Teachers have a hard job. There is a lot of planning and a lot of hours that go into a successful classroom. The job does not only constitute the time spent in the classroom, but several hours outside of the classroom as well. In the article “What’s My Job? Defining the Role of the Classroom Teacher” the author feels passionately that the role of a teacher is not defined, and in fact this makes the job even harder. At the end of the article he says, “And once we focus on outcomes instead of just inputs and good intentions, we will be more effective, and so will students. That will, ironically, make us feel far less stressed, but also more challenged with important goals that we must stretch to reach so there is always more to be done” (Wiggins, 2010). So now what? How can we help define the role for teachers so that the students get a better and more useful education and the teachers feel less stressed?
According to Wiggins, the first step in this process would be to make it clear what the teacher needs to accomplish, as opposed to what they need to do. So looking more at the results, not just what has to get done. It is also important that this is all clearly stated when teachers are hired. It is true that when a teacher is hired, they are told what they will do and what they are responsible for, it is more of a list.
In recent years at my school we have put together teacher standards. When we hire someone new we show them these standards. They include all aspects of teaching. Over time teachers place themselves on a continuum and are evaluated for making progress in all different sections. The state of Washington is also working on a better teacher evaluation system (TPEP- Teacher and Principal Evaluation Pilot). Having these in place will not only benefit the evaluation process, but it will also lead to better job description, which will lead to clarity in the job, which will lead to better less stressed teachers.
As we learned above, being a good teacher is more than the doing. But it is even more than accomplishing academic goals as well. Part of what makes us a good teacher is fostering and nurturing children. To do this we need to know a lot about how we operate in order to relate well and deal well with children. In the article “The inner game of teaching” by Marzano and Marzano, the authors talk about a “game” that people play when making decisions. Basically there are several factors taken into account when a teacher or person makes a decision. It is not always conscious, but it is happening. Marzano and Marzano suggest that it is important for a teacher to bring this game to a conscious level. This way when they are reacting to children they have better understanding of their feelings and what they really want to get out of the situation.
No matter how prepared a teacher is, the first time they walk into his/her own classroom, something will surprise them. It is imperative that teachers are prepared from the beginning. The best way to prepare them is to make sure that their job description is clear. Exactly what are his/her responsibilities and what he/she is expected to accomplish. Having beginning teachers check themselves before reacting to a behavioral problem would be helpful in training them on how to play the inner game.
The best way to provide a place for teachers to check themselves and reflect on their teaching is if schools have a mentor program of some kind. So when a teacher is hired he/she is not just given their materials and told teach this, but that the new teachers meet with a mentor on a weekly basis and the mentor has specific goals in mind with each new teacher. This will help the new teacher acclimate and give them more immediate useful feedback. Having a mentor program in place will help with job clarity, in that it is tied to using the teacher’s standards, which in turn helps guide what the teacher is supposed to accomplish.
I have in fact, been part of a mentor program as a mentor and teacher leader. It has been very successful. The new teachers that have come to our school feel very much supported. They feel like they have somewhere to go when they need advice, but they also know they have weekly check in meetings where they are working on a piece of themselves to make a better teacher. We are at our best when we are learning and growing, so why should it stop once we have a job? Isn’t there always more to learn?
Wiggins, G. (2010). “What’s my job? Defining the role of the classroom teacher.” R. Marzano (Ed.) On excellence in teaching (op. 7-29). Bloomington, IN : Solution Tree.
Marzano, R. J., & Marzano, J. S. (2010). “The inner game of teaching.” In R. Marzano (Ed .) On excellence in teaching (pp. 345-367). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
rebeccaaf 