Last Thursday, October 15th, all Brazil celebrated the Teacher's day. This post is a tribute to this very important professional. This post is a summary of three articles. The first published http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/2015teacherdayweek.prc.rel.pdf. The second was published at http://teach.com/what/teachers-change-lives/teachers-are-role-models. The third was published at http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/2/12A/6/
Every child deserves a chance to achieve their dreams. A world-class education can unlock a young person's potential and empower them with the knowledge and skills to reach their highest aspirations. As a nation, we must provide every girl and boy with such an opportunity, and this can not happen without great teachers. On Teachers's Day, we honor outstanding teachers and the vital role they play in the lives of our sons and daughters and the success of our country. In classrooms, talented and hardworking teachers are nurturing a new generation of thinkers, doers, and dreamers. They teach the subjects ans skills that will fuel the next century of growth and innovation, as well as the virtues and values, like character, compassion, creativity and resilience, that will prepare their students to take on the challenges of the future. Our best teachers are role models who show our kids how to work hard and pursue a brighter tomorrow. They encourage and help the students realize the best versions of themselves. Teaching is an all-encompassing commitment, and teachers make enormous sacrifices to support their students. Great teachers make a lasting impact on their students' lives. When a young person learns from a exceptional teacher, they are more likely to graduate, attend college, and succeed later in life. They deserve our gratitude and thanks. This week, as we remember the teachers who touched our lives and shaped our futures, let us recommit to supporting those who serve in our country's classrooms.
A role model is a person who inspire ans encourages us to strive for greatness, live to our fullest potential and see the best in ourselves. A role model is someone we admire. We learn through them, through their ability to make us realize our own personal growth. A role model can be anybody: a parent, a sibling, a friend but some of our most influential and life-changing role models are teachers. Teachers are poised to become one of the most influential people in the student life. After their parents, children will first learn from their elementary school teacher. Then, as a middle school teacher, you will guide students through yet another important transition: adolescence. As children become young adults, , you will answer their questions, listen to their problems and teach them about this new phase of their lives. Much of what students learn from their greatest teachers is not detailed on a syllabus. Teachers who help us grow people are responsible for imparting some of life's most important lessons. During their initial school years, students encounter, perhaps for the first time, other children of the same age and begin to form some of their first relationships. As a teacher, you will show your students how to become independent, you will carefully guide them and intervene when necessary. School is as much a place of social learning as academic learning, and this is true, not only in our early years of education, but all the way through college. Teachers are founts of experience. They have already been where their students are going, undergone what they will go through and are in a position to pass along lessons, not only regarding subject matter, but lessons on life.
This article introduces the importance of democratic values and place the role of teachers in the present democratic world. Schools are places where democratic ideals such as equality, freedom and justice are instilled in individuals. Teachers are instruments of change. For democracy to continue to thrive, students must be taught to value it as a way of live. The necessary skills for building democracy do not develop automatically in students. Teaching democracy means preparing students to become citizens who will preserve and shape democracy in the future. Therefore democracy should be a key aspect in every form of education. Students should learn about taking responsibility for their action. These educational outcomes are only possible through action. While key concepts of democracy should be understood by students, living and acting in a democratic environment is the only and the best exercise. Schools, institutions, and organizations and even families that respect democratic principles and have real democratic structures function as the best models to help students learn what democracy is about. Teachers should democratize their pedagogy so that students and newest teachers understand and learn skills of democratic practice. The appropriate balance between critical components skills, knowledge and dispositions, on one hand, and an open, dynamic and critically engaged curriculum, on the other hand has not yet been attained. Democratic values should be reflected in all walks of life and in all aspects of society. A growing body of research shows that teacher's sense of eficacy is connected to their commitment to teaching, students's academic achievement and motivation. Similarly, the literature shows that teacher effectiveness is supported by democratic values and beliefs of teachers. Democracy is regarded as a 'way of life' interrelated with the perceptions and assumptions, common experiences of individuals. So, it can be state that democracy is not a static concept but a dynamic, active and changing process. Mere knowledge of democratic processes is not deemed suficient for ensuring that the student will grow to become an active participant in the democratic processes. Teacher has to play an important role in ensuring that the students understand not merely the form but ther spirit of democracy. Teachers who want to practice democracy should demonstrate their beliefs by giving importance to democratic values in high esteem and adopt appropriate methods in accordance with those values. If democracy is to become a way of life, we certainly need teachers with a strong commitment to democratic education.
