What is a teacher? I believe a teacher is someone who teaches students about the world, as it is and as it was and possibly, how it will be. A teacher is a mentor, a guide, a counselor, and often, an additional parent. Teachers can be loved, hated or revered. A teacher is much more than someone who provides our children with books and tests. A teacher is a role model that has a lasting impression on the minds and abilities of students.

The satisfactions of teaching outweigh the difficulties and challenges. Knowing that you have taught someone how to do something and given him or her, the knowledge necessary to succeed builds the happiness and fulfillment of the teacher. The responsiveness of students and their appreciation for their teachers is a reward that is difficult to measure or explain. I have been teaching at a martial arts school for nearly four years and had experienced the joy of seeing my students grow and mature. If a teacher reads solely from a textbook and cannot give concrete and understandable examples of the material covered, it is difficult to retain that information and students’ grades will suffer, attendance to that teacher’s class will decrease, and students’ behavioral problems can, and often do, result, due to needs not being met.

One of the most difficult challenges in teaching is watching a student struggle and not understand or be able to implement concepts or skills. Often this difficulty is due to a lack of adequate instruction or lack of interest. I have found that many times a parent’s attitude or lack of interest in the student’s learning to be a problem and instead of trying to work with the teacher the parent places the blame on either or both as lazy and lacking, but taking none of the responsibility and burden themselves. A teacher must be willing to contact the parents for their input and assistance in order for the child to succeed.

The most effective strategies for getting parents involved are to:

The purpose of education is to give students the knowledge and background to become contributing and efficient members of our society. The teacher’s role in our society is also to mold and create useful, meaningful human beings. These men and women will enter into the world with the knowledge and necessary skills to be continual learners and valuable members of society. I believe that the role of a teacher is also, to be an example to students of a good role model, whom they can model themselves after. A teacher must be willing to take responsibility for the betterment of his or her students and must continue to learn and to be willing to learn from his or her students. I base this opinion on the fact that sometimes without even realizing it, we learn from others, and often children learn well from each other and will provide many opportunities see things from a different perspective as well as give a clearer explanation of complex ideas to others by having a different view of how the world operates. A teacher’s job is not just to teach the material in a textbook, but also to inspire the students to continue learning, to ask questions and have the confidence to ask those questions.

A teacher is the framework around which our children decide what kind of people they will grow into. If a teacher takes responsibility for the actions and failures of his or her students, the students will see that. Children must see that the teacher cares and is willing to bend to facilitate learning but does not bend on expectations in character. “Character education is not an “add on” to the existing curriculum. To be effective, it should be integrated across the curriculum, thus promoting high self-esteem and the acquisition of school success.” (Gholar, 2004).

In order to determine the responsibility of teachers, one must return to the idea of what is the meaning of education, what is its purpose? Webster says that education is “the process of educating or teaching”. Based on this definition, we may assume that the reason for having education is to “develop the knowledge, skill, or character of students” (The Meaning of Education, 2004). Without education, people would not learn to socialize or have the skills necessary to survive, and who is to teach those people? The teacher.

A teacher must be willing and able to interact with students, parents, colleagues and administrators, as well as the community. It is difficult to gain and retain respect if one is not willing to maintain relationships and create a high level of involvement. Without mutual respect, it would be difficult, if not impossible to motivate students and parents into doing tasks in both the classroom and in the home. Another feature that I believe makes a good teacher is that a good teacher will never ask anyone, whether it is a student, another teacher or parent to do something that he or she would not be willing to do. As teachers and parents, we cannot expect anyone to do anything, which we are not willing to do ourselves. If a teacher fails to continue to learn, never reads, or never updates his or her knowledge in that field, that teacher cannot expect students to do what he or she is not willing to do.

The school system hierarchy from administrators down to custodial staffing creates a unit in a school, which should be for the complete benefit for the students. A relationship between these administration, teachers, students and parents creates and cultivates a learning environment where every student has a chance to be whoever they will be. I believe that the relationship between teachers and administrators should be one of respect and cooperation. Without mutual respect and a cooperative attitude, the system will not function well and at times, animosity affects students and other teachers because of disagreements of others.

My goal as a teacher is to provide a stimulating and valuable learning experience for my students. I want to be a good role model and mentor to students so that they can succeed and become the future leaders of our country. I believe that if a teacher has the correct attitude, students will react favorably to the teacher and will want to emulate that teacher. If a student can look to you as a role model and mentor, they will emulate your better qualities and continue in their search for knowledge. A guiding hand to a child is often all they need and this is a teacher’s job and responsibility.

I believe that student knowledge and level of retention is a good indicator of teacher effectiveness. If a teacher has a large majority of students that fail, it makes me wonder what the teacher is doing wrong, because it is the teacher’s responsibility to be sure that the students understand it and can do it. I think that student participation and performance are also indicators of teacher effectiveness. It is the teacher’s responsibility to see these problems and adjust to create a positive learning environment for the students.

In order to be effective as a teacher one must also be able to handle the challenges of teaching, which can include everything from missing assignments to inexcusable behavior, with a firm resolve. Sometimes just having livable rules is enough for some students. If students are aware of what a teacher’s expectations are then they not only know how they are to behave but also know what the consequences will be for inappropriate behaviors. My expectations for my students are clear and they learn the rules quickly. I demand their attention when I am speaking and when someone else is answering questions. I require students to treat each other with respect as well as myself with respect. I also teach my students that they must have respect for themselves. I find that if students feel that they can ask questions, they will. If they feel that they can ask for help, they will. If they feel that you treat them with dignity and respect, they will return that respect and dignity to you, tenfold.