Nation needs dedicated teachers<\/p>\n
By Bantarto Bandoro<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An article titled Why do people choose teaching?
\nby Otong Setiawan Djuhari (The Jakarta Post Nov. 25, 1999) was a
\nreflection on why people need to go out to classrooms and share
\ntheir knowledge and thoughts with students.<\/p>\n
It is more than just a factor of enjoying being with young
\npeople. In fact, there are also adult students, and the enjoyment
\nof watching them grow into figures of authority who attain
\nrespect.<\/p>\n
It is about the relationship between people, hopes and dreams,
\nand about the future that they (the students and the teachers)
\ncan envision through classroom interactions.<\/p>\n
But when they are asked why they enter the teaching
\nprofession, the answers are always mixed. Perhaps, for one the
\nanswers are not that important. Once individuals have decided to
\nbecome a teacher, the requirements to prepare, enter, and remain
\nin the profession are determined not by the school administrator
\nor principal -- who are not required to know anything about what
\nthey do -- but by themselves.<\/p>\n
The decision to become a teacher is a decision to face a
\nmyriad of challenges. While many teachers find the profession
\nchallenging and rewarding enough to make up for low salaries and
\nfrustration, many leave the classroom for better pay, and perhaps
\nbetter working conditions.<\/p>\n
Some teachers will say that classroom teaching conditions are
\na lot like conditions faced by blue collar workers. Teachers
\nrarely have their own offices and lack the services that other
\nprofessionals have access to, such as a secretary, telephones,
\ntypewriters or fax machines. The teacher's work day is highly
\nstructured, with little time for intellectual interaction with
\ncolleagues. What they discover after their classes is not only
\nexhaustion, but also another tight teaching schedule ahead.<\/p>\n
Whatever one's motives are for entering the teaching
\nprofession, one will feel that one is part of the system which
\nwill shape education. What teachers know and are able to do is of
\ncritical importance to the nation, as is the task of preparing
\nand supporting the life-long career development of teachers'
\nknowledge and skills.<\/p>\n
In one's mind, teaching is the essential profession, the one
\nthat makes all other professions possible. Teachers help lay the
\nfoundation for good citizenship and full participation in the
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
It is therefore important that there should be a high standard
\nof teacher training institutes so that we will have better
\neducated and more knowledgeable teachers.<\/p>\n
Students have every right to be taught by qualified, skillful
\nand competent teachers. Therefore, the government and the
\nteacher's association should also work collaboratively on various
\nfronts to improve the quality of the nation's teaching force. It
\nis everyone's hope that they eventually will pace teaching on a
\nsimilar footing with other professions, such as law, medicine or
\narchitecture.<\/p>\n
Entering the classroom is not only confined to the teaching
\nbusiness, to providing better education for the students or for
\nseeking the enjoyment of young people. It is about a realization
\nof one's vision on how teachers should help shape not only the
\nfuture of the students by learning their strengths and weaknesses
\nand opportunities, but also the future of the nation.<\/p>\n
For teachers, be they in developed or developing countries,
\nand whether they are teaching poor or wealthy communities,
\neducation is the key to a prosperous society and a means to
\nmaximize the contribution of all citizens.<\/p>\n
To achieve this, we must set high standards for all students
\nand seek to develop their potential through high expectations,
\norganized efforts, a caring attitude, commitment and the
\navailability of talented teachers.<\/p>\n
It is hoped that through collaborative and tireless efforts by
\nteachers, schools and parents will yield students with solid
\nbasic skills, critical thinking abilities, total dedication and a
\ncommitment to improve the quality of the society and increase
\nawareness on the importance of learning.<\/p>\n
That is to say that as part of the teaching force, teachers
\ncan take a leadership role in navigating the rapidly changing
\nsocietal and economic conditions, and transform such changes into
\nones that will stimulate individuals to new learning heights.<\/p>\n
One may debate whether teaching is an occupation or a
\nprofession. Teaching as an occupation is a situation when
\nteachers have only limited freedom behind the closed doors of
\ntheir classrooms. Important decisions are made not by teachers,
\nbut by administrators and policy makers of the school.<\/p>\n
They are the ones who determine the content of the curriculum
\nand how it should be taught; they select textbooks and materials
\nand decide what test materials would be administered.<\/p>\n
Teachers function as some sort of dispenser of facts. This
\ntraditional method, however, has been abandoned as the need for
\nindependent teaching and mastery in teaching methods, techniques
\nand knowledge have become more demanding for teachers.<\/p>\n
However, even if one adhered to such traditional methods, it
\nwould not hinder teachers from becoming more innovative and
\ncreative because teachers now have more access to sources of
\nknowledge.<\/p>\n
One however should not be trapped in an endless debate on
\nwhether teaching is an occupation or a profession. Once one
\nenters the world of teaching, one is committed to several
\nthings. First, to make learning activities lively for the
\nstudents and to win over the hearts of the students.<\/p>\n
Teachers cannot just tell them how important the school is for
\ntheir future, but must go beyond such matters. Teachers should
\ntry to convince the students and sell their ideas and knowledge
\nin the classroom with enthusiasm; they should endeavor to make
\nthe subject they are teaching relevant for the students' future.<\/p>\n
Second, teachers must make schools a safe haven for learning,
\nwhich helps students to achieve high standards and acquire
\nproblem-solving skills. In addition they should instill in their
\nstudents the core values of responsibility, hard work and respect
\n-- all of which are necessary to lead productive and fulfilling
\nlives.<\/p>\n
Third, teachers much build a body of professional knowledge
\nand disseminate it through the professional community and
\nencourage collegiality, continuous improvement and collaborations
\namong educators.<\/p>\n
Fourth, to make students learning partners and to ask for
\nfeedback, because once teachers are in the classroom, they are
\nalready forming a team. Fifth, to ensure that there is a
\ntalented, dedicated and well-prepared teacher in every classroom.<\/p>\n
And sixth, while the attention of policy makers to the
\nteaching profession is welcome and needed, if teaching is to be a
\ntrue profession, teachers must also play a central role to turn
\nit into reality by maintaining basic requirements of
\nprofessionals, namely respect, responsibility and autonomy.<\/p>\n
It is true that it takes years to learn how to teach well and
\nteaching is not like driving a car or adding a column of figures
\n(Djuhari, the Post, Nov. 25, 1999).<\/p>\n
Mastery of teaching techniques and knowledge should not make
\nteachers satisfied. Continuous efforts must be taken to improve
\nthe teaching quality, knowledge and style. We must be aware that
\nschools will not produce better educated students without highly
\nskilled and knowledgeable teachers who are treated as
\nprofessionals.<\/p>\n
Efforts to ensure professionalism and quality throughout the
\nteaching profession is too dynamic and is happening in too many
\nplaces to allow a comprehensive evaluation. Efforts will
\ndefinitely change from time to time, but what will definitely not
\nchange is the need for excellent and dedicated teachers.<\/p>\n
The writer is a staff member at the Center of Strategic and
\nInternational Studies, Jakarta, and is a lecturer in the
\nPostgraduate Studies Program at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nation-needs-dedicated-teachers-1447893297",
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