No one should pretend that it is easy being a teacher. Whether they are working in primary, secondary or higher education, the job is demanding. It is not simply a question of passing on knowledge. There is discipline to be kept, which among boisterous young people, full of energy, is sometimes no easy task. Then there is the question of motivation. Really good teachers, and we all know from our own childhoods, that not everyone who stands up in a classroom is necessarily outstanding, will inspire his or her class. Teachers need to make young people want to learn, to appreciate the importance of knowledge and understanding.
That is not a simple matter. Not every pupil is able to advance at the same rate. Grading classes is only a partial solution. The wise teacher will always be ready to go the extra mile to help students who are having difficulty grasping, something that they are being taught.
Patience, encouragement, besides a wide knowledge of their particular subjects, are the makings of outstanding educators. Time and again, people remember with affection, a few of their teachers who, through their skill and forbearance, gave them a “Eureka” moment, when suddenly a seemingly incomprehensible piece of study, suddenly became clear and opened the way to further learning and insights. By the same token, may adults will recall a bad teacher who served to put them off a particular subject. If proof was needed, this demonstrates just how precious good educators can be.
Thus it may seem hard that teachers in the Kingdom have been asked to shorten their school holidays and go in to work, a full two weeks before their pupils return to their desks. Whatever the legal niceties of the case that state school teachers have currently brought before the courts, it cannot be denied that at the end of every frenetic term, teachers do deserve a decent rest.
Nor should it be assumed that our educators will spend their time off sitting around doing nothing. Lessons do not teach themselves. Before every term, there is course preparation to be done. It is very likely that, as it is, the most dedicated teachers are already starting work, scheming out the new term, in that same two week period where it is now being said that they should be going into the school. Lesson planning may, it is true, become easier as a teacher gains experience and can dust off courses that they have used before. This however does not mean that old teaching schedules can simply be recycled.
Every teacher, especially in science subjects, has to take account of the latest advances and discoveries. Even a history teacher will need to keep abreast of the latest research and very often, add greater relevance to the subject, by setting current events around the world, in their historical perspective.
In the final analysis, the future of the Kingdom rests in the hands of those who take classes. Whether it is instructing primary school kids in how to behave properly to each other, as well as giving them basic literacy and numeracy skills; whether it is giving a thorough grounding in all the core subjects of secondary education, or whether it is taking young minds in higher education and preparing them to graduate into a demanding, high technology world, at every level teachers play a pivotal role.
No one would claim that they are the best-paid workers in Saudi society. Moreover, surely no one would pretend that teaching is a job that just anyone can do. We value our children and we hope and expect that they will make a real contribution to the rapid economic and social transformation that the Kingdom is undergoing. That being the case, we need to be sure that we also value those we entrust with the crucially important task of forming their young minds and filling them with knowledge.
Perhaps part of the problem is that apart from parents’ evenings and school reports, families see very little of the educational process through which their children are passing. Not every kid will come home bubbling with the things they have learned that day. Nor unfortunately, is every parent particularly interested,
Yet a proper and rounded education is essential to the future of Saudi Arabia. The teaching profession is probably still undervalued by many people and is not accorded the respect it merits. Good teachers deserve a decent rest. If a better system of assessing classroom performance were in place, then maybe it would only be the under-performers who were required to go into school two weeks early, so that they can brush up on their skills.
Editorial: The pivotal role of teachers
