Good Teachers Teach You Lessons For Life

"And it's okay to break down, pause and even ask for help. But I always remind myself of the road ahead, come back on track, dust myself, and keep working towards my future"

A friend once asked me,"What do you think makes a good teacher?"

Pondering over this, there were of course many thoughts that came to my mind. I remembered the smiles of encouragement and pats on the back. I was just about to write them all down when I heard that little voice inside my head asking me, did all this positive feedback actually help me with life?

I believe teachers play an important role not just during junior school but also during higher studies and academic learning.

When I was young, teachers guided me, showed me my mistakes, and helped me in improving my grades. But as I got older and started university this changed completely and for what’s better or for worse, it has made me who I am today and what I am capable of.

Studying “Design” may sound simple and easy for some, but it comes with its own set of challenges since it is a very subjective field and most times our pass grades were based on critical evaluation and continuous assessment.

I am going to be honest when I say that I learned far less from the ones I favoured. And today most of my learnings I carry in my life are from the teachers who were as tough as can be.

I believe the right teacher reads the student and understands what the student is capable of. By doing so the teacher is able to make the student push herself to try harder, to keep improving and improvising, and try to complete each module with a decent grade.

And during the course of such practices, there were times I wanted to give up but, at the same time, it also gave me the determination to strike harder and come back stronger. After all, life is all about “Survival of the Fittest”, right? Thus ensuring I passed with colours and was also one of the best performers among the top 5 state university Awards — 2019

Whether it is a positive or a negative approach, either way, I believe these are some of the key lessons that have helped me in my life today.

Belief and Mindset.

There were very few key personalities who made me believe that if I can put my mind to something I can definitely achieve it. Entering a state university was just a dream until I started to make it my vision and hence got my entrance to the University of Moratuwa in the year 2016.

Critical Feedback

Like many, I too have hated criticism in all forms. But the bitter truth is that is helps you become a better version than you are.

I have known some of the most critical professors, who would rather see me fail each module so I would have to work twice as hard. When my colleagues were in the final stages and nearing submissions and deadlines I had to lift the workload from both the initial stages as well as the final stage.

In those times I felt it was too much and even unfair. But I still fought through, even though it meant breaking countless nights and putting in additional hours. And today when I think back to that moment I can easily build my confidence and determination because I know what I was capable of during that time, and I take it as a proud accomplishment.

Problem Solving

The continuous push to do more; a few more hundred words to the final report, one more design exploration, or another mockup since the first one was a flop. This continuous encouragement for me to do better has strengthened my research, strategising techniques, and problem-solving skills I needed not only for academics but also in other phases of my life.

Never Give Up

Lastly, one strong lesson I have learned from having such a diverse group of teachers and professors around me is that life is not always a bed of roses. There are times you just want to give up on goals and dreams because life gets overwhelming. And it's okay to break down, pause and even ask for help. But I always remind myself of the road ahead, come back on track, dust myself, and keep working towards my future.

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