From the President
Teachers are Psychologists, Technologists, Coaches, Servants … and Much More
T
eaching is hard. So hard, in fact, that many educators leave the profession before signing their fourth contract. Still, most educators return to their classrooms each day with renewed strength and commitment to do the best job possible. How is that so? In short, these teachers have learned to adroitly manage multiple roles. The TEACHER plans meaningful lessons and delivers instruction. The FACILITATOR leads a student’s quest to discover his or her potential. The MANAGER organizes the classroom and implements policies that promote learning. The LEADER takes initiative and executes plans. The GUARDIAN develops appropriate relationships in order to understand individual student needs. The PSYCHOLOGIST taps into the psyche of unmotivated, unwilling or troubled students. The SOCIAL WORKER advocates on a student’s behalf via communication with parents, staff and administration. The COLLEAGUE coordinates with teams to ensure continuity of instruction. The TECHNOLOGIST employs computer tools to enhance student learning. The STUDENT continually improves his or her craft through higher learning. The COACH develops emotional connections with students and colleagues. Perhaps the most essential role we play, however, is that of the SERVANT. Educators who remain in the profession
August/September 2015
have developed a profound sense of service; they are unwaveringly dedicated to the well-being of students. Playing these roles concurrently requires tremendous skill and talent, especially given the fact that each day we face students who lack motivation to learn due to a host of disabling societal issues, including homelessness, preoccupation with serious family issues, malnutrition, physical or sexual abuse, drug, prescription medicine or alcohol dependency and poverty. As educators, our most gratifying successes are measured by how effectively we help our most disadvantaged students overcome potentially crippling academic or social challenges: • We witness the student who lacked personal drive develop a work ethic. • We witness the student with the strong personality grow to become a future leader. • We witness students who were organizationally challenged develop time management and study skills. • We witness the homeless child graduate with honors. • We witness students learn to contribute to their cohort, school, community and country because we made a loving and concerted effort to guide the student. These successes keep us in the profession, even as we endure increasingly frustrating and unproductive regulations, such as invalid teacher evaluation measures. The educator who observes such student transformations is rewarded n beyond measure.
Stephanie Davis Howard
Characteristics of the SERVICE-Oriented Teacher Sense of Community Our schools and classrooms become our extended families. Empowerment of Students Students are guided to rechannel and redirect strong, and often disruptive, characteristics. Relevant Content We employ up-to-date content and methodology. Values, Beliefs and Attitudes Classroom management, content delivery and school initiatives have a democratic foundation. Integration of Content Content integration and instruction differentiation enhance content literacy and student creativity. Cultural World View Cognizant of the diversity in our classrooms, we ensure that our classrooms are safe havens and we incorporate this worldview into our lessons. Equity and Authenticity Our classrooms exhibit equity and authenticity in instruction, assessment and evaluation.
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