Children are our most important natural resource, and educating them is society’s most important responsibility. Education is a lifelong process with no true beginning or end, and it includes experience, environment, socialization, and communication. Education feeds natural curiosity and enhances creativity. John Dewey believed that “all genuine education comes through experience.” The extent of education we receive is the sum of experience to which we are exposed. An educated person knows that he/she doesn’t know everything, that we in fact know very little, and there are always more questions to be answered. An effective teacher knows the value of questions and exploration. The question is as relevant as the answer; Getting to the answer is the journey. This is how learning begins - with a question.
Children generally enter the classroom ready to learn especially in the primary grades. A teacher is educated in methodology and technique to pass on knowledge, but that is not enough. There is more to teaching than simply passing on knowledge and presenting it as it was taught. The concern must be with teaching the “whole” child.
An effective teacher teaches from the inside out. A teacher is a model for learning. and sets the example of what is expected from students. There is a need to communicate at their level of understanding and be consistent in behavior and tolerance. A teacher’s strong moral behavior and belief system is reflected in consistency and confidence in classroom management. In their own personal behavior, a teacher is held to a higher standard than that acceptable in others outside the academic world. A teacher living true to him/herself through strong convictions and standing by a moral code is the key to teaching inside out. Who one is inside comes out through the approach taken in teaching children. A teacher has to recognize the power and influence he/she has over children and use this to touch these young lives in order to lead them to success. If a teacher views the children as tools to their own livelihood, depends on their performance as a measure to their own success, that teacher is abusing that power and influence. The students aren’t there for the teacher to have a job. The teacher has answered a call to be entrusted to the best interest and well being of the children.
It is the responsibility of the teacher to create a learning environment rich in activities that stimulate the desire within the student to take the learning a step further. The teacher can enhance curiosity through enthusiasm of the topic. Flexibility in the curriculum is necessary A teacher has to be comfortable and confident to make changes instead of fearing failure and sticking with the ineffective method to the end.
Showing respect and caring for students will result in positive feedback from them. A child who feels cared for and respected returns that regard. It is essential for teachers to encourage parents to be involved in the education of their children and to invite them to the classroom often. The teacher should welcome phone calls and visits for conferences when the parent feels the need to convey concerns. The teacher should do the same and be quick to call the parent if change in behavior occurs. A teacher’s involvement in the community is another way to show interest and caring about the surroundings in which the students live. Involvement in a community builds trust. Activities that promote socialization improve communication and cooperative skills and encourage students to teach and help each other. It also encourages them to listen to and accept the ideas of others. They can explore diversity and grow in the appreciation of differences and similarities of themselves and others. This teaches lifelong social skills that are necessary in all phases of life.
In conclusion, teachers are not perfect people, nor should they bear that expectation. Teachers genuinely care for others and are enthusiastic about promoting learning, creativity and bringing out the best in their students. Teachers continue their own learning process through keeping their own minds open to experience, observation, and having the willingness to explore new information and ideas. The greatest source for a teacher’s learning is, of course, the students.