If not all, rather most of us, have had those free periods when we were in school. Often considered as fun time and a good reason to skip lessons and homework, most of us never thought that this might have done harm to the students. A thought as such would never occur to us until and unless pointed out and that is what Hugh Guill, a Texas based educator and mentor have done. A pass out from Kenyon College, Hugh Guill has always championed the causes of education and economic empowerment. He began his teaching career as a Middle School Science Teacher at the Denver Public Schools and went on to become a Corps Member Advisor for Teach For America in 2008. His career with YES Prep Public Schools has lasted long in his professional career as a mentor. His dedication and hard work paved the way for him to head the office of a Principal and remaining in office till 2014. Hugh currently works as an Analyst at Select Energy Services.
Education had been his first preference and love and Hugh Guill has always loved speaking about it. Modern parenting is hard and there are many aspects of a child’s education that remains unknown to the parents who are always absent from their children’s life. That they are going to school and coming back home and doing the homework, that is more than enough for most modern parents. They hardly try to find out what their child is actually learning at school. Are they really learning anything meaningful that is going to add value to their future life? Questioning the education system is something that never occurs to them and that is what Hugh Guill asks parents to do. His main concern is to make parents aware of what kind of education is their child getting exposed to and what kind of role the teacher is playing in helping the child grow up as an educated adult.
Teachers are role models for children. They are the mentors who holds a child’s hand and pushes them on a journey of learning, self expression and independence. So, next time when a child comes home and tells that the teacher was absent in class, make sure to take note of it. Hugh Guill sheds light on the effect of absenteeism of the teacher in the class and what effect it has on a child.
A teacher being absent always should not stir waters so much but it does create ripples in the mind of a child. The teacher is responsible for building a warm environment, mentor and nurture the children they are teaching. Regular teacher absenteeism for example Hugh Guill points out has a bad effect on the school system as well as the students.
The frequent absence of a certain teacher from the class interrupts the flow of learning for the students. A substitute often fails to fill up the place and leads to an unproductive day. There are chances of the lessons not getting completed on time and also putting an extra pressure on other faculty members. Hugh Guill also points out that often seen as their role models, students tend to develop a close bonding with the teacher and soon they are someone who they can trust and share things with. This helps in understanding the child’s problems better and helps in addressing them and working towards a solution. It is not unlikely of a child to confide in a friendly teacher rather than speaking to strict parents at home. With teachers being absent always from the class or at a stretch, children often fail to develop that close bonding which often pushes the child to despair and become secluded and introvert.
Hugh Guill who has been a part of the educational field for quite a long time understands the role a teacher plays in the life of students. Their absence from class is something not is dealt with lightly as that might lead to gaps in the child’s bright future.
