Today is a special day. Every year we celebrate the 24^th of November to remember our teachers and pay respect to them. On one hand, we remember our own teachers and on the other, we consider the day as a chance to show our gratitude, love and respect to the teachers of our children, if we have any. Or if we are teachers, we hear from our past students and also enjoy the chirping of those we still teach: “Happy Teacher’s Day!” That’s all good. But sadly, teaching as a profession is still very far away from the point that it deserves to be. We have not yet been able to provide our teachers, the architects of today and tomorrow, with an environment where they will have no other concern than to teach and educate. However, none of these facts can damage the importance of this profession. So, what is the definition of “the best teacher” to me and what is the first and foremost reason for attaching such great importance to teaching?

In my opinion, the best teacher is the one who is always open to innovations, who sticks to this habit even in age of maturity and never closes the doors for what’s new. Access to information is very easy for today’s children, I realize this best when I listen and talk to my kids. Therefore, I do not and cannot ever be contented with what I teach them myself.

The best example so far for our teachers is, of course, Atatürk – the leader who established the foundations of this opportunity for them. But in fact, we have not seen the best examples yet. The best example will be the next generation. Why? Because the new generation is a modern one, seeing innovation neither as a risk nor a reason for fear. That will be our greatest luck. We always talk about the great potential of Turkey. Unless we have teachers to turn this potential into value for the individuals and the society, that potential will remain unproductive. Thus, innovative teachers who teach and encourage students to think with an innovative perspective will be the greatest fortune for us. One day, when we actively participate in space studies as a country, we should remember that our teachers, to whom our parents first entrusted us as young children, have played a great role in this success.

Happy Teacher’s Day.

The school year has just ended and many students of all levels should have a short (!) time to breathe. However, are students really doing this?

A vast majority of students are already rolled up in prep schools, camps and education centers, in order to prepare themselves for the next semester. Parents are more stressed (mentally and financially) than the students themselves. Why? To give parents credit, their instinctual behavior and attention is ” not to make any mistakes” when it comes to the future of their children. For this reason they are acting upon the advice of the teachers and are using all efforts to improve their child’s academic records in the areas where their weaknesses are.   As a parent myself of three, my wife and I often question ourselves on the topic of how to find the right balance between focusing on the weak areas and nurturing the strength of our children.

Interestingly (empirically) the main dominator of a child’s success in life will be her natural talent, strengths, way of thinking and her uniqueness.  They will succeed life because of these specific talents they have. The best sales person is not one who has the highest GPA or one who comes from a top school, but more the person who has the unique talent, the individual personality to deal with customers. We look at people who solve problems differently, who are creative in addressing issues from different perspectives and angles. When we at Siemens focus on new talents for our company we do not only look at the academic grades. We look and assess the individuals unique capabilities, thinking patterns, and values  and how they solve problems differently. It is of question whether  our education system is teaching and grooming upon these aspects? Unfortunately the present system of education is still lacking in making us subservient, mechanical and deeply thoughtless. It may awaken them intellectually but inwardly it leaves them incomplete.

In our education system ( not only in Turkey) we place too much emphasis  on the explicit conventional knowledge training. Another knowledge exists however which we call Tacit knowledge. The term “tacit knowing” or “tacit knowledge” was first introduced into philosophy by Michael Polanyi in 1958 in his magnum opus Personal Knowledge. Here we talk about a specific knowledge and thinking pattern which is difficult to convey to another person in writing or simple verbalizing. Our children know more than they can tell but they may not be able to articulate it in the conventional academic way and as a result of  time pressure.

Teachers and parents are often not aware of the knowledge their children possess or how it can be valuable, if nurtured wisely to the future children or our society. In light of this our teachers and our school system needs to adopt a revolutionary change.
The ultimate aim of education and educators should be grooming the future citizens of our nation by focusing on those with diverse thinking capabilities which should be construed as a gift and not as a failure.