I do not remember the precise moment when I decided to be a teacher. However, I remember helping a Primary Five student from an economically poor background who could not afford a tutor. I was requested to do so by my teacher. Perhaps she saw something in me that I was not aware of.

In junior college, one of my friends said to me, "You should be a teacher!" after I had explained a difficult concept in our electronics course to him. All these and other experiences led me to believe that teachers are born rather than made.

In retrospect, two things seem to have driven me along the road towards what I am today: a passion to know things and the joy of sharing my knowledge with others. They have propelled me towards my current role as a university lecturer.

The Passion of a Novice Lecturer

As a freshly minted PhD, even with good teaching experience as a teaching assistant, the excitement I felt as I prepared to teach my first module was almost like a kid with a new toy. I wanted to do it all: conduct amazing lectures, set very tough, thought-provoking tutorials and exam questions, enlighten my students and so on.

Despite my best intentions, whenever I met the new lecturers in those days, we would complain about how students were not motivated, how hard we all worked when we were students and how keen we were about learning. As novice teachers, we failed to understand why students did not share our passion and why they were unable to see the importance of the latest and most exciting bits of knowledge we brought to the class. As I gained more experience, I realised teaching is not about me but about my students. It took me some time to realise this. In fact, I only learnt the term 'student-centered learning' later in my teaching career.

Are Teachers Born or Made?

In the old days, universities hired great researchers and if these institutions were lucky, they would get some good teachers from among them. Today, many universities require their lecturers to undergo some training in education. When I was offered such an opportunity, I went in with my initial mindset that teachers are born, not made. It was my good fortune to meet some great learning facilitators during my training and they helped me to ref lect and realise that teaching is not a genetic trait. What we bring to the classroom is our passion for knowledge and the enthusiasm for sharing that knowledge. A good teacher must have the ability to constantly ref lect and hone the skills required to facilitate learning. It is not your paper qualifications that make you a good teacher, but the attitude and values you carry with you and practise regularly.

Each of us who have chosen this profession should take time to reflect on our teaching goals. One does not need to be an expert in pedagogy or psychology, nor does one need to read all the books and do research in education. We can keep it simple and just focus on the following issues:

• What do I want my students to achieve?
• Are they successfully demonstrating the outcomes? If not, what inhibits their success?
• What can I do to facilitate that success?
• Do I see each of my students as a unique individual with potential to grow?

Reflecting on such quest ions and pursuing appropriate corresponding actions will lead you to more solutions and greater growth as an educator.

From Teacher to Educator

What distinguishes an educator from a teacher? The word 'teach' comes from the Old English word 'tæcan', which means 'to show', 'point out' or 'to give instruction'. When we teach, we instruct, show and expect the learner to repeat or demonstrate the skill or knowledge. The word 'educate' comes from the Latin root word 'educere', which means 'to bring out'. It combines the Latin verb 'ex-', which means 'out' and the word 'ducere', which means 'to lead'. When we educate, we assume the learner has hidden potential that we would like to bring out. An educator is a leader or a facilitator who transforms the learner. So which would you rather be? A teacher or an educator?

If universities are to be temples of transformation, all of us have to be educators. Of course, this does not mean we do away with teaching. Certain skills can only be learnt through training. However, we need to ask ourselves how much of it is teaching and how much of it should be education.

We are all domain experts. Thus, we feel insecure when we have to relinquish our urge to be a teacher in our domain. I have faced this dilemma too. We also face fears of acceptance or branding by our colleagues and the management. However, when I saw myself as a researcher and leader, I realised this attitude and approach I adopted in my research also helped me to be a good educator. It was necessary to be knowledgeable and skilful in my domain in order to become a good researcher. More importantly, to let go of the norms and boundaries of the domain, I had to have a learner's curiosity and passion, the courage and strength of a leader, and the ability to develop insights like a Zen master. Above all, it requires integrity. All these qualities make a good educator.

I also realised somewhere along the road that good teaching is neither about techniques or pedagogical theory, nor is it about student feedback or what others think of you. It is also not about whether you make it to a teachers' honours list or how many papers you published on education. It is, however, all about creating an environment where everyone can do their best. It is about being a learner and keeping an open mind. When all that happens, I realise it also educates and brings out the best in me.

About Winning Awards

Awards are given as recognition of your actions and are not about you per se. An award is not a destination but a marker along one's professional journey. Let me relate an anecdote to reinforce this point. A few years back, while visiting some family friends in India, I saw a mother reprimanding her daughter who was in Primary Six, for not completing preparations for her history test. The daughter complained the subject was boring and tedious, especially the task of memorising all the dates of Vasco da Gama's arrival to India. On hearing her lament, the educator in me took over. I asked her if she was willing to do something that would help in her preparations. Then, we used a big sheet of drawing paper and started creating a storyboard of Vasco da Gama's journey from Europe to Goa around the Cape. We drew cartoons, coloured them and included signposts with dates. The girl was very excited with this exercise. A few weeks later on the 5th of September, which happened to be Teacher's Day in India, I was visiting the area close to where this family lived. This girl saw me on the street and requested that I wait there for awhile. She returned with a rose and a card wishing me a happy Teacher's Day and thanking me for my help. That card was certainly one of the best awards I had ever received.