TEACHING?IS UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most challenging jobs anywhere in the world.
It is also one of the most vital and can change the life of a child – and, indeed, a nation. We have long recognized that despite the many challenges children face, skilled teachers consistently manage to positively change the trajectory of students’ lives.
It is a position supported by Minister of Education and Human Resource Development Ronald Jones, who earlier this week addressed hundreds of students starting specialized training at the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College. He made the very telling point: “Barbados needs you. Stay committed, stay focused. You give young people a sense of purpose. What you do can make or break a life.”
In recent years we have seen Erdiston Teachers’ Training College’s increased emphasis on teacher training, a positive development. This island’s lone specialized teacher training institute has done a good job over the years, but we need to take the next step to ensure that we have quality teachers, particularly those going into our primary schools. We must evaluate teacher performance and at the same time measure the effectiveness of the Erdiston programmes that prepare teachers.
It is going to be important for Erdiston to measure its graduates’ success as teachers or ask these graduates or their headteachers to evaluate the quality or relevance of their preparation. It is important that the system be able to identify and assist those teachers who are low-performing, as we need to work with them, for the students’ sake.
The Minister of Education recognized the importance of having top-class teachers in the classroom. He told those attending the opening session and looking to enter the profession they needed to reflect on: “How am I going to make the lives of the people I come into contact with better?”
We need to ensure that those being trained to go into the classroom are equipped with the relevant skills to help our children, whether they are dyslexic or suffering from attention deficit disorder or, indeed, gifted students, who should be placed in accelerated classes. We also need smaller classes.
Teachers are critical to this nation and its future economic development. We therefore need to have the best talent in our classrooms, and Erdiston College has a critical role in helping to achieve this goal. The institution must always offer the very best, with its products able to withstand scrutiny.
Experience undoubtedly shows that great teachers are not born but made through careful training. There must also be continuous learning, reflection and improvement to help chart the path for a successful teaching career.
All teachers must get high-quality preparation if they are to help students to excel. Those pursuing their training at Erdiston must recognize that certification is not qualification. There must also be a passion for the vocation.