The Future in Teaching Profession

Teachers are unsung heroes playing a significant role in inspiring children to pursue their passions, overcome their challenges, and heighten their talents. Teachers, no doubt, are one of the most important members of society. Their selfless and compassionate acts bring purposeful children, making marks in the world and succeeding in whatever career paths they choose. Teachers grow as students grow and their joy and fulfillment are in seeing those taught becoming leaders in their chosen field. A profession to behold indeed, however, not without some challenges plaguing teaching and global education. Hence, Aaron Dungca, a great teacher of all time takes an in-depth look at what the future holds for teaching. Keep reading!

Defining and Measuring Great Teaching

What is the quality of education? How can we measure effective “great” teaching? What makes up quality teaching? These and many more are the questions that spark up interest and generated controversial responses. Unlike medicals whose effectiveness can be tested on the basis of life and death. Assessing student learning and teachers’ effectiveness is mostly on grade marks. While some argued that the effect of good teachers can be highlighted from the characteristics of the teacher, previous education excellence, perseverance and skills. All these are very subjective, unstable and don’t recognize the general or specialist expertise of teachers.

However, it is imperative to come up with a solution that will set teachers apart and keep finding clarity on what amounts to great teaching. “The key is to make teaching more effective with specialised and general skills instead of adding to the already long to-do lists of teachers. Campaigns are to be done to boost the quality of teachers’ development schools and colleges can also enlist the help of communities and businesses to help students grow and learn in non-traditional ways,” Aaron Dungca says.  Teachers should be prepared to be their own driving force for change as well as ready to attain professional excellence instead of waiting to be trained.

Attracting Young Talents

Teachers are once highly respected and they are people being looked up to as role models in society. What changes and why are young talents finding this profession unattractive? Today, teaching is more often defined as a hardcore job, an unappreciated profession with a lot of roles and duties to take up. Many considered it as a last recourse for those who could not dive into other highly competitive career fields. Little wonder many are walking off the profession as a result of low salaries, inconducive working conditions, and increase tension and stress( aside from other personal reasons).

When teachers are asked to take more managerial roles, stress becomes inevitable. And where the salaries are not attractive, there is bound to be increased resignation. “Holistic national policies should be developed wherein the career path is mapped out. Good working conditions should be provided. While rewards and remunerations should the centre of it all to motivate and retain teachers. Teachers must also be engaged in defining the essence and substance of their work,” Aaron Dungca argues.  Not to forget that the workload of the teacher also needs to be reduced to lessen tension and help them cope with the job demand.

The Way Forward

This shows that there is a need to make significant changes not only to professional development but also to the system of operation. This will help nurture and retain talent while bringing the best out of the pupils.

If reform is carried out, professional development must include both prospective and practising teachers who are engaged in active learning that develops their knowledge, ability, understanding and aimed at achieving teaching mastery.

New models of career progression need to emerge where the leadership roles and administrative functions are put into one. While the senior teaching practitioners and specialist teachers are trained respectively. This will bring about leadership competencies that ensure superior performance.