At this time of year, we think about gifts to get for those who are important in our lives. Teachers have played a significant role in my life from the time I was a small child until now when I have the wonderful job of helping to educate future teachers. I am sure you have, or have had, teachers who have been significant in your life. During this season of gift giving, I suggest the following five gifts for teachers.
The first — and most important — gift for teachers is to receive respect and appreciation for their work. Those who go into education know they will not make a lot of money. They do the work involved in teaching because they want to help others learn and grow. They appreciate being told that their long hours of preparation, teaching, assessing, managing behavior, learning standards, taking bus and lunch duty, engaging in professional development, among many other teacher tasks, matter. Most teachers go far beyond the basic tasks of teaching. They are sponsors for school clubs, chaperones for events, attendees at athletics and other school programs, advisers when a student is sad or worried, coordinators for meaningful field trips as well as a coach, support, and providers of multiple services in the community. Whether you are a student, a parent, or a community or board member, please take time to “thank teachers.”
Second, teachers need the gift of a reasonable salary. Again, teachers do not expect to earn high salaries, but they should have sufficient funding to live comfortably. Many teachers spend a significant amount of their own money on their students. It is unfair for them not to be able to afford acceptable living spaces and vehicles and healthy food.
Third is the gift of a safe, comfortable, and organized school environment. With all that teachers have to do to educate our youths, they should feel safe, comfortable, and not need to worry about being disrespected in any way. Administrators should set a schedule so that each teacher’s time is valued and put to good use.
The fourth gift for teachers is a debt-free or low-debt education to become teachers. Many of our graduating teachers in South Carolina leave college with significant debt. As a community, we can help offset the low salaries for new teachers by providing scholarships and loan forgiveness programs so future teachers can graduate from their colleges and universities with either no or limited student debt. Let’s make it our goal to increase the amount of funding available in order to decrease both the total amount of debt and the number of our future teachers who are in debt.
The fifth gift is for teachers to be treated as valued professionals.Teachers study and practice to become proficient educators. They must pass numerous national tests to demonstrate their knowledge and are assessed with standardized observation tools to further determine their teaching abilities. Yet, many in our communities do not respect teachers as the professionals they are. We need to encourage our teachers to advance professionally while remaining in the classroom, observe, be observed, and form professional learning support systems so they continue to grow and develop as professionals.
As you enjoy the holidays, please pause to thank our teachers, support better compensation for them, provide funding support for future teachers, visit your local school, and voice your praise if it is an environment conducive to effective teaching and learning — and take action for improvement if it is not. Teachers are the core of successful education, and we need to give them these five gifts to reach the goal of providing the best education possible for all of our tri-county students.
Oh, just in case you are wondering what would be a great gift for me, please encourage those you know to consider a career in teaching. I know firsthand that teaching can be a very rewarding career.
Fran Welch is the dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Performance at the College of Charleston.
https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/best-gifts-for-teachers-can-t-be-bought-in-stores/article_1699d08e-e5d6-11e7-ab9c-832801761a66.htmlBagikan Berita Ini
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