The Good Teacher



Shoutout to Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!

____

Shuri's day suddenly became even busier after her advancement into the Foundation Establishment realm. It seemed that the breakthrough, while an occasion to be celebrated, brought with it a mountain load of responsibilities and tasks.

First off, she now had a quota to fulfil by producing the Calculate-Core - the name she came up with for the mana core calculator. While she remained the sole Automage within the Sect, the responsibility to output twenty-five Calculate-Cores every week fell entirely on her. Well, this wasn't a task foisted upon her, it was her idea to sell this device after all.

Besides, after floating the Calculate-Core within the various subsidiaries of the Verum Trading Company they received a lot of positive responses, especially from the Finance Departments. The Calculate-Core was far more intuitive to work with and more versatile compared to the abacus. It became especially useful given how all the subsidiaries followed the newly introduced double-entry bookkeeping system. Validating the accounts was a massive headache, which was now streamlined thanks to the Calculate-Core.

It gave Shuri a sense of satisfaction with each unit sold and with money accumulating in her accounts. The motivation drove her to optimise the programming process and the program itself, reducing the programming lead time to only fifteen minutes.

Yet, the motivation drawn by money is short-lived. Frederick Taylor theorised that money is the only way to motivate employees. Since a company is profit-oriented so should its employees, since an increased output from the employee corresponds to an increased revenue, which in turn can reflect on the employee's earnings. On paper, this theory works. Increasing the wages of construction workers as they move more materials, build more structures, or work extra hours will motivate the worker. The limitation makes itself known when you evaluate the employee's state on the big picture.

Would an employee feel more motivated if they felt a sense of belonging with the company?

This is where a second theory of motivation comes into play, the hierarchy of needs penned by Abraham Maslow. It states, that motivation is a more tiered concept than a function that relates work output with money. At the lowest tiers are a person's physiological and safety needs, the most basic needs for a human being to function. Above that comes the need for esteem and relationships - the psychological needs. At the very top comes self-actualisation, wherein the person is given the ability to achieve their full potential.

Shuri's basic and most psychological needs were being met by the True World Sect. There was food to eat, water to drink, steady shelter, security safety, a horde of people to communicate and interact with, some dubious relations that could be labelled as frenemies, and of course, she was feeling accomplished with every Calculate-Core being sold. However, was she achieving her full potential? For all its benefits, her obligation to produce these cores was taking up a lot of valuable time that could go into research, and advancing her knowledge and cultivation.

Once this realisation dawned upon her, Shuri decided to remedy the problem immediately. Thus, she started up an Automagy Club within the Sect. Shuri didn't want to waste away her life creating Calculate-Cores, if she could instead hire people for the task and delegate the process, then her schedule would open up and allow for some "self-actualisation time".

The Automagy Club happened to be the first of its kind within the Sect. Since Automagy wasn't technically a crucial part of being a mage, it couldn't be included in the standard curriculum, thus making it extracurricular. In the beginning, almost everyone attended the sessions and participated in discussions. But as Shuri started to dispense the more difficult concepts, the crowd started to thin out. Within two weeks of the club's opening, only four members were remaining.

It was disheartening to see people leave in droves like that. But in hindsight, Shuri blamed her poor teaching skills. Apparently, being a genius prodigy wasn't a skill that translated well into the teaching profession. Shuri struggled to explain even the most basic of concepts to her students because it just came naturally to her.

This failure hurt Shuri's ego more than expected. It was because she failed in something she wrongly assumed to be easy. Therefore, Shuri decided to bite the arrow and went to ask for advice from the best teacher she knew, which was the Sect Leader.

"I think it would be beneficial for you to ask Markus," the Sect Leader suggested. "While I can certainly point out your mistakes and offer guidance on improvement, as I have been teaching for a considerable time, these issues are quite straightforward for me. However, I believe you will gain more by learning from someone who is also in the process of acquiring the skill. Simply being taught by me won't foster adaptability."

He raised a finger to make his point. "On the other hand, learning to teach alongside a friend who has already faced challenges and setbacks will provide you with a deeper understanding and empathy for the obstacles that arise along the way. It is through encountering these stumbling blocks and overcoming them together that you truly evolve as a teacher. Markus can offer invaluable insights from his own learning journey, sharing both successes and failures and assisting you in navigating the intricacies of the craft."

