Teacher
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- Instructor redirects here. For the LDS Church periodical, see The Instructor.
In education, teachers are those who teach students or from whom pupils learn, often in a school. The objective is typically a course of study, lesson plan, or a practical skill, including learning and thinking skills. The different ways to teach are often referred to as the teacher's pedagogy. When deciding what teaching method to use, a teacher will need to consider students' background knowledge, environment, and their learning goals as well as standardized curricula as determined by the relevant authority. The teacher should also be able to deal with students with different abilities and should also be able to deal with learning disabilities. Many times, teachers will have to do their job outside of the classroom by accompanying students on field trips. They also supervise study halls, help with the organization of school functions, and serve as supervisors for extracurricular activities.
Related positions
- A teacher who is positioned to help the student in a particular subject, is in some cultures called a "tutor".
- A teacher or trainer from whom a student learns a great deal may be called a "mentor". (this term is used, in this context, in the UK.)
- An "educationalist" is an educational theorist, writer or researcher.
- In traditional China, the model teacher, Confucius, is greatly revered. A Chinese term for teacher is shifu, (sifu) (teacher-father) or laoshi(old teacher).
Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Perhaps the most significant difference between primary and secondary teaching in the UK is the relationship between teachers and children. In primary schools each class has a teacher who stays with them for most of the week and will teach them the whole curriculum. In secondary schools they will be taught by different subject specialists each session during the week and may have 10 or more different teachers. The relationship between children and their teachers tends to be closer in the primary school where they act as form tutor, specialist teacher and surrogate parent during the course of the day.
This is true throughout most of the United States as well. However, alternative approaches for primary education do exist. One of these, sometimes referred to as a "platoon" system, involves placing a group of students together in one class that moves from one specialist to another for every subject. The advantage here is that students learn from teachers who specialize in one subject and who tend to be more knowledgeable in that one area than a teacher who teaches many subjects. Students still derive a strong sense of security by staying with the same group of peers for all classes.
University teachers
Teachers in college are called instructors or lecturers. In the United States, the term "professor" is usually applied to college or University teachers who have received their Ph.D., while instructors or lecturers have received their Masters degree, and usually are pursuing their Ph.D. Professorial rankings from Assistant Professor through Full Professor that may be defined differently at various institutions. The rank of American university instructors depends in part on the amount of relevant and publishable research completed over time.
An "assistant professor" is typically required to have completed extensive research seminars at the post-graduate level and have written and defended the dissertation. The Ph.D. is almost always required. Assistant professors are similar to lecturers or readers in the United Kingdom. Their initial preparation for the profession takes between eight and twelve years.
An "associate professor" must typically have completed five or more years of additional research, published articles in national and international journals, developed syllabi for the teaching of various courses, provided services to the University (i.e., committee member, faculty senate member, etc.), and in most cases have published refereed books.
The "full professor" in the United States would be the equivalent of the "Professor" in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. It is not typical to achieve the title of "full professor" within the first fifteen to twenty years as an educator and researcher at a university in the United States. It requires dedication to the discipline and eminent, original scholarship, as shown through published works and a diverse curriculum vitae.
In the United Kingdom the title 'Professor' is restricted to university teachers who have been granted a 'chair'. Others are known as lecturers or readers and usually carry the title "Dr." by virtue of having a PhD. A very small number of lecturers, particularly on social science and arts fields, may be titled "Mr/Mrs" etc as they may only have a Masters degree.
Senior teachers
Teachers who look after the whole school are called head teachers, school principals, headmasters or headmistresses. The equivalent in colleges and universities is called the dean, principal or vice-chancellor. See also school leadership. Teachers of this status rarely teach students. A teacher in a grammar or public school in Britain may also be a Head of House. Houses are also used in secondary and comprehensive schools.
As with most large organizations a school needs a hierarchical structure of command, allowing matters to be delegated to a specific department or the senior teachers of the school. In many cases there are deputy headteachers, heads of department (or subject, such as science or history) and heads of year. A head of year is in charge of the pastoral care of one year group.
Every school has a disciplinary procedure which dictates how punishments should be given to misbehaving students. One common method of coping with problems is the idea of escalation whereby the classroom teacher attempts to deal with the student(s) themselves before passing it on to a more senior teacher. Eventually, should the situation not be resolved, the headmaster becomes involved.
Replacement teachers
A teacher may be replaced by another teacher if he or she is absent due to illness, death, or planned absence. In the United States and some parts of Canada, notably Saskatchewan, replacement teachers are known as substitute teachers (or more informally as "subs") and more recently "guest teachers". In Australia and New Zealand they are known as "casual" or "relief" teachers; in the UK and in other parts of Canada, notably Ontario, they are known as supply teachers. although in Ontario they are also known as substitute teachers. In British Columbia, Canada, they are called TOCs (teachers-on-call). Temporary, substitute teachers in universities are usually in forms of multiple guest lecturers.
