So what exactly does it mean to be a Teacher?
When I was still studying at the secondary level and about to enter college, a lot of people asked me if I was sure about my decision to take education as my course. Here in the Philippines, teachers do not get a high salary despite doing a lot of paperwork and a very stressful job. Maybe this is the reason why they asked me about my chosen profession and even I asked myself too, but I love to help. Being a teacher is not just about teaching lessons from the book and completing what must be supposed to be accomplished in the objectives of the lesson plan. The word "teacher" is very broad and everyone should be aware of that. Like what I said, the teacher's job is not just to teach but to mold, to mold young ones for them to be ready for their future and to help others or even to help the whole world too. Young children are considered as the hope of the future. They are expected to be molded and ready enough to help the world and its crisis and to do that, not just the parents but also the teachers must help them. That's how big the responsibility of a teacher is, therefore, being a teacher is not easy. We need to be a total package for our students.
Table of Contents
What is a Teacher's Responsibility?
A teacher is also the second parent of the students
A teacher is also a guidance counselor
A teacher is a role model for their students
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This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Aira P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
What is a Teacher's Responsibility?
A teacher is expected to teach the students about the things that they need to learn. Mostly, these lessons are written in a book or module. If you are a teacher, you must know everything because if not, a lot of people will criticize you. But it must not be like that, teachers are human beings too and we also have limitations. We do not have the internet's information to answer every question correctly. Teachers are not robots, even Google can't answer all of the questions but we, teachers, are trying our best to give you reliable information because that is part of our job.
Also Read: How long are TEFL contracts?
A teacher is also the second parent of the students
Like the real parents of a child, once the students are already inside the school or classroom, the teachers must protect them. Protect them from harm and protect them from wrong information because of course they must only get the correct one from a school. It's hard to be a parent of more than forty students (the regular number of students in a classroom here in the Philippines) but you have to. But what's good with being a parent of these children is that you also have a lot of love and respect from them and whenever you see them learning and getting ready for their future is the best thing in the world.
Also Read: Your 5 Step-Guide to a Successful TEFL Course Completion
A teacher is also a guidance counselor
We give the students advice and help them with their problems in school. If the students are troubled, teachers also help them. Those are the job of the guidance counselor but most of the time; teachers solve their students' problems first. If they can't handle the problem anymore, that's when we ask for the help of guidance.
Also Read: How Students Benefit From an ESA Structured Lesson
A teacher is a role model for their students
Some students believe and trust their teachers more than their parents. It is because they are taught that teachers are always saying the truth and that is what they see in their school. That is why teachers should be a good role model for the students. There are times that they are copying their teachers because they believe that what their teachers are saying or doing is correct. So, even if the teacher lied or did things wrong, they still believe them and what's worse is they will copy them. Nobody's perfect but in the eyes of the students, teachers are perfect and someone who they need to copy or to be an inspiration.
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today!
Being a teacher is not easy because to be a good teacher, you need to be a good parent, an effective guidance counselor, and an inspirational role model for the students. It doesn't end here; a long list is waiting for you to be called a good and effective teacher.
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