Is it easy to become a Teacher?
Wunna Htun
21st Century Pedagogue | Teacher Educator | Innovator of Youth Education l Course Developer ??
???? Is it easy to become a teacher?
Easy or not is just a specification so let’s save it for later.
So, change of question.
???? What do we need to become a teacher?
It is a little embarrassing to ask this question in Burmese society where the roles of “Teacher” and “Instructor” are confused as one. Every graduate would choose “teaching” as his basic career.
Is it enough JUST…
There are numerous qualifications that one needs to attain as a teacher.
Let’s look at 3 Qualifications that we all know.
?? Personal Qualifications
?? Academic Qualifications
?? Professional Qualifications
You would know them well if you were one TRUE teacher.
I would include the key points below.
?? Personal Qualifications
This would be the personality, integrity, and ability that one should certainly have as a teacher. You can denote it as a basic necessity to be a teacher.
Let’s explore more!
?? Ethics & Integrity
To be an ethical person who can follow the social norms and specifications will be necessary. In addition, that person must be able to attain his integrity even when he is not under surveillance. These ethics and integrity should apply to all processes, which include the preparation stage, teaching stage, and evaluation stage.
?? Love of Learning
As the saying goes “Teachers are Forever Learners”, being persistent and consistent in learning will be a basic provision in the life of a teacher. This does not apply to certificates, diplomas, and degrees here. All sorts of learning to keep yourself updated with the modern world apply here.
?? Compassion
Your kind heart and compassionate mind will also be a good head start while trying to build a warm relationship with your students. This would help your instructions much easier to follow.
?? Sense of Humor
The age of “Only Teaching, Nothing Else” has run out. The sense of humor to lighten up the atmosphere while teaching is essential. But, always keep in mind to maintain a toxic-free conversation.
?? Flexibility & Adaptability
As I have mentioned above, please always remember that the world is changing. Thus, you cannot be picky with whom you would teach. You need to act with flexibility and interact appropriately with the situation. You can never be too radical.
?? Creativity
Creativity does not mean new inventions here. You need to be creative while developing new teaching strategies and nurturing skills. You can never follow the same path every day. Every day requires a new sense of innovation.
?? Attitude towards success
You can never have the mindset of “Impossible” as a teacher. You must have the ability to lead your path to success. Only then, you will be able to shape the path for your children.
?? Teacher Aptitudes
This would apply to your natural talent to be a good teacher. This comes from your inner self to nurture a successful student. This mainly implies your soft skills such as
And many more to be able to interact, teach, and discipline your children.
So, these would be some of the qualities that one should have as a teacher. Try reflecting on yourself if you are currently working as a teacher.
?? Academic Qualifications
These would be academic achievements that you would certainly need as a teacher. These academic qualifications would also define whether or not you are acknowledged as a real teacher.
?? Relatable Degree
You would need a degree in your respective career field to make a living as a teacher. They are B.A. (Edn), B.Ed., M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D. (Edn), etc. This will make your career stronger and firmer.
In countries with proper educational standards, you would need an educational degree such as M.Ed. if you are planning to study. This law applies to any degree holders. But in Myanmar, an M.B., B.S. holder teaching Biology and being worshiped as a teacher is a bit concerning in my opinion.
?? Subject Matter
A teacher needs to acquire in-depth knowledge of the subject he is teaching. Instead of reading the textbook out loud, it is fundamental to master the credentials beyond the course book.
?? Teaching credentials & certificates
To attain teaching as your profession, accreditations such as certificates, endorsements, and licenses play an important role.
领英推荐
?? Methodology Coursework
Go to hell if you pronounce yourself as a teacher just because you can explain things well. Teaching but lacking knowledge in methodology will be just a waste of time. You would spoil the child instead of helping him out. In methodology, there are various alternatives such as
- Pedagogy
- Andragogy
- Heutagogy
You would know how to approach children with different personalities regarding events and problems. This is because the "Same method is not effective for everyone or every time"
?? Student Teaching (Practical)
Apart from teaching in your daily life, trying micro-teaching as a practical experience under the supervision of a professional is also essential.
?? Curriculum Development
Being good at teaching and explaining does not mean everything. Trying to understand the emphasis of the course you are referring to. Only then, you would be able to accomplish the aims and objectives of the course. So, try evaluating your teaching plan with these goals and develop the style according to them.