These teachers often find it difficult to acclimatise to the new environment, often moving from one school to another week after week or day after day[citation needed]. They are often viewed badly by the students they are looking after with a "you're not a real teacher" joke attitude making behaviour management very difficult[citation needed]. Meanwhile, in some subjects, they may actually know less than their students.[citation needed]. In long term replacements, however, this often quickly subsides.
Teacher trade union groups have expressed resentment towards the continuous use of supply teachers (who may be paid a lower amount) to satisfy long-term shortages when school administrations have resisted creating a permanent teaching position[citation needed].
The United States observes a Substitute Educator's Day, which was instituted by the National Education Association (NEA). The purpose of this day is to highlight the role and importance of the substitute teacher by providing information about, advocating for, and helping to increase appreciation and respect for this unique professional. This day also focuses on the needs of substitutes, which include better wages and health benefits and continual professional development[citation needed]. Substitute Educator's Day is observed on the Friday during American Education Week. Other countries and jurisdictions have similar observances[citation needed].
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Teaching as a profession
Teachers are considered professionals on par with physicians and lawyers because they are often required to obtain specialized education and professional licensure.
In most cultures, teaching is referred to as a profession. Arguments for this include the respect that is felt for teachers in some cultures, the existence of a body of specialised professional knowledge, and codes of ethics. In Canada some provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia operate a 'College of Teachers' established by legislation to serve and protect the public interest through certifying, governing and enforcing the standards of practice for the teaching profession.
The College's functions include setting out clear standards of practice, providing for the ongoing education of teachers, investigating complaints involving members, conducting hearings into allegations of professional misconduct and taking appropriate disciplinary action and accrediting teacher education programs.
Teachers in publicly funded schools in these provinces must be members in good standing with the College. Many private schools also require their teachers to be College members.
World Teachers’ Day
UNESCO inaugurated World Teachers’ Day on 5 October 1994 to celebrate and commemorate the signing of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers on 5 October 1966. World Teachers’ Day also highlighted the Recommendation Concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel adopted in 1997. Some countries or regions such as Taiwan also celebrate Teacher's Day as a national holiday. In Brazil and Chile, it is celebrated on October 15, while in India it is celebrated on the 5th of September. In Brunei, it is celebrated on September 23. In Turkey it is celebrated on 24th November since 1928. North Cyprus also celebrates this day.In Malaysia, it is celebrated on 16 May.
Salaries
Teachers' salaries vary from country to country: US teachers are paid on a graduated scale, starting at the low end and moving up on the pay scale with experience. According to the National Education Association (NEA), the average starting teacher's salary in the US is just over $31,000 USD (approx. £15,800 GBP/€23,300 EUR), while the average teacher makes just over $42,000 USD (approx. £21,400 GBP/€31,500 EUR). The amount an American teacher earns depends on education level, experience, and the school/district/state--the cost of living in certain areas heavily influences the amount of a teacher's salary. The pay for teachers varies greatly from state to state, with South Dakota paying the least.[citation needed]
Salaries in England and Wales are largely dependent upon time in post (seniority) and any management responsibilities.[citation needed] From 2007, teachers outside the London area (which are paid higher due to higher living costs) can expect to start on around £21,000 GBP (approx. $41,500 USD/€31,000 EUR) and rising by around £1,100 GBP (approx. $2,150 USD/€1,600 EUR) per year.[1] Teachers of 'shortage' subjects, such as math and physics, can expect a 'golden hello' taking them to around £26,000 GBP (approx. $51,200 USD/€38,300 EUR) starting salary.[2]
Unpromoted posts in Scotland attract a salary paid on an annually incremented scale which rises over 6 points from £19,878 GBP (approx. $39,000 USD/€29,300 EUR) to £31,707 GBP (approx. $62,200 USD/€46,707 EUR) [1].
Religious Teacher
In Hinduism, a spiritual teacher is known as a guru. Traditionaly, a spiritual seeker would revere his or her guru highly, and demonstrate utmost submission and humility through menial service in order to prove worthy to be a recipient of esoteric knowledge from the guru.
The term "teacher" can also refer to any religious person who preached a religious dogma. The figure Jesus of Nazareth was often referred to as a teacher. This is true of other religious figures beside Christian advocates. Buddha and Confucius both were considered learned teachers as well as religious men. Often these teachers would have a group of followers that would travel and live with their teacher and leader. The Prophet Mohammad is often referred to as both a teacher and a warrior of the faith.
Stress
As a profession teaching has very high levels of Work-Related Stress (WRS)[3] which are listed as amongst the highest of any profession in some countries, such as the United Kingdom. The degree of this problem is becoming increasing recognised and support systems are put into place.[4][5] Teacher training is increasingly recognising the need for new entrants to the profession to be aware of and trained to overcome the challenges that they will face on the 'mental health' front.<[citation needed]