Age is just a number

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday July 8, 2024 06:00

No one can outgrow learning. The teaching profession is at the heart of the teaching and learning process and it should be the first port of call when society is contemplating transformational change. Teachers must not fold their arms and wait for opportunities for professional growth to arrive from somewhere. Teachers, as well as their professional bodies (trade unions included), should be alive to existing knowledge and achievement gaps bedevelling the teaching profession and inhibiting quality delivery.

They should take the initiative to close professional gaps hindering progress. One is pleased to note that some teacher unions are beginning to attach a high premium on professional development. Already they have taken a bold step to set aside a training fund enabling members to pursue senior degrees. But it should not end here. Acquisition of Masters degrees or better, while the most sought after and absolutely necessary, cannot on its own be a panacea to challenges of classroom instructional practice. This means, in addition, deliberate efforts should be made to sponsor training directly connected with matters of classroom instructional practice.

Basic things like mastery of assessment, item writing, improving governance and accountability, should be targeted. The academic prosperity of a school begins with getting the basics right, ensuring every teacher is a possessor of the bare minimum requirements enabling them to execute classroom instruction and management functions in an effective , inspiring and thought provoking manner. When they embrace the concept of continuous learning, teachers who are in the profession of teaching and learning have an opportunity to get better at their trade. Every teacher is a champion in his or her own right. A champion of at least one thing.

There is this one God-given talent that one teacher does best, which no other person in the cohort of teachers working together can do better. Principals must never write off any of their charges. For each one of them is a potential champion of excellence. It should be borne in mind that the championship mentality does always trigger off or express itself without either internal or external activation.

Self-awareness on the part of teachers can help them grow their talents. But in most cases, leadership is required to unveil hidden talents. This now brings into sharp focus the question of leadership in any school setting. Teachers can thrive and shine or fade into oblivion depending on the man or woman at the helm of the institution.

While ideally raising the classroom instructional bar should entirely lie in the hands of every teacher, but in reality it does not always happen without a little ‘push’ from behind. The school principals should always avail their shoulders for teachers to lean on or take the initiative to exert that gentle push teachers may require to activate their championship mentality.

Knowing what each teacher is made of in terms of skills and talents is very useful for the survival of the team. Some are so skillful and resourceful yet so dormant. It is the duty of a principal to create opportunities for every voice to be heard so as to unleash the ‘secret weapon’ that each one member has.

It is always tempting to pay a little more attention to the most vocal and articulate team members at the expense of the meek and reserved elements. Even much more tempting is the propensity to disregard and suppress the voice of the ‘notorious’ rabble rousers. The latter should be given a fair chance to contribute towards the success of a school. Dissenting voices, while unsettling, have the effect of challenging the status quo while offering alternative ideas and this can create an opportunity for a serious breakthrough.

Good leadership is about learning every day the dynamics of the team and exploiting fully every teachable moment. When facing warring factions, it is always advisable to tread carefully to avoid escalation of the conflict. Successful leaders master the art of finding a middle ground when a team presents two diametrically opposed positions. Learning every day entails mastering one’s abilities, being conscious of blind spots and positioning oneself to be amenable to novel ideas.

Thanks my man

Most welcome