The Greatest Love of All

While preparing for tuition the night before, I came across a song that played on radio and was entitled 'The Greatest Love of All' by Whitney Houston.


The Greatest Love of All (Whitney Houston)


The lyrics of the song goes like this:


I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love


The lyrics of this song speak of a potential everyone has to do well in something. I thought that the stanza was especially meaningful to all teachers out there, whether school teachers, educators, tutors or even parents. You are all teachers in one way or other. It is a timely reminder not to let the busyness of teaching them go ahead of our calling to teach the children / pupils well and allow them to soar to heights.


Regardless of the type of child / pupil, be it hardworking, quiet, inquisitive, rebellious or even apathetic, all of them have one need in common, which is to feel loved and be given confidence by their teachers. I can attest to that, after taking on a few batches of pupils.


This song reminds me of the a particular batch of pupils I took back in school, and it was a tough year for both myself and my pupils as I was rather new to the profession and they had a rough patch with their former class teacher. They had been put down by almost everyone in school because they were known as 'notorious'. When I took over the class, fights and quarrels amongst the classmates were an everyday affair. It took close to 4 months of getting to know them, encouraging them, counselling them and having lunches and tea breaks with them before they started to break the ice to share of their hurts and how difficult they found accepting themselves. I realised through knowing of the class that they did not wish to be like that and what they were searching for was for someone to believe in them that they can be better, that they are not what others thought of them as being unruly. I was glad that I did not judge them and instead gave them a sense of pride through believing in them. Their behaviour changed for the better towards the end of the year. Though I wished I had taught them for another year, I was just as glad that their new teacher the following year was also a teacher who believed in each and every one of them, showing them who they are and to accept themselves.


It's never too late to be that someone where your child can look up to, such that as much as they depend on themselves to achieve, they know that they are striving to do the ones they look up to proud. :)


~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~