Rocks, Pebbles, Sand and Water

My teacher walked into the class with some unusual things – big rocks, a tote bag with something bulging through it, some stones, a bottle of water and weirdest of all – a nylon with sand in it. Mr Gana is one very passionate teacher – almost unpredictable. We all stared at him as he made this very unique entrance. Some of us sniggered because he looked quite funny, struggling with all those things. As some stones dropped, we quickly helped to pick them up.

‘Settle down, quickly,’ he advised. Funny as he sometimes is, Mr Gana is not to be trifled with. We all sat quietly. You could hear a pin drop. What an entry behaviour! 

He produced a transparent jar from his tote bag and set it on his table. 

‘This is your life,’ he asserted. That’s a strange thing to say to a couple of teenagers. For once, I felt Mr Gana saw through me to know that I felt as empty as that transparent jar. But Mr Gana is not the type of teacher who insults us, so we listened on. 

‘Is this jar full?’ he asked. We hesitated, not knowing where he was headed with this question with an answer so obvious. ‘Students, come on, it’s not a trick question.’

‘No,’ we then chorused confidently.

He picked the rocks, which he had piled one on top of the other and filled the glass jar with them. 

‘How about now? Is it full?’ he asked.

‘Yes it is,’ ‘Sure,’ were the responses we gave.

He cupped both hands to pack the pieces of stones and poured them into the jar. Then shook the jar. The stones found their way through the spaces between the rocks and all settled into the jar. Not one was left on Mr Gana’s table.

He looked up at us and asked, ‘What do you think? Empty or full?’

By now, we could tell what he was doing. So I said, ‘Just like the stones, I am sure the sands will fall through the spaces between the stones too. Mr Gana smiled. Picked up the sands and poured them into the jar. Just as predicted, they all fit.

That’s when another classmate added, ‘A cup of water should finish the job.’ We all laughed. And Mr Gana demonstrated it. 

After this, he asked one final question. ‘Do you think all these would have fit in if I poured the stones first, or the sand before the rocks?’

The answer was an obvious no. With this, Mr Gana admonished us on the importance of putting first things first. None of us could possibly forget that lesson.

In a similar fashion, teachers need to learn to put first things first. I think too many teachers in this part of the world work harder than they work smart. One of the most frequent complaints teachers make is the lack of time. Lack of time to complete the scheme, lack of time to support each learner, lack of time to complete each day’s work (even though school hours are longer these days than they were when we were younger) and even lack of time for themselves.

Truth is, time will never be enough to fit all the things we want to do all at the same time. The trick is knowing what to put first into the jar of life.

Once upon a time, I used to take students’ books home to mark. One term, I decided to try something different. I cut down on corridor talks and office chitchats and chose to only engage in friendly banters after I had marked all books. Of course some friends were offended, but my productivity at work soared and my time with my family was also preserved.

I cannot determine for you what your big rocks, stones, sand or water should be, you would know that better. But we can guess that whatever may have an instant effect on you and the students would be a big rock. I would categorise things like lesson plans, feedback to students, professional development and rest time as big rocks. 

Appearing in class unprepared can certainly affect students’ learning outcomes or get you fired. Sometimes, I use the holidays to prepare lessons in advance and weekends to put finishing touches. 

Leaving students’ work unmarked will certainly not help them know what to do better. I ensure to give feedback before or during the next lesson. 

Professional development for me is ongoing. You can hardly catch me in any school term that I am not learning something new, especially online and in relation to technology. Why? Apart from the fact that my growth depends on it, there’s also the impact it has on my interaction with students, colleagues and parents. I can confidently say that my achievements today are a result of my insatiable appetite for knowledge and the risks I have taken in practising them.

Finally, rest. Sharpen your saw. A blunt knife will require more effort to cut through meat. A sick, absent teacher may cause the students to fail. I know that teachers sometimes blame the school for their lack of rest. But that’s sometimes a one-sided story, which we cannot exhaust in one article. I would only advise that you take the age-old advice: early to bed, early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Sleep early and leave work for early mornings – that’s if you’re not in a traffic-prone city like Lagos though. 

I honestly don’t know how Lagosians do it. I hail o!

To be continued…

Thank you for reading. Tag any teacher who must see this post or send it to them.

Got questions, need advice or you have a story/experience to share? Pour your thoughts in the comments box. Let’s create a family on this page.