A good teacher is like a candle; it consumes itself to light the way for others. – A Turkish proverb
EVERY DAY TEACHERS across Barbados make a significant difference to the lives of thousands of young people.
Very often the contributions of teachers to the development of tomorrow’s generation, and indeed the country’s overall development, are not acknowledged and there is sometimes little appreciation for their sterling contribution. Fulfilling their role has become an absolute expectation.
Today, World Teachers’ Day, is an opportunity to show teachers that their efforts are appreciated, given all they do to shape countless young minds and help make this country a better place. Outside of the home, and even for many households, teachers are the ones with the greatest influence and can often determine a child’s future.
Observed in more than 100 countries worldwide, World Teachers’ Day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1994 to recognise the role of teachers in society. Yet, we do not give teachers their due recognition or hold them in the kind of esteem they once commanded and still deserve in this society.
It is true that teaching is an altruistic vocation, which is why those who pursue it as a career should not expect to get the same kind of financial rewards as would a business executive or an entrepreneur. But, the inequities which exist should be addressed if teaching is to attract the brightest and the best in our society. Becoming a teacher should be first among occupational choices even before students enter college.
That teachers’ salaries must be addressed is without question. Theirs is a special case even within a public sector which may want to advance a similar argument for its police officers or health care professionals.
At the same time the issue of teacher training and continuing education must be a critical factor as we demand higher standards from those in this noble profession.
The era of one-off training can no longer obtain given the specialist skills required. The issue of measurement of teachers’ performance must also be a reality if we are to achieve and maintain the highest possible standards while meeting society’s expectations of improved student learning based on achieved results.
There are many issues facing teachers in Barbados which need to be addressed. The matter of appointments has to be rectified and not simply talked about, as must safety in the classroom.
Teachers must also be able to operate in a system where they are not subject to victimisation or repression when they take a stand based on principle. But they must also accept that they must live by higher rules of great and good expectations given how they are judged in and out of the classroom.
Teachers are special; that’s why we must cherish them.
