Saturday, August 06, 2011

Teachers are important

I haven't been here for a while. I have taken some time to stop and think about what I believe in my work life. What is important.

There is one thing I hear a lot as I work with educators and professional development providers across New Zealand. And it has started to really get on my goat, so here comes a rant.

Teachers are important. They are worth the time it takes to help them be the best they can be. Whether this means bringing them up to speed or helping them race off into the distance. The underpinning of my post is that I have heard quite a few PD providers discuss the fact that it is important for our students to have access to quality ICT experiences. Exactly, I agree. But then I hear the statement that maybe we should bypass the teachers and go straight to the students. If we capture them and give them the opportunities then they will bring the teachers along. Um, ah, no, sorry I don't really agree with that. It is a deficit way of thinking. We are all partners in learning: students, parents, teachers. We work together, leaving any one out of the equation is not a thing I would like to think about. Teachers are important. Teachers make a difference, and building them up to be the best they can be is the best way to support our learners.

3 comments:

annekenn said...

I couldn't agree more! WE ARE IMPORTANT! When we are happy, focused, enthusiastic, and valued - we are able to move mountains! We need support, connections, collaboration, time, professional development. And in turn, our learners need this too!
AK

Naketanz said...

Great post Jane! and so true. I think as facilitators we sometimes forget the realities of the coal face and get so stuck in our own ideals and our own priorities that we forget immense workloads of teachers. The reality is - the children are the most important aspect of the scenario and all teachers want to provide the very best for them, and do this - to their tune not ours.

From a Humble Facilitator

Cheryl Harvey said...

Interesting reading thed=se comments as a facilitator who works with teachers. There is another angle to this and that is "ako" which underpins the registered teacher criteria and therefore an expectation taht ALL teachers will be working this way. In a reciprocal relationship based on ako we all learn from each other so it is not a matter of teachers first or students first with new learning. Many Year 1 teachers are more experienced with ICT than their mentor teachers, many students are more experienced than their teachers.Who cares as long as the learning happens. Some schools trained students to be techangels to share their expertise with teachers - very 21st century.