With a shrug, he concluded, "Furthermore, learning alongside a peer creates a supportive and collaborative environment. You will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss different approaches, and brainstorm solutions together. Teaching is not a one-size-fits-all endeavour, and by exploring diverse perspectives, you can cultivate your own unique teaching style while adapting to the ever-changing needs of your students."

Shuri didn't dally around and went straight to Markus with the same question.

"It's hard," was the first thing the boy said. "It's even harder because you're either teaching people the same age or older than you are. Even if you are a realm above, age is still a definitive factor when it comes to fostering respect. So the first thing I had to decide was 'What kind of teacher do I want to be?' Do I want to be their friend or do I want to be their mentor?" Markus paused, deep in thought. "It's a delicate balance to strike, Shuri. If you become too friendly, they may not take you seriously, and if you assert too much authority, they may resent you. I've found that the key is to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment where mutual respect can thrive."

He continued, his eyes reflecting his own experiences. "Being a friend to your students can help establish trust and rapport. It allows you to connect with them on a personal level, understand their individual needs, and create a comfortable space for open communication. However, remember that ultimately, you are their guide, responsible for their growth and development. So, it's crucial to set boundaries and maintain a sense of authority when necessary. Which is admittedly hard, because you're playing stupid games with the same people outside of class."

Markus leaned forward, his voice filled with conviction. "Being a mentor means being a source of knowledge and inspiration. You have the opportunity to share your expertise, guide them through challenges, and ignite their passion for learning. Show them that you genuinely care about their progress and well-being, and they will naturally look up to you as a trusted mentor. Here, you have to be firmer and create some more distance between yourself and the students. You don't have to be aloof but try not to get too involved in their personal lives. The downside of this, though, is that you will start feeling isolated outside of class."

"Feeling isolated is fine with me," Shuri dismissed with a shake of her hand. She ignored Markus' concerned expression and continued, "What I struggle with is the actual process of teaching. How do I get them to understand what I want them to understand?!"

"Oh, that's easy!" Markus said with an uproarious laugh. "Find Dora or Kano, or any of the little children from the village, and try to explain it to them. Try to get them to understand 50% of what you're trying to teach."

"It can't be that simple," Shuri denied in disbelief.

"It isn't simple, Shuri. If you're struggling to teach teens, how do you expect to teach children?" Markus retorted.

"Then what's the point of the exercise?" Shuri shot back irritatedly.

"The exercise is to take note of all the questions those kids will ask you. 'Why do you do that?', ''What does that mean?', 'How does that work?', etc. One of my greatest mistakes in teaching was to assume that my students know what I'm, talking about. You should walk into a classroom with the assumption that they know nothing at all - that they're just empty blackboards waiting for you to fill them up with chalk writing."

Shuri nodded in thought and commented, "But won't we end up teaching them the same thing again and again?"

"There is no loss in recapping content - most of the time, the students themselves will point out if they know a topic already. Though you can preface a session by stating that certain knowledge is a prerequisite to understanding what you're talking about if your teaching materials become too burdensome for a session. Also, remember to keep your teaching points for a session well below the duration of the session itself. You need to leave time in for questions, anecdotes, tangents and other such activities that increase interactivity and engagement with the class," Markus pointed out as he started to recollect details from his memory.

"Also! Do not assume that students will remember everything taught to them within a class the next time they come. Try to frequently hold quizzes, recaps and other small tests and assessments to refresh their memories. The human mind isn't a steel trap - though I guess it is in your case," he finished with a chuckle.

"Finally, try and create a lot of audio and visual content to support your lessons. The human mind isn't meant to remember paragraphs upon paragraphs of text. I've noticed that teaching with the help of visual presentations, songs and mnemonic devices helps the students remember and learn better. You remember the quadratic formula, right?"

Shuri nodded and sang, "~Negative B *clap* *clap* plus or minus *clap* *clap* b-squared minus four A, C *clap clap* *clap clap* all over two A~"

Markus smiled appreciatively and exclaimed, "See!"

He then continued recounting his experiences, which Shuri absorbed like a sponge. The explanations were filled with his failures and successes, and Shuri felt like she was actually standing in his shoes and going through them all. It was enlightening, and she couldn't wait to spruce up her lessons with this new knowledge.