8. Як стати справжнім професіоналом (How to become a real professional)

Teaching is the most necessary, charitable, and noble profession. But it is a very specific and difficult job as well. Teacher’s work is never done. A good teacher is eternally busy, attending meetings, assisting pupils, grading assignments, and calling parents. So a teacher has to be a good manager of time and use this precious resource wisely.

A teacher has to wear many hats: he is to be a communicator, a disciplinarian, a conveyor of information, an evaluator, a classroom manager, a counsellor, a decision-maker, and a surrogate parent. Not everyone who wants to be a teacher can make a good teacher. A teacher is to be able to sacrifice a lot, to have a passionate heart and concern for the children. Socrates compares the art of teaching to the ancient craft of the midwife. Just as the midwife assists the body to give birth to new life, so the teacher assists the mind to deliver itself of ideas, knowledge, and understanding.

Teaching is one of the most responsible professions because a teacher deals with children, the most precious and vulnerable “material”. Children are big parrots, they like to imitate teachers. Children study their character and soul, and copy everything they like: clothes, gestures, expression and so on. That’s why a teacher should be a sample to follow.

A teacher is a person who is learning as well as teaching all his life. He should know perfectly the subject he teaches, he must be well-educated and well-informed because an ignorant teacher can teach only ignorance. A good teacher doesn’t only teach his subject, but develops in his pupils the burning desire to knowledge, moulds their personalities, forms their attitudes to life and to other people, prepares them for the challenges of life, as well as determines their values in life.

Without a doubt, a teacher is a whole world for his pupils. He is the Master to whom all the secrets are known and mysteries are revealed. He is a comforter, a counselor, and a good friend in need. A good teacher never puts to shame, but encourages his pupils’ success. He expresses praise and appreciation as often as correction. He evaluates his pupils for what they are, not just for what they do. He should never forget that he reaps what he sows.

9. Соціальні та глобальні проблеми сучасного світу (Social and global issues of the modern world)

Nowadays, a half of the human population suffers from poverty. It is the sharpest of all the problems the world is facing these days. Poverty is the deprivation of common necessities of daily living, such as food, clothing, shelter, or safe drinking water. The social aspects of poverty may include lack of access to information, education, health care, or political power.

There are many causes of poverty: economic instability, high price of goods and accommodation, high taxes, overpopulation, discrimination of various kinds, and others. There are also such environmental factors as erosion, deforestation, climate change, droughts, water crisis etc.

People living in poverty experience mental and physical health problems which make it harder for them to improve their situation. Inadequate nutrition in childhood undermines the ability of individuals to develop their full human capabilities. In developing countries, it is estimated that 40% of children aged 4 and under suffer from anemia because of insufficient iron in their diets.

Huge wave of infectious diseases of poverty, such as AIDS and tuberculosis, grab bedstreets of India, Nigeria, Nepal, Somali, and many European countries. By killing millions of people, they threaten the economies, social structures, and political stability of entire societies.

Those living in poverty suffer lower life expectancy. Every year nearly 11 million children living in poverty die before their fifth birthday. Those living in poverty often suffer from hunger or even starvation. 800 million people go to bed hungry every night.

Poverty also increases the risk of homelessness. In Third World countries, you can meet homeless people on every corner. They eat from dirty waste, drink from not clean creeks or even puddles. They sleep in condemned houses, basements, attics, sewers, and at railway stations. There are over 100 million street children worldwide.

Poverty makes lots of people go the wrong way to get some money for living. Statistic shows that level of crime, prostitution, and drug abuse is much higher in those countries and cities where the major issue is homelessness.

Countries suffering widespread poverty may experience loss of population, particularly in high-skilled professions, through emigration, which may further undermine their ability to improve their situation.