Teach English in GuojiA Zhen - Chongqing

Role of the teacher"The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate 'apparently ordinary' people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people." ~ K. Patricia Cross A teacher is the one who shapes the personality, selects a proper methodology and entire life of children. First of all the role of a teacher in our modern society is considered to be the most valuable and significant. The meaning of teacher?s role is very wide; it can?t be changed during centuries because nobody can be responsible for such an important process as teaching; no other personality can have an influence more profound than that of a teacher. students are deeply affected by the teacher's love and attention, his character, his competence, and his moral commitment. A popular teacher becomes a model for imitation for the students. That?s why many children from the first year of learning dream to be a teacher. Teacher is respected and considered by learners equally with their parents. After completing a school, learners often visit their teachers. Jamie McKenzie stated: "A good teacher knows when to act as Sage on the Stage and when to act as a Guide on the Side. Because student-centered learning can be time-consuming and messy, efficiency will sometimes argue for the Sage. When students are busy making up their own minds, then the role of the teacher shifts. When questioning, problem-solving and investigation become the priority classroom activities, the teacher becomes a Guide on the Side." So teacher is a Sage, A Guide and I would like to add an architect of our future generations, who determines the quality of our future tomorrow. We must understand that teaching is the only profession that teaches all the other professions and so, its significance and greatness is much higher. Only the best, the most intelligent and well ?educated persons are allowed to have this noble profession. In her article Dr. S. Raina explains the role of a Teacher and parents in details. She highlighted the role of a teacher in the society, pointed the role of parents in the process of character building of learners. ?In the past, parents and teachers both used to make the best their efforts to provide an atmosphere to their children similar to the development of higher virtues and morals. But the gross social change over the last years, large scale urbanization, and ruthless competition for financial gains deplete all time and energy from the parents, leaving behind little time or energy for them to monitor their children?. Of course parents must contribute into both processes the educational and up-bringing. They are also responsible for the learners? life. As practice shows a world language is English. Therefore, knowledge of English is essential for social and economic development of any nation. This circumstance makes it necessary to learn English which can not be successfully solved without the training of relevant personnel. The role of English teacher is also should be mentioned as a very important one. They need to make English study as interesting and attractive as possible - so that students will be involved and interested in their subject. They need to teach students how to study English effectively. They need to help students' develop their own plan for studying English, and help students keep their plans - and their interest - alive. Of course students need to know it is up to them to learn the language successfully - and not always wait for a teacher to stuff them. Teacher plays different roles in our life. I would like to mention the role of a teacher at school. Teachers must be at their best in front of kids. There are various roles a teacher has to play in school. The first role of a teacher is that of a facilitator. He should impart all the knowledge and skills related to a particular field. He should also provide children with the right attitude so that they can make the best use of their knowledge and intelligence. One of the other responsibilities of a teacher is guiding students at every stage. He must provide his students with guidance, support, and inspiration so that they can find the right path. Supervising is also one of the good teacher qualities, as he warns and convinces his students if they are involved in wrong things. The role of a teacher in the classroom is very significant. Teachers are no more the people who come to the class, give lectures and walk out. An ideal teacher is someone who seeks the participation of all the students, takes student's opinions into account, uses different teaching means and makes learning a fun activity. Once our teacher at the University said: ?A good teacher teaches from the heart and not from the book?. So, to take up a job as a teacher one must have passion for the subject he is teaching so that he can pass the same passion to his students. The teacher must always be open to learn new things and he must keep his knowledge updated with the latest development in his subject. It is important that the teacher must follow the statement: ?lifelong Education for sustainable development.? In this stage there have actively been introduced ICT technologies with multimedia means. The teacher should be able to make the best use of those opportunities for improving the quality of teaching. As to role of a teacher in society, it is important to point out that it is the teacher who decides if the education system is a success or a failure. As I mentioned earlier, a teacher plays a crucial role in the development of society. I have heard that if you want to study the nature of the citizens of the country then meet some teachers and study their nature. Teachers help mere students to become good human beings with a positive attitude, confidence and motivation to work, to create. Henry Von Dyke has said about teachers and teaching: ?Ah! There you have the worst paid and the best rewarded of vocations. Do not enter it unless you love it. For the vast majority of men and women it has no promise of wealth and fame, but they to whom it is dear for its own sake are among the nobility of mankind. I sing the praise of the unknown teacher, king of himself and leader of the mankind?. This, we may say is the philosophical meaning of teaching, but is very relevant and meaningful also. In conclusion, the role of the teacher influences and makes a tremendous contribution on our society, our life style and our future. The work and potential of a country is evaluated by the work of a teacher. At past and present a teacher directs student?s learning, becomes equal partner and true friend. But sometimes all the mentioned is appreciated not as we would like it to be. I would leave you with a quote by Jacques Barzun that shows the sorry state of teaching profession: "Teaching is not a lost art but the regard for it, is a lost tradition." References Jamie McKenzie ?WIRE SCHOOL? Dr. Raina S. K. ?Role of a teacher? Henry Von Dyke ?Poems about teachers? Jacques Barzun (educator, teacher) ?Quotes? Patricia Cross (scholar of educational research) Classroom Assessment Techniques: A handbook for College Teachers, 2nd Ed. San Francisco