“All play and no work makes a man dull,” this has been an overused adage in any opening or closing program whenever a sporting event is held.

During a recent attendance in a regional competition for sports, I have once again come across those same words and came to realize the value of it.

Truly, in the world of the academe, people are more successful whenever they engage not only in the scholastic side of the pie but in the co-curricular affairs as well. Numerous activities where teachers can be involved in are freely available which would best suit their area of interest and expertise. If an educator is inclined in the arts or other forms of artistic things, one can serve as mentor in any local or national competition for students (and/or teachers) which would showcase their innate talents for the said aspect. If a teacher excels most in the subject area that he/she teaches, there are available contests which take learning to higher levels by adding fun and excitement out of it.

In the case of the English subject, competitions for Jazz Chants, Theatrical Plays, Extemporaneous Speaking, Comical Skit, News or Essay Writing, Broadcasting and Collaborative Publishing and the likes are easy avenues in order for the students to express their academic excellence to a whole new level. Learning while having fun, as they say.

If a teacher is not only an inborn effective mentor but also gifted with skills for any racket, ball or field games, then he/she can act as a coach to any sporting competition which could make the students hone not only their mental capabilities but also build their interpersonal and intrapersonal, as well as their bodily kinesthetic intelligence.

If the mentor is adept with numbers and numerical expressions, then Mathematical Olympiads and other similar field of contests are their easy avenues to showcase their skills.

Yet, in the process of competition, a coach should always remind the students that though it is already a cliché – winning is not always everything, it is the value of camaraderie and learning while competing.

Nonetheless, many fail to remember the value of this maxim in its truest form. A lot of coaches go the extra mile (by hook or by crook) in order to be declared as the ultimate victors in any competition. This has been a silent practice which we slowly teach our students. We tend to go astray with the ultimate purpose of contesting.

Remember, in any field of contest, every competitor must instill in his/her mind that the event is not a battlefield for bloodshed but a playground to win new friends.

Published and owned by: Ronan C. Relova, Teacher III- MNCHS English Department