What exactly does a teacher do?
I’m one of those bloggers who loves to check his stats. I look at them all the time. I like to see where people who view my site are from, what pages they look at, and what brings them to my blog in the first place. It never ceases to amaze me however, that people from all over the world are drawn to my site on a routine basis due to the same keyword search: “What makes a good teacher?”
Now I actually find that funny, as I only ever did one post on the subject, and with the exception of the four initial comments, no one has ever decided to add their voice to the discussion. But I get many hits each week with people looking for the answer. Sorry folks, there is no right answer. Everybody learns differently, and so a good teacher is different for each student. That’s not to say that there aren’t some commonalities that can be found in most good teachers, but we have to remember that “it takes different strokes to move the world”.
Knowing that it takes many different types of teachers to reach the many different types of students, I have to ask – what exactly is it that teachers do? Why are we here? I mean most jobs must be done in a specific way, and requires a specific skill set to complete. All hockey players must skate. All carpenters must be able to hit a nail with a hammer (yes I know of air nailers… but I dare you to find me one professional carpenter who has never used a hammer). All lawyers must be able to argue and debate. But what is it that all teachers must be able to do? I think we need to know that before we can truly decide what makes a good teacher.
Well, I guess it’s my soapbox, so I might as well stand on it first, eh? They say “those who can’t, teach” (and if I ever find out who “they” are I’ll stick them in my class of 30 hormonal grade six students and see if they can make them understand to concept of Communism in China and contrast that with Democracy in Canada… I know, I’m evil). But if a teacher can’t do what it is they’re teaching, how will they know if they taught it right? How will they be able to model the concepts (and if you ever figure out how to model Communism – please let me in on the secret). So first of a teacher must have the knowledge, and have at least some minimal skill, in the subject area they teach. For those of us in elementary or teaching multiple subjects in higher grades that means we have to be a jack of all trades (or at least a few).
I truly believe that above all else our job is to create the best people/citizens we can for our respective countries. Knowledge is ever changing, but work ethics, interpersonal skills, and general good citizenship is the core of what we build. Our curriculum is just the vehicle we’re given to transfer these concepts with. I mean honestly – what good does it do a 12 year old to know that ancient Greek men had a private room called an Andron? Nothing. But by having them learn trivia like that we’re teaching focus to detail, building mental capacity, helping them learn to follow directions – everything they’ll need to hold down jobs, raise families, and work together to build and improve our communities.
That reminds me of a poem I heard while doing my student teaching round. It talked about all the different jobs a person can have: doctors, farmers, police, construction workers – all the roles needed to build a strong and vibrant community. But then it talks about those who build the builders, and the roles that teachers play. I wish I still had a copy of that poem. I don’t even know the title anymore…
But I think that’s the best description of what we do. Teachers build the builders. I can’t tell you how happy I was when I heard that Lisa’s class decided to call themselves the “Builders of Tomorrow” – ’cause that’s what they are. But with all the different types of builders needed, we need different teachers with different skills. What makes a good teacher depends on what builder that teacher is trying to build.
Oh there’s so much more I want to add… how teachers need to be councilors, roll models, police officers, judges, advocates, subject experts, politicians, confidants, friends, but most of all leaders. All these jobs must be done if we are going to train our young to take our world into the future… all of them and more. So what do you think? What exactly does a teacher do?
Another intriguing post, Mr. G. What does a teacher do? We could spend time debating public perception of what teachers do, and depending on a teacher’s background/experiences/beliefs/attitudes there are many opinions on the ‘state of the classroom’. There are those who believe that the kids learn ‘despite us’ but I hold the opinion that the teacher and her/his actions make the critical difference in the level of achievement her/his students reach. So what does that look like?
A teacher:
- Understands the learning process and creates a classroom environment and daily activities which promote learning
- Understands the curriculum and is able to make meaningful connections to learning activities which deepen understandings of curriculum outcomes, which make connections to multiple curricula in a single activity (moreso for elementary teachers who teach the same group multiple subjects), and which bring in real world contexts to increase the frequency/depth of those ‘teachable moments’
- Understands her/his students – their interests, learning styles, and ability levels. This allows the teacher to help bridge personal connections with each student to a single activity and allow for differentiated instruction efficiently and effectively
- Understands how to motivate students
- Understands that bringing parents on side is important, and that it is the teacher’s responsibility to PROVE to the parent that she/he is there for their child, likes their child, and is dedicated to their child’s success
- Understands the importance of teaching the whole child – that while the skills/understandings of the curriculum are very important, so too is the development of social/collaborative skills, problem solving skills, global ‘awareness’, a love for self, a love for others, and a love for learning
- Understands how to provide the right balance of all these things for each group and each child while still achieving somewhat of a balanced lifestyle for themselves – that while being dedicated to one’s profession is very important, that the best teacher is one who has put the books aside enough so that their batteries are charged, their mind is fresh (or as fresh as coffee can make it), and their students see a role model of a busy but balanced lifestyle.
By my criteria, it would seem that none of us reach the level of ‘teacher’. Within this definition I’ve set out, however, is the understanding that we’re not perfect, we’re always growing, there’s always something new to learn, and that it’s okay to be on the path and probably never really getting there.