Teachers influence society as a whole through educating the future generation. They also assist the next generation in developing into well-rounded, loving, ethical young adults through safeguarding and pastoral care. Young adults who have an impact on people around them.
We cannot always create a future for our kids, but we can create a future for our youth.
Looking at Roosevelt’s remarks above, never in recent years have we as a society been so desperate for hope – a light at the end of a dark and perilous tunnel, and a tunnel that we are all in together around the world.
Throughout the pandemic, schools have been at the forefront of discussions and debates – but why?
People want to be teachers because they want to make a difference in the world. This stems from an innate sense of compassion, which could be influenced by their own positive (or unpleasant) school experiences. They are frequently deeply compassionate and selfless. Teachers frequently describe being “drawn” to teach; they feel compelled to serve children.
I primarily work in Initial Teacher Education: according to UCAS figures, applications to train for Qualified Teacher Status have increased by over 20% this year. Many people wish to be teachers.
Teaching is frequently ridiculed as a vocation; many connect the workload of the teacher with that of the student and imagine that working days are 9 – 3 and that all 13 weeks of vacation are spent relaxing; this is not the case.
This is not an essay to debunk falsehoods or portray teachers as modern martyrs, but rather a love letter to why teachers are so vital and why they must be supported at all times to continue develop.
We all had teachers; we all were taught; we all received ‘grades’ of some kind that, for the most part, enabled us to make decisions later in life.
One of life’s few constants is education.
‘Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to be a teacher…’, to paraphrase Goodfellas (and echo what I hear at the outset of most of the interviews I conduct).
What kind of influence do teachers have on students?
The NCES collected the following statistics last year:
During their career, the average teacher will have an impact on over 3000 students.
A teacher has helped 54% of pupils overcome a challenging condition in their life.
88% say a teacher has had a good impact on them.
Teachers are viewed as mentors and role models by 75% of students.
Teachers have increased the confidence and self-esteem of 83% of students.
Statistics are marvelously adaptable, but they must be derived from somewhere.
Teachers and teaching are often regarded favorably by people who are influenced by them; however, we are interested in the extrapolation from the classroom to society as a whole.
But, after all, isn’t a school a microcosm of the larger society it represents?
Every day, there is variety, diversity, mixed ability, laughter, tears, achievement, failure, inspiration, opportunity, hope, connections, and interactions; our school years shape us.
Statistics are marvelously adaptable, but they must be derived from somewhere.
Teachers and teaching are often regarded favorably by people who are influenced by them; however, we are interested in the extrapolation from the classroom to society as a whole.
But, after all, isn’t a school a microcosm of the larger society it represents?
Every day, there is variety, diversity, mixed ability, laughter, tears, achievement, failure, inspiration, opportunity, hope, connections, and interactions; our school years shape us.
They are role models, touchstones, influencers, and inspirers, in addition to providing instructional delivery to pupils from early childhood through adulthood.
I suppose we can look at the statement’s wording.
However, expectations are frequently hampered by inaccuracy or a lack of a complete picture; as Asimov famously stated, “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge!”
The standards are both a guide to professional behavior and a reminder of responsibility; if you are new with them, please look at the onus put on individuals ‘in loco parentis’ to ‘uphold public trust’ and’maintain high standards of ethics and behavior’ both within and outside of school.
Teachers receive Safeguarding training, are familiar with pastoral care, have subject knowledge, and must be able to manage the delivery of content in a way that allows others to learn it – all of which are excellent attributes.
For many years, educators and philosophers have sought solutions and definitions for the influence of teaching:
Buber considered the teacher as the ‘community builder,’ playing a critical role in the development of individuals’ personalities.
Freire expanded on this in his outstanding ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed,’ stating that education was fundamentally political, with teachers holding enormous sociopolitical power; teachers educate the next generation, influencing the direction of society as a whole.
Politicians, activists, thinkers, and leaders are all quoting about the power of education and how it can transform the world.
Teachers, once again, play a key part in enabling our abilities to read, write, communicate, analyze, think critically, and grasp ethics.
What Characteristics Characterize an Effective Teacher?
An effective teacher is one who serves as a role model for young people via tenacity, enthusiasm, and empathy. They can also transform previously unknown topics and ideas not just into a language that their students comprehend, but also into the context in which they are relevant.
Teachers reduce the intricate, the complex, and make the abstract ‘real’ through their skilled approach to passing knowledge to the next generation.
They serve as an acculturator for individuals for whom doors are frequently shut or, worse, hidden; they expose students to thoughts and ideas with which they would not have otherwise come into contact.
Teachers assist society by enabling the accumulation of capital – social, emotional, and cultural capital – that would otherwise go unacquired.
There is a plethora of story, study, and thought that has gone into defining good classroom instruction – but that is a topic for another day.
According to Duckworth et al. (2009) research, good instructors have specific personality traits and qualities that extend beyond those of a teacher.
The study’s authors also remark that “teachers who are more satisfied with their lives may be more adept at engaging their students, and their zest and enthusiasm may spread”; once again, this becomes infectious and presents itself in the wider community as well as the classroom.
Teachers, too, must maintain a healthy skepticism, but never become cynical; cynicism, according to Freire, is important to formative conversation and critical thinking.
What Is the Influence of Education?
Without education, there is no informed leadership in the next generation, no role models for youngsters to look forward to, and no development of new ideas to take society forward. We would not be able to function without education.
