Post discussion Expresses the writer's opinions.
I sometimes wonder if today's young student teachers really know what they're getting themselves into – struggling through their master's thesis and along the way asking themselves the question: “Will I be able to use this?”
If the motivation is that one day you can boast the title of lecturer, or that working at a school is just a stepping stone to “something more interesting and better paid” later – perhaps you should reconsider the whole thing.
There is no lecturer teaching you class management. Having top grades in math, for example, doesn't necessarily make you a good teacher either.
I myself have been an assistant professor in a teacher training college for four years, but would have done well with two years. The only useful food during the student period was the training period. Let's not forget that my years as a substitute (without certified teacher training) taught me an incredible amount.
Many student teachers struggle with mathematics. I even got an average grade. But today, after many years, mathematics is what I enjoy most.
Years of experience have made me skilled. The fact that I struggled at times with arithmetic made it easier for me as a teacher to recognize how students experienced the subject as both demanding and frustrating.
Student teachers today must have more practice in their teaching, and less theory. As a teacher, you have to fill many sometimes demanding roles such as stand-in parent, amateur psychologist, and diplomat.
How do we deal with indecent parents who think the pod is an angel, or students who make extremely offensive comments, or who commit acts of violence? What about those who come from homes in disarray, or children and young people who can barely wear clean clothes or bring lunch from home?
If you make the public mistake of “offending” a student, everything can blow up. Most of the time, you don't get any support from the headteacher – just so you're warned.
Figures issued by the municipal sector organization show that more than one in three newly qualified teachers resigned after five years in the job. Key words here could be role of teacher – guidance – school management.
The undersigned has never personally experienced mistreatment from students, and I am grateful for that.
Read also
Today's youth culture has gone astray
Read also
Being a parent is the most important role one can play
“Explorer. Unapologetic entrepreneur. Alcohol fanatic. Certified writer. Wannabe tv evangelist. Twitter fanatic. Student. Web scholar. Travel buff.”
