produce more of such children, we increase the community’s propensity for greatness; for development, for positive change and when those change comes, it will definitely affect us. When we don’t, we suffer the consequences as well as the community.

Egoism and Altruism Egoism is the theory that says one’s self interest is or should always be the motivation and the goal of one’s own action, while Altruism on the other hand promotes selflessness, that is, other people’s interest as the motivation of all our action.

Ethical Egoism Ethical Egoism, like Egoism, argues that one ought to do what is in their own self-interest but that sometimes, you need to act or promote other people’s interest in order to promote your own interest.

The Story about the Mouse A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open package. ‘What food might this contain?’ The Mouse wondered. He was so devastated to discover it was a mouse-trap. The Mouse ran into the farmyard warning, ‘There is a mouse-trap in the house! There is a mouse trap in the house’. The chicken replied, ‘Mr Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.’ The mouse turned to the Pig, ‘There is a mouse-trap in the house!’. The pig sympathised, but said, ‘I am so very sorry, Mr Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray for you. Be assured, you are in my prayers.’ The Mouse now turned to the cow, ‘There is a mouse trap in the house!’ The cow replied, ‘Wow, Mr Mouse, I am sorry for you, but it is no skin off my nose.’ And so the Mouse returned to the house dejected

That very night, a sound was heard throughout the house- like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey and the farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she didn't see it was venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught and the snake bit the poor woman. The farmer’s wife was rushed to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the framer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup main ingredient- the chicken. But the wife’s sickness continued and so friend s and neighbours came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. Unfortunately, the wife died. So many people came for the funeral and the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. Meanwhile, the mouse looked upon all these from his crack in the wall with sadness.

Moral WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more, However, I begged at evening When I counted my scanty store For Life is just an employer He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid Jessie B. Rittenhouse

‘For it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men’ Fredrick Douglass