For Brovember, Young Post asked our readers to tell us about a man who inspires them. This could be their father, brother, uncle, teacher, or even someone they've never met, like US President Barack Obama or Canto-pop musician Eason Chan. Here is one of the entries we received, in their own words ...
“A teacher plants the seeds of knowledge, sprinkles them with love, and patiently nurtures their growth to produce tomorrow’s dreams” -Unknown
Like the moon needs the sun in order to shine in a dark sky, children need great teachers in order to learn.
To celebrate Brovember, I’ll be writing about the most influential teacher of my life (so far), and the person who I’ve had the privilege to grow up with: my dad.
From a young age my dad actively encouraged me to learn. After countless hours of watching the Powerpuff Girls, I was made to read, the one form of collecting knowledge my dad thought best.
Through his selection, the books got better with every one that I read: the characters becoming more and more vibrant, the stories getting richer and richer. I became fascinated by the artful way one could string words together to conjure up moving pictures in my head. I grew up with Hermione Granger and Holden Caulfield, with Alice and the Cheshire Cat: they seemed real to me. My love for literature grew with his guidance, as did my love for knowledge.
He later suggested that I come up with my own ideas and write stories of my own. Having been inspired by the authors I had read, I enthusiastically took up the idea. Writing was his way of getting me to exercise my imagination, though I didn’t know that yet. I started writing stories frequently, and I showed him every one that I wrote. My dad isn’t one to praise every piece of writing, and he is blunt when he thinks something is badly written. He gave me constructive criticism on how to improve. To this day I still show him the essays I write for his critique.
Other than being a teacher, my dad is also, obviously, a parent. And he is an incredibly supportive one at that; encouraging me to follow my crazy dreams, and, overall, believing in my every ambition. He inspires me to keep educating myself, to keep motivating myself and to keep pushing.
My dad was a great teacher not because he taught me facts and figures; but because he motivated me and encouraged my curiosity and love for learning, because he inspired and empowered me. All great teachers do the same; and no one I know is more Brovember worthy than him.