In-Service Training & Professional Qualities: Pros and Cons of Effective Teachers

The teaching profession must be associated with the needs of teachers who have possessed with professional qualities. The needs must encompass the following: positive atmosphere in a class wherein the students are very attentive and responsive to the discussion and some other related activities to be done inside the classroom; fair treatment among the students and the teacher himself in day-to-day living and teaching; firmness and understanding from their superiors; recognition for their contributions as far as effective teaching and humane lesson application are concerned; and chance for professional growth.

                

The Advantages: The Teacher’s Role

I agree with this statement that…the development and continuing search for savvy and information, as well as the enhancement of new skills in the scientific processes become the center of focus in the teachers learning activities.

According to Dr. Francisco Zulueta, the teacher should help and motivate students learn how to ask interesting questions. The teacher’s own questioning strategy will serve as a model or a pattern to all the learners. It is indispensable that the teacher allows certain flexibility in the manner that the learners are doing their assigned tasks. The teacher should involve the students in planning their own ways of gathering data to test their hypothesis. Creativity will in effect enhance their own methodologies of managing their own learning activity.  

It is also supported by another explanation that the teacher's deeper sense of purpose includes maintaining an attentive attitude towards conflicts between children. The classroom environment fosters numerous interactions between multiple children on a daily basis, creating the largest social component of a child's life. Shaping a child's social development, therefore, falls on the teacher who takes on the role of mediator and coach. 

As far as the roles of teacher are concerned, Gregorio expounded on the several roles that…since learning is an active process on the part of the learner, it is not possible for the teacher to learn for the student. In a very real sense, the teacher cannot make the student learn, but the former can have a tremendous influence on learning.  
The teacher can help stimulate or motivate the learner by bringing the latter to see the connection between the learning problem and some significant needs or interests of the student. The teacher can help the learner make those reactions which are to be learned, and help the learner obtain the appropriate reaction by guiding his thinking through questions that focus attention on particular aspects of the problem which might otherwise be overlooked. 

Thus, the teacher may have a great influence by helping the learner get satisfaction from the right source of reactions. As the desired behavior is reiterated over and over, adequate practice can be provided and progress made toward a high level of learning.

The Disadvantages: A Question of Faith

One of the high school students shared this open letter to all the teachers, and here is the content entitled "A Question of Faith" of said letter: What makes up a harmonious school? Of course, it is a school that has credible, but strict teachers where the students feel like they’re under a martial law. Likewise, it is a school where both the teachers and students are working together for the betterment of the school. I think I’ll have to pick the latter. I believe that what runs a learning institution is unity. Without this, a school can be threatened with abuses and troubles by the external forces. The reason is that it lacks of interaction between the teacher and students.

So let’s talk about this student-teacher relation. This involves different teachers and teaching ways. I agree that when students and teachers have good communication and interaction, the students have confidence too because they expect help from teachers when they really need it, and won’t hesitate to ask one.

But sad to say, there are other teachers who are forcing their students to be what they are not. I mean they want each student to do a certain task, but the problem is, the student has no capacity to do that thing. Well, it is good to train the student with his weaknesses but forcing him to do the task that is against his own volition will only worsen the situation. The students may feel inferior to being dictated or forced by their teachers. So, “Ma’am or Sir if you’re one of them…please wake up; and perhaps, you’re out of your mind, you know? You too have weaknesses—please give your students a little consideration or break.”

Another type of teacher is where the students are most afraid of…a strict teacher! This type of teacher can make the students shake their knees when the teacher enters the room. The students are “all-eyes” and very attentive to the teacher because if you don’t pay attention, you will be sent out of the room without question, and you will get embarrassed afterward. There’s no other voice in the room, but the teacher only who is discussing “this and that,” as well as explaining her/his subject matter. The teacher does it well, and the discussion is running smoothly. She/he stops and asks the students if they understand the lessons. The students, because of fear of being scolded, nervously answered “yes.” The next day, “test.”

As a result, no one gets a perfect score and several get zero. When asked by the Tribune journalist why do these terrible things happen? The students have just simply replied, “Ma’am/Sir, we are afraid of you.” The teacher has also answered, “But why?” “It's because you’re so strict...Ma’am/Sir, and we can’t even trace a smile on your face. Every time you come to this room, our hearts beat so fast that we can’t understand what you are discussing. Our hands are so cold and are shaking, too.” This would be the most-encountered problem of a strict teacher. No matter how competent or credible you are, if you practice strictness beyond the limitation, the students can’t fully learn what you are trying to explain to them.

On the other hand, there are still teachers who are imposing liberalism and nonchalance on their classes. When they talk, the students also talk, but they don’t mind this, after all, students are just at the tips of their pens, so to say. They never mind students of harassing or abusing them. They’ll just say, “Wait for your report card.” Result, poor grades. So fellow students, respect our teachers, they’re our parents in school. They deserve to be cared and valued. You might just have nicer grades because being nice and kind also count on your grades, but don’t be too much haughty to curry favor with the teachers.

What I like most of a teacher is the one who can maximize the students’ talents, who can have confidence or trust in her/his students, and who can guide them or lead them to the right track of life. I believe that these are the aims of most teachers, but still others are indifferent. I get fully impressed about teachers who can tickle their students’ minds and even feelings. Though the room is hot, congested and noisy, the teacher can still make the students laugh. Through this, the teacher and students can build up a good and strong relation among themselves.

Lastly, I agree with this concluding paragraph…that the students also have responsibilities. So, with the help of our teachers, we can make this learning institution one of the best schools in town. Participation, unity, friendliness, and the other virtues, we need these characteristics from both the teachers and students to achieve a nice student-teacher relation. What counts most in a certain learning institution is the teaching force. If we have more teachers, then we are blessed. Teaching is a big deal. Being a teacher is not easy. It takes time, patience and effort to shape one's character and to build up one's rounded personality to become prolific in the future. We can't deny the fact that all teachers are the molders of the youth. There are a lot of responsibilities. You’re a teacher not because you discuss better than the others, not because you have higher educational attainment. You’re a teacher because you’re born for it. You are destined to be a teacher. Teaching is a talent…teachers are gifts. They deserve to be honored and praised not because of their achievements or capacity, but because they are teachers, like our Lord Jesus Christ who once became the greatest teacher in this world.

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