Education is recognized to have transforming power; this power is thus held by educationalists, those who translate intent into impact through implementation – teachers and school leaders; pastoral staff; and safeguarding officers.
Wherever children went hungry during the pandemic, schools came to their aid with breakfast clubs, Food Bank campaigns, delivered packed lunches, and Free School Meal vouchers.
The ASCL Ethical Leadership framework emphasizes personality traits and aspects that instructors aspire towards, such as selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
Trust, wisdom, kindness, justice, service, courage, and optimism underpin them.
Schools and colleges support children and youth by assisting them in becoming fulfilled and valued citizens. As role models for the next generation, how we act as leaders is just as essential as what we do.’
Teachers must be not only recruited, but also well-trained and well-supported, as their impact on students is undeniable.
The EPI recommended in its 2018 report:
‘There is an obvious need for a coordinated, long-term plan concentrating on teacher retention and development, particularly in schools serving disadvantaged areas.’
Retain exceptional instructors, and kids will make more progress; to retain, value – research from Kraft and Papay (among others) indicates that a supportive working environment is a key indicator of teacher retention, and thus consistency and quality.
Teachers who feel respected will stay, and if they stay, they will improve. If they improve, so will the outcomes, and the outcomes will spill over into the communities that the schools serve.
The Right Hon. Charles Clarke (himself an ex-teacher) makes two significant remarks in the introduction of the CUP study ‘Transforming Societies Through Education’:
‘The two most essential educational relationships any child will ever have are those with his or her parents and relatives, and those with instructors.’
‘The greatest asset any government can have in supporting educational change and improvement in their country is brilliant, demanding, and forward-thinking teachers.’
Clarke virtually channels Freire again in the latter, putting politics alongside instruction and giving it governmental clout.
Teachers are responsible for their own professional growth; they aspire to be the greatest teachers they can be, not just competent teachers. Teachers that model this behavior for their students are modeling the behavior of a successful next generation of adults.
Teachers, on the other hand, must be held accountable for their own quality.
“Students who are taught by expert teachers demonstrate a more integrated, coherent, and higher level of abstraction understanding of the concepts targeted in instruction than other students.”
This is important to remember; Berliner (2004) also reminds us that it takes 5 – 7 years to attain expertise in teaching, with competence arriving a couple of years earlier if hard work is involved.
The hard-working attitude that effective teachers have can pay dividends; Rattan et al (2012) discovered that teachers with the fabled ‘growth-mindset’ were more likely to enforce strategic approaches to improving student outcomes, rather than simply offering platitudes – the focus on ‘what’, the ‘doing’, was what mattered.
Teachers’ mindsets influence their teaching and pedagogy, which in turn influences the behaviors and approaches of the students they teach.
Rosenthal and Jacobson discovered in their renowned Pygmalion study in 1966 that “when teachers expected that certain children would show greater intellectual development, those children did show greater intellectual development.”
Rising tides float all ships, and no one rises to low expectations. Consider the renowned Austin’s Butterflies sequence and Ron Berger’s work on developing a ‘ethic of excellence’; if teachers are to be persuasive, they must influence correctly!
Remember Haim Ginott’s (1972) words:
“I’ve come to the terrifying conclusion that I am the deciding factor in the classroom.” The climate is created by my particular approach. My everyday mood determines the weather. As a teacher, I have the incredible power to make a child’s life miserable or joyful. I can be a torture device or a source of inspiration. I can either humiliate or heal. In every case, my response determines whether a crisis is intensified or de-escalated, and whether a child is humanized or dehumanized.”
Giving and receiving feedback is one part of teacher-student contact; through their education, students learn firsthand the power and relevance of feedback in making better decisions, as well as how to deal with setbacks.
Teachers must also ensure that feedback is provided in a timely, formative, and rational manner; Burnett (1999) discovered that more frequent positive statements by teachers were strongly associated to students speaking more positively to themselves and seeing themselves as good learners.
Positive interactions lead to positive self-perceptions and longer-lasting consequences of this, as also noted by Rattan above; the importance of the teacher and their role as a force for good cannot be understated.
There is no denying that teachers change lives. You are a part of the future of our kids and young people, so thank you for choosing to become a teacher.
All kids gain from effective instruction; teachers matter; and teachers are advantageous to society. overall education
How is general education beneficial to society?
Economic advantages to society are largely dependent on education. The importance of education is seen by Tyler Butler of 11 Eleven Consulting in terms of how it benefits entire communities. She shares her opinions with us below.
Teachers are starting to realize that students’ experiences outside of the classroom matter just as much as their experiences inside it in determining educational outcomes, particularly variations in educational achievements.
They are aware that working with students calls for a deeper understanding of place. Children’s experiences at school and chances of success are influenced by factors like their homes and the people and things in the neighborhood.
Schools can only get better when a community has a skilled and educated workforce.
Citizens who are prepared to contribute to their communities are those with higher levels of education.
Increased employment and earning potential, which in turn contribute to a more stable economy and thriving populace, can be considered as having certain advantages.
Education increases one’s economic security and increases earning capacity, which enables one to help others and support causes, such as underfunded institutions of higher learning.
Significant research has also demonstrated the importance of education in achieving better health. Adults with higher levels of education are also more likely to vaccinate their kids and undergo routine medical exams.
The relationship between education and improved mental health, happiness, and trust may be the most underappreciated benefit of school. They are more likely to live longer and happier lives as a result of the positive correlations between contributing to society and being in better health.
