World Teachers’ Day
5 October marked World Teachers’ Day and the Faculty of Education commemorated this by starting a new academic year with 156 new entrants into its Initial Teacher Education course, the Master in Teaching and Learning.
These students join another 87 who are in their second year, as well as hundreds of other students who are currently enrolled with the Faculty either in first degree education courses or in postgraduate courses which serve to further their studies.
These numbers place a huge responsibility upon the Faculty. It is aware that being a teacher requires one to adopt multiple roles simultaneously and to discern which is the most adequate according to the needs their learners present in class. This also requires teachers to be accountable for a range of processes and outcomes, some of which they have no control over.
They need to use their knowledge, experience and reflexive selves to make good decisions, to evaluate every scenario and its potential repercussions and to ensure that they are providing a learning inductive environment for their students. It is precisely because of these complexities that teaching is so rewarding. It is anything but mechanical – it is a unique, very personal activity which brings you closer to people; it requires a rich dose of humanity but it also allows for the bonding with learners which all teachers crave for and appreciate when achieved.
The Faculty helps the students develop into effective practitioners and nurture in them the love of teaching. Its role goes beyond the teaching of educational theory or curriculum planning. “We want teachers in our schools who understand where their responsibilities lie and rise to the occasion in an effective and professional manner. We are striving to develop teachers who are also critical in their approach to education, activists in their communities and vocal in the face of injustice. It is thus important to thank all teachers who are good exemplars of this mission and to celebrate the act of teaching which served to change so many lives for the better,” the Faculty said.