It depends on whom you ask.

Any sample of students, parents and administrators would give you predictably give a variety of responses. Certainly you would expect teachers themselves to give a more positive response to this potentially loaded question. One underlying implication in the question may be to what extent is the teacher responsible for educational outcomes?

Responses thus far, many presumably by teachers tend to betray the all too common view that much responsibility is felt by the teacher to improve education in the face of factors largely beyond their control. This, in the long term, tends to breed hopelessness and resignation in the profession which perversely, can lead to decreased effort as a teacher.

Indeed, too many teachers tend to peg their self-esteem as a teacher on student performance. Results on exams, submission of homework and assignments and pass rates. Ultimately, these are variables over which the teacher has no direct control. Psychologists, at this point, would pinpoint a key contributor to feelings of helplessness right here.

So how does a teacher measure one's worth? Professionalism is to be internalized. Put simply, the role of a teacher is to create an environment where knowledge or skills currently above the grasp of their students may be simplified, accessed and, in turn synthesized by as many learners as possible so that there is cognitive growth. All other measures fall into place only when this is achieved. The way a teacher plans, prepares and engages students outside the classroom are all done to this end.

The best judges? The jury is out, but peer, student and administrative feedback is certainly more useful than student results. At the end of the day, if the teacher can look themselves in the mirror and say with all honesty that what they did today was focused on being a better practitioner, then that teacher is indeed giving 100%

Learn more about this author, Mick Wilkinson.
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