Responsibilities of a School Teacher

Wiggins & McTighe (2005) said it best “teachers are designers” and we need the right to craft our curriculum and learning experiences to meet specified purposes (Pg. 13. Ch. 1). We are all teaching different students, in different cities, in different states; all of whom that have individual strengths and weaknesses, come from various homes, a multitude of diversified backgrounds, who speak different languages and all of whom who have experienced their lives in different manners. I have been teaching for well over 11 years, and I have never once modified my teaching to meet the needs of a curriculum, I always have and will continue to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of my students.

Principals have been in American schools for more than a century; there are more principals than any other administrative office in education. The principal serves as a as a liaison between district administration, teachers, and community members (Mondale, 2001). When America was rural and the country’s population was low, schools were often single building, single classroom schools. As population increased and schools started to provide more services it was necessary to have managerial and clerical support for the teaching staff. These changes came along in the middle of the 19th century. In the early 19th century principals were called a principal teacher. A principal teacher was required to fulfill many roles in the community and in the school house. With the growth in population came the growth of schools, and eventually teaching and other duties required became too much for a single educator to manage (Mondale, 2001). The role of the principal became separate from that of teaching. Today, the principal main focus is on student achievement, leadership, and the managing of the school. According to Vinella (2007), school reform with the aim of increasing student achievement begins with “the leadership of the principal” (p. 67).

The daybook clearly outlines the expectations, duties and roles of a teacher. I wrote the daybook with the background knowledge of the students and their different abilities within the classroom setting.

Having a constructivist classroom can mean many different things. Being a teacher with a constructivist perspective is a different type of teaching style than people are used to. Constructivism, as I understand it, is a way of teaching that has the students learn through their own methods. They are to try to find their own style of learning a concept, whether it be in their heads or with unifix blocks or by drawing pictures. Everyone learns differently and children need to be given the freedom to explore their learning by themselves. Also, students need to be able to construct their own meanings and insights without teacher instruction. Having a constructivist classroom would mean the teacher not giving as much direction as in a traditional classroom. Teachers with this perspective want their students to be “’mathematizing’” their learning (FD Ch 1.4).

Throughout my education, I had the benefit of attending fifteen different schools in various locations in the United States. This provided me with the opportunity to experience a variety of teaching methods and philosophies utilized by educators. Also, my son attended eight different schools in various states that provided me with additional exposure to various teaching methods. By using my past experiences along with my current studies, I lean heavily towards an overall constructivist philosophy, though each of the philosophies commonly referenced has aspects that are beneficial to students’ learning also.

A middle school teacher is a teacher who gets the students transitioned from the elementary classes they might be used to to their difficult classes in high school. Some middle school teachers also teach two major subjects instead of one like high school teachers or four like elementary school teachers. Teachers have many duties that they have to accomplish in the classroom. They have to prepare students for state required tests, evaluate students behaviors and learning abilities, lunch or detention duty, and individually work with students. Teachers also have duties they have to do after school such as creating lessons to teach the class, communicating with parents, and grade projects and tests (“Middle School Teachers”). Teachers also have some skills that are required to have. Teachers have to be good with public speaking and being strict and somewhat controlling but nice at the same time. They also have to like the subject they teach so they can show their students that it can be fun to learn (“Secondary School Teacher” 490). Teachers have to understand that students will have bad days so they need to be patient and understanding (“Middle School Teacher”).

Teachers that are well established in their careers are used to the traditional methods of teaching and fear to adopt new methods of teaching which see the child as ‘an empty vessel’ in which the teacher must fill the student with their own knowledge. (McCarthy, 2006, page 27). Constructivist learning requires a considerable amount of responsibility and effective classroom management from the class teacher. For constructivist learning to take place effectively, it depends on how we as teachers engage with the students and by providing enough learning opportunities for effective learning outcomes. (McCarthy, 2006). Constructivist learning requires time and effective planning to have a successful outcome. There are many advantages to using constructivist pedagogy in the classroom. Constructivist learning allows the child to construct his or her own knowledge rather than just simply being told their knowledge. Teachers can encourage constructivist learning through the use of thought provoking questions to promote critical thinking and for children to ‘become problem solvers and perhaps, more important problem finders.’ (Brook,1999, page 103). Using constructivist methods in the classroom is useful as the children can enjoy the learning experience and learn much more as they are actively involved in constructing their own knowledge. (Thirteen

Constructivism was derived from the idea that a common instructional format and the strategies to teach that format are ineffective because learning is individualistic and students need to construct knowledge with goals and minimal information (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006). Constructivism’s roots came from Socrates’ dialogues, where he asked his students direct questions. The foundation of constructivist education was shaped by Piaget and Dewey’s Progressive Education, and Vygotsky’s theories.