?? Continuing Education
In technical terms, this is called CPD (Continuing Professional Development). Some teachers have to teach the same coursebook every year, they become confident in the way they teach. Thus, they would not try developing new styles but follow the same plan every year. This is not always fine. Just like you educate the students, you also need to work on your self-development by continuous learning. By doing so, you would be upgrading yourself and your career while upgrading the skills of your students. This continuous education is a kind of building and advancing your career.
These are the academic qualifications. Try reflecting once again!
?? Professional Qualifications
Only professionals know professionalism. To build your reputation and contribute in your respective field, being professional would be the key. Only then, you can enjoy working for a living.
?? Professional Ethics
Being fair and square in decision-making, being ethical, being steadfast and upright with your profession without taking bribes, and keeping the privacy of the students would be a part of professional ethics that a teacher should maintain at all times.
In terms of privacy, not only personal data but also exam results, behavior notes, and special care are also accounted for here.
?? Classroom Management
From classroom arrangement and decorations to teaching styles and daily communication creating a warm, friendly teaching environment is essential. But make sure to go abide by the rules at all times.
?? Lesson Planning
To teach, you cannot just open your laptop and enter Zoom or open your book and enter a classroom without pre-reading. This will lead to nothing but chaos. To reach your targets, goals, and objectives, you need to take time to prepare your lesson plans. This will count as a basic need or compulsory for a professional teacher.
?? Assessment Skill
A teacher needs to access and evaluate all the time for the sake of his students. Only then, you will be able to track the progress and analyze your teaching style and approach towards your student. Here, assessment does not refer to handing a pile of questions for your students to answer. Evaluation applies for all forms of assessments such as formative assessment, and summative assessment and each should lead to HOT (High Order Thinking) as a part of the Table of Specification.
?? Differentiation
Since each student can have different personalities, modes of studying, and aims, you would need various methods of approach to educate them. As the saying goes “There are medicines for each ailment”, you would always need to keep an eye on your students’ needs and try to enhance them with all your might. Being a considerate teacher with fair adjustments would make you more professional in your career life.
?? Appearance
The way you dress, talk, behave and even the things you share on social media should remain toxic-free for the children.
?? Technology Integration
As my one friend says “You can never leave technology from Saya Wunna’s talk”, I would like to remind you that all teachers should be able to access modern technology. Here technology means a lot more than just preparing PowerPoint Slides and using Zoom for teaching. We should use technology to upgrade the standard of teaching and learning. We should focus on creating a student-oriented environment according to pedagogical techniques. You should also work smarter, not harder to avoid spending your time unnecessarily.
?? Teacher Leadership
Before talking about Teacher Leadership, I would like to differentiate between Leader Teacher (LT) and Teacher Leader(TL). LT would be the ones in the leading roles appointed by the school itself. The TL would be the opposite of it. Every teacher can be a teacher leader if....... YES, every teacher working for the betterment of his society while helping his teammates to achieve a move can be a Teacher Leader. The sad truth of an unchangeable system which we all have to bear with will be the consequence of having not enough Teacher Leaders.
So, these would be the professional qualifications.
Thanks for reading this far! Now it is time to answer the question from the beginning.
“Is it easy to become a teacher?”
I would like to admit that it is very sad and frustrating to write this article. I studied for a diploma in General Science” when I first started teaching Biology after finishing the matric exam. Then, I continued studying “Learning how to teach” and “Understanding Learning” from Future Learn and EdX. After learning a “Diploma in Behavioral Science” from EOU, only after that, I gained the courage to start teaching.
This would be just a minor comparison to what a professional teacher had learned to achieve this far. But now, many entrepreneurs have been using education as a business weapon for the reason that “You make a lot of money”, taking advantage of this crisis in Myanmar. They let those who know nothing about “Methods” and “Psycho” become teachers. Moreover, they take advantage of “Free Education” just to penetrate the market. Isn’t this too easy? Do you want a role? Yes go ahead, take it! But at least, you must be worthy of that!
On the other hand, people who have already chosen their careers and working for that at present started taking roles as teachers just to make money amidst the fluctuations and crises. Do you think he who is not loyal to his profession would adore education? I was a designer and good at editing, too. But now, I would reject every project I was offered. I would refer them to someone else. Do you know why? Because they are no longer my profession. I would give them the chance for professionals to do their jobs. What I mean here is to be loyal and to love the career you choose. A Thai professor once said, “Professionalism is what you won’t give up or betray under any circumstances!”
I will try to educate as much as I can!
As long as I live, I will share as far as I can!
This is how much I hope for a better educational move.
So, to become a REAL TEACHER,
Try hard
Fill your needs
Let’s learn together!
A Teacher, Wunna.....