Ink point
The spirit of education
There is also a "spirit of law" to see things from a broader perspective than legal texts. I find that the educational system also has a "spirit of education", especially since education is a moral message with a tangible psychological impact.
There is a saying I like very much that explains the difference between a good teacher and an influential teacher. A good teacher is one who can understand and explain his scientific material in a clear and simple way, while an influential teacher is the one who sends hope and optimism among students.
Therefore, I may be surprised by some teachers who use the method of comparison between their generation and that of their students, and how their generation was better by far than the current generation.
From here, I see the need to nourish the principle of "the spirit of education", which carries the true message of education, which is appreciation and a positive outlook for the future through our students.
Through my academic experience, whether in basic or university studies, I see that the main reason for many students is their love for the chosen scientific subject is due to the teacher who gave the material to them and liked them in it.
As the Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, says, the human being is more of an emotional being than a mental being, because he sees education as a human and moral message in the first and last place.
But the real challenge in our time is how we can make sure of the human nature in our scientific curricula with the tremendous development in information and communication technology at the time of the fourth industrial revolution that recently flourished greatly during the "Covid-19" pandemic.
And to be an influential teacher and bear the basics of the spirit of education is not an easy task, but rather requires a lot of sacrifices and facing various challenges, so the teacher is a very influential person in the first place, and let us separate fame from influence, because not every famous is influential and not every influential is famous.
I remember that one of my professors during the postgraduate stage was always devoted to the end of explaining his scientific subject, which is characterized by engineering and mathematics, with a human topic, and how we can apply what we have learned to serve humanity, and this is what makes us feel that we are part of a message greater than the scientific content itself.
The rapid development of our educational system has many positive and tangible effects, and there are many advanced scientific courses that are taught in an elaborate technical way, such as artificial intelligence, circular economy and bioenergy.
However, my only fear here is the absence of the "spirit of education" component, which simply answers the significance of the educational message. It is basically an unending journey and not a specific destination.
A true teacher is not, in the final outcome, restricted to building a person familiar with the latest science and technology. Rather, his mission is to build an influential person with a message that contributes to reviving and reconstructing the earth from one generation to the next.
Doctor at New York University Abu Dhabi
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