Understanding how children learn and therefore finding the best approach in how to educate students is the fundamental role of a teacher. If a teacher can properly understand the limitations that a student has in regard to learning and what inhibits them to be able to learn and then, in theory, a teacher can give them an individual approach to their education which will mean that they thrive in a classroom to the best of their ability. There are many theories regarding how a student is able to learn and a teacher would not be short in reading material to help them understand their students. However lots of these theories contradict one another and some have been tested on only a small number of subjects, some of whom are not even human. Throughout this essay I am going to be considering some of these theories and reflect on how they relate to the classroom and how useful they may be in practice. I am going to be considering examples from my own limited teaching practice and how effective and relevant these theories may be. This particular essay appealed to me due to my current teaching practice in a SEN school and I felt that considering this essay title would help to inform my own teaching the best. The students I teach epitomise Teacher’s Standard 5 and it is essential that I consider differentiation and adapting to a student’s needs in every lesson I teach, perhaps more directly than in a mainstream setting. Student’s in all schools however have differing needs and I will

“Part of being a teacher is bringing work home” (Kelly). Teachers are constantly surrounded by assignments, that need to be graded, which means that they are constantly working even when they are not physically inside a classroom setting. Therefore, it is important for a teacher to have a strong worth ethic. When I interviewed the student’s one of the students said that a great teacher needs to be responsible. Responsibility plays a huge role, when it comes to being an efficient teacher. When I asked the student to elaborate on what he meant by responsibility he spoke about how teachers should respond to emails throughout the day. As Mr. Kelly mentioned, part of being a teacher means bringing work home.

In the education field there are many careers but the one that is being research is Elementary school teacher. The education field is filled with varieties of choices to go into such as; school counseling, high school teaching, or a school principal. A school counselor works with students individually to assess them with academic, career, college access, and social-emotional competencies. Individuals in this field work in private or public elementary, middle and high schools. A high school teacher is a bit more different than the elementary one. High school teachers usually specialize in a specific subject. Someone who is interested in becoming a High school teacher most likely will enjoy spending time with young adults and helping them prepare students after graduation. A principal is a leader within the school community. They are responsible for managing tasks and ensure a safe learning to all students.

Constructivist teaching has made a huge impact on the teaching world. While, there are some that are unsure of this style of teaching there are others that enjoy it. Constructivist teaching allows the students to be their own teacher and discover topics and themes for themselves. Before students become their own teacher, the actual teacher has to put certain things in place. For starters, the teacher has to allow his or her class to have that type of environment; lots of planning should take place, the teacher should ask probing questions, and the teacher needs to make sure that the students have prior knowledge of the content.

All public school educators are held to very high standards of behavior because they are entrusted with the well-being of our children. The public expects for teachers’ behavior to exemplify ethical and moral integrity. Teachers serve as role models to our children they should be aware of the conduct they display both on and off the job. The conduct displayed can have a great impact on their professional image. When educators make poor judgment this can adversely impact students, damage teachers’ integrity and corrupt public trust in school systems and their profession. With the advances in technology and access to social media, the challenges have increased significantly for all educators. Educators must stay focused and develop a keen sense of awareness to a variety of problems and circumstances that they may encounter in their daily contact with students, families and the community. It is very important that teachers and administrators make moral decisions to ensure that their professional preparation meets the highest possible moral principles of conduct.

“The words we hear and use in our everyday lives affect our way of thinking and, ultimately, our actions” (Brooks and Brooks, 1999). The seeds of racism, sexism and oppression, I believe are planted at an early age of childhood. The parents of grade 7 and 8 students, of an elite private school of a higher social economic status, presented an objection to their children learning about social inequalities. Parents of the students feel their adolescent children are not ready to tackle these issues of oppression, rather continue to focus on learning skills they feel will lead to future successes. I consider one of the primary roles of a grade 7 and 8 teacher is to help our youth understand how their own and others identities and

Defining the roles and duties of a Primary Teacher can be quite difficult. Gipps et al. (2000) define teaching as: