Grooming Talk For School Teachers: Teck Whye Primary School
It may come as a surprise to many but not to me. What many tips can one share in a one hour session and how useful can that be? And how much can one really absorb?
Stop the thinking and do the learning.
If one chooses to adopt this mantra, the one hour lesson is more than sufficient in learning useful tips which you can apply immediately and share with your family members, friends and colleagues (should you choose to).
If you are still a little surprised, don’t be. Just ask the teachers of Teck Whye Primary School. Held as part of the end of year staff welfare activity, today’s one hour grooming talk contained the essence of my sharings over the last four years.
While I was still a student, I used to look up to my teachers as role models – from the way they spoke, to the way they dressed themselves to the way they carried themselves.
In the same manner today, besides students being more inquisitive nowadays, they still imitate their teachers and look up to them. That’s probably the chief reason why it is important to help teachers get more polished. If teachers come to class dressing sloppy or shabby, the students will think it is okay to be that way.
As it was the long semester break, it was also the perfect time for them to let their hair down and have fun while learning a new topic.
Not someone to shy away from what has been mistakenly construed a woman’s topic, the two male teachers in the class sat in the grooming talk gallantly and enjoyed themselves.
I was told by a few teachers during their group discussion time that they were initially hesitant to sit in for my talk. They were afraid they could not cope and the instructor would be fierce. But once they changed their mind after seeing a bright smile, calming voice and positive body posture welcome them into the room. For that instant, it appeared the teachers themselves took me to be their role model.
Starting on that positive note, it was a power packed grooming talk filled with huge doses of useful information. Sharing generously and getting the teachers involved in becoming volunteers – whether it was for the colour analysis segment or the clothes styles segment was a breeze. Once they saw how easy it was to be analysed in less than a minute, everyone was thrilled!
People lament that they do not have any gifts in life. This is not true. They only need to search within to find that special gift bestowed by the Universe. The gift that the teachers in the grooming class brought with them was the willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. Today, I too reaffirmed what my gift was. After the chorus of thank yous and more thank yous from the teachers, the ultimate manifestation of it all came when some stayed behind to shake my hand and say it was a blessing I came into their lives. I am truly blessed.
P.S. I got a pleasant surprise when I opened my email and received an email from the teacher-in-charge. She actually asked her colleagues for feedback from the grooming talk, typed them out & emailed them to me. A very thoughtful gesture indeed 🙂