Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher: A teacher, who can also be called a school teacher, an educator, or an instructor, is someone who helps the students to acquire the necessary knowledge, competence, or virtue. Teaching could be done by anyone.
This is seen in the settings of some countries where the role of a teacher could be done by any one. However in some other countries, professionals are always required to do the teaching job. There are however, roles and responsibilities required of a teacher.
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Top 10 Roles and Responsibilities Of a Teacher In School
On a general note, the function or role of a teacher is to help the students learn through the process of impacting in them the knowledge which they require and to also set up a conducive learning environment for the students in other for them to learn effectively.
Regardless of these basic rules, some teachers perform other complex set of roles, which is different from one society to the other. Some of these roles cold be performed in schools or outside schools.
1. Sharing Knowledge: The sharing of knowledge, the giving of education and teaching the people or students are the primary role of a teacher; a teacher must be one who knows how to impact knowledge from himself to his students, or pupil. A teacher’s student may be just one person; the teacher should be able to impact his knowledge on such student.
An example is when a teacher means to teach his students the specific syllabus and impact the required knowledge, the teachers duty is to make sure that the student understands what a syllabus means and how to use them and the method which is being used should not be a hindrance to the students acquisition of such knowledge, be it a classroom teaching, online or an e-learning platform, the students should be able to understand the knowledge which the teacher is trying to pass across.
2. Resource Provider: Another important role of a teacher is that they help out each other. They help out their colleagues by sharing information and instructional materials to one another, such things may include reading materials, important websites, instructional materials, and other materials which students could use in other to facilitate their learning process.
Other professional articles might be shared amongst them such as books, lesson or unit plans, and assessment tools.
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3. Making Learning a Fun Activity: Everyone is different right from birth, hence not every student assimilate knowledge like the rest of his peers. Therefore, it’s the role of the teacher to make sure that the students’ understands the topic which he is trying to pass across.
The students mode of assimilation and reading as stated earlier are different, some students enjoy reading while some doesn’t. It’s the responsibility of the teacher to find ways to make the students interested and to make the teaching fun for them in other to have the enthusiasm to study later.
4. Curriculum Specialist: Understanding the standards of the contents, how the various parts of the curriculum are linked with each other, and how the said curriculum is essential in ensuring consistent implementation of the said curriculum and also on how to use the curriculum in planning instructions and assessments for the students.
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5. Changing the Scenario of Life: They say the hope of the country lies in the hands of the teachers. This is not far from the truth. “The future development of a nation truly lies in the hands of good teachers.”
The teachers stand in the position of providing quality and good education for the students and the basic information’s which they need to survive in the country, they teach them about their history, and their background, to be obedient to their leaders and on how to be law abiding citizens.
Teachers teach the students what is important and what’s not, what the law is and what is against the law and the things to do in other to make life better.
It is the role of a teacher to impact the right knowledge on the students and to produce the kind of citizens every country would be proud to have.
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6. Mentor: One important role that always seems to be overlooked most of the times is the fact that a teacher is a mentor to his or her students. We have had instances where children would argue with their parents on a particular topic or subject matter on the grounds that their teacher is correct and their parents wrong.
Regardless of the fact that the teacher may be wrong, the child wouldn’t want to hear it. Being a mentor for teachers is not as difficult as they get to interact with a lot of students at a time; therefore, it is the role of the teacher to be the perfect role model which the child needs.
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7. Students Encouragement: Nothing makes a student happier than to have his teach acknowledge and encourage him. When a teacher appreciates and boosts the confidence of the student, it will go a long way in increasing the effectiveness of the student.
A student can cross any barrier just by getting the teachers encouragement. Asides from teaching, there are other things a student needs from the teacher; therefore teachers should always be ready to encourage, motivate and guide their students at any time. Words of encouragement like; Good one, great job, well done, etc would go a long way.
8. Tracking Improvement and Setting Performance Goals: The teacher is the only one who knows how long a student have come, from a dull to a sharp student and from a bright to a brighter student, etc. A teacher knows when a student is being bordered, probably from stress at home and the rest.
Therefore, it is the role of the teacher to keep reminding the students of the improvements they have done, and how far they have come. A teacher could also do something to boost the self confidence of the students and see that they are back to their feet again.
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9. External Parents: Most of the students’ young life is spent in school; as a result, the teacher then becomes the student’s external parent. The teacher’s role then transcends to following the work schedule and teaching the students what they need to know. The do their best to bring the best in the students out.
10. The Organizers: This is one of the most difficult roles a teacher might play. The success of most activities depends on good organization and the ability of the students to know what they are to do next.
With this role of a teacher, giving instructions is as important as setting up activities. When a teacher is practicing this role, it helps him or her to actually get involved in the activities and engage with the students appropriately. The teachers also get to do their work neatly in the end.
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Conclusion
The role of a teacher in the society surpasses the normal thinking that a teacher only educates the students, people who follow the curriculum hook line and sinker. However, in the actual sense, the role of a teacher goes beyond, the teacher continues where the parents stops and in some cases do all the work for the parents.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.