Teach?

On my way home today, saw something really cute, or even normal, yet it has provoked a deep thought in me.
There was a downpour earlier in the afternoon, and therefore puddles dotted the pavements leading out of the school. Then I saw this little kid in Nan Hua Primary uniform letting go of his mother's hands, run to 1 puddle, and carefully yet yearn fully tried to step inside.
He was like "Is it deep? Would I get severely wet if I step into it?", yet there was the element of curiosity and fun. I was bemused when he finally got the courage, and stepped 3 times inside, before running out with a wide grin on his face, facing a worried and rather angry mother.

This incident reminded me of my younger days, where I too, also approached this round thing that only appears after it rains in the same way the boy did. In fact, after that, I was more than eager to jump and splash around in the water, but only to my mother's dismay.

Some mothers will not allow their child to even touch it, I have seen mothers dragging their child away from these puddles and shielding them from it as if it were some monsters that would engulf and eat children. Other mothers however, just let their child loose.

Which kind of teaching would you prefer? The soft? or the hard way?

Now back to school. I thought I have seen all the kinds of teachers possible in high school, experienced teachers, teachers who just joined the school, teachers who can be as old as turtles, others merely graduates.
There are different styles, but sadly, in this teenage world, each style got their pros and cons. However, it seems that the soft approached is usually the favoured one. Use the harsh way, and by principles of first-impression, your students will have a negative impression on you - bitchy teacher... noisy teacher... petty...
However, use the soft way, and also by principles of first-impression, your students will also tend to have a negative impression - slack teacher... boring... cannot teach...

Sometimes I really think, being a teacher is really very hard. Look over the years, teachers used to play the educator role, now they have become mentors, even caregivers. Teachers now even have a portfolio to boot.

I am not sure how it lead all the way to this. I just let my mind think think think, and followed followed followed.