How Gen Z Educators Are Revolutionizing the Classroom.

“Mwalimu wa maths, hapa ni wapi? Ulisema siendi mbali;hapa ni wapi?” (Maths teacher, you said I won’t go far; then where is this?) Being Kenyan by default, we have often found ourselves using this term after an achievement or rather seen people take to social media to celebrate their successes, and the first utterances and captions to accompany their further step in life is “Mwalimu wa maths.”

As long as one’s fabric is Kenyan, and have studied at a Kenyan primary or secondary school with Kenyan teachers; they have at one time had their own experience of being ridiculed by their maths teacher who claimed they wouldn’t go far career wise if they failed the subject. The trauma caused by our “mwalimu wa math”, which I want to believe is a generalization of other teachers of other subjects too; is nothing I would advise you to easily get over since I am unknown to your level of trauma, but has it ever occurred to you that your mwalimu wasn’t there by choice but by lack of option?

Teacher with here Pupils. Photo Courtesy — Online.

Teachers were once highly respected professionals that often served as inspirational role models for young people. Take Miss Honey, Mathilda’s teacher from Roald Dahl’s eponym book, or John Keating, the fictitious English teacher from Dead Poet Society, or even Professor Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series. All these teachers have inspired respect, gratitude, and even love to hordes of readers and viewers.

Coming from a family that is full of teachers, some retired and some still in progress, I have frequently heard them say that they knew they would automatically be teachers since that’s the only option that was available for them in their days. Passion was one thing that they had to bury in deep graves if they wanted a better life and kick away poverty and the teaching profession being so available, most took the path.

Generation Z have totally revolutionized the system of education and brought forth a new era of educators.

This issue got me thinking and after conducting research I realized that the lack of choice and option was not only a situation that my relatives and family faced; but the majority of the old generation that took up the teaching profession. Come to think of it. Might this be the reason our “mwalimu wa math” talked as they talked, or behaved as they did; since it involved them waking up early in the morning, year after year and constantly show up for work, that their hearts were totally absent from?

Everyone knows that teaching is a difficult and occasionally boring occupation. High rates of dropout and untimely retiring of educators in recent years have raised some public concern and led to research into educator burnout as a probable reason beyond educator attrition. Moreover, enthusiasm is one of the other remarkable elements in career involvement. In the same vein, it is believed that educator enthusiasm has a constructive impact on learners’ education, presentation, and inspiration. In recent years, millennials and generation Z have totally revolutionized the system of education and brought forth a new era of educators.

Some have even taken an extra mile and opened up YouTube channels to offer free lessons to students to aid in revision.

The fact that majority of the educators of late, taking the teaching profession are after their passion, has resulted in the birth of educators who have constructive connections with students, guardians, co-workers, and faculty administration. This seems to promote a constructive mindset in the direction of the career, enhance educators’ degree of inspiration and involvement in their work, and also enhanced their tendency to work on themselves in building their expert skills.

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This new era of educators has gone a step further to prove that the mwalimu wa math trauma is slowing diminishing by actively showcasing the love they have for their teaching profession by the assistance of technology. We have seen the likes of Tabby Wothaya, Tr. Cillah, Shee Mugo and so many others take to TikTok to showcase how they relate to their students and go about their professions. Some have even taken an extra mile and opened up YouTube channels to offer free lessons to students to aid in revision.

Photo courtesy: google (Tr. Cillah having light moments with her students)

Netizens have responded to videos and live streams by some teachers on TikTok, wishing that they could go back in time and become children once more to experience better and soft learning showcased by the new age of educators. Establishing positive relationships between educators and learners is the main purpose of educators. Educators becoming passionate and motivated to teach learners and advise them, ultimately results to learning goals being optimally achieved. Also, such relationships will lower the emotional exhaustion of the educator, because when the educator feels passionate and enthusiastic about working, the stress is automatically lowered when one is in such a psychological state.

Establishing positive relationships between educators and learners is the main purpose of educators.

I believe that the younger generation is quite lucky to have educators who are passionate waking up on a daily to impact their lives. Let us not fail to applaud teachers who are making a difference and putting an end to the traumas caused by “Mwalimu wa Math”. A round of applause to the new era of educators. May it be a happy teachers’ day every day.