American historian, Henry Adams (1838-1918) once said: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
“Teaching is fundamental for a country’s social and economic growth and would benefit the future generations. Teaching has been in place for the past millennium and has evolved from the show-and-tell practice to a more contemporary method in which students are able to grasp more knowledge. To begin with, there are recognizable disparities amongst a classroom teacher, a school librarian and a school principal. Teachers have played a crucial role in an individual’s childhood.
My role as a teacher is not only educating students on the common requirements such as literacy and numeracy but to guide them by being a role model and encourage a love for learning. My main task is to teach my students lessons which could be implemented in the real world and would shape them into being esteemed members and leaders of the society. Maintaining discipline, creating lesson plans, encouraging students to do their best, listening to students needs, allowing students to actively participate in classroom activities and providing feedbackallows me to live up to the roles of a controller, prompter and participant. Introducing the students to world problems such as racism and poverty can be implemented by helping out in community services and volunteer work in places such as orphanages, refugee camps and elder’s homes.
In this manner, the students are able to connect with their community and the diversity in the society. Communication with parents about the progress of students is vital for their academic and social growth. However, the role of a principal compared to a teacher is higher up the administrative hierarchy. A principal is the organizational representative of the school. A principal’s role consists of a variety of aspects compromising of the safety of the school, providing an exceptional learning environment, setting the school policies, evaluation of work done by the teachers in the classroom, making decisions based on school programs and necessities of the school. A teacher’s role compared to that of the principal can be quite similar. They both communicate with parents, teachers and students and enforce discipline in the school premises. However, the effect the principal has on the students is extensive but not as deep as the influence a teacher shares with his or her students.
The words of the former president of India, A. P. J Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) gives a perspective of the influence the teacher has: “Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and the future of an individual….
“Finally, the role of the school librarian is evaluated. A librarian is at the subordinate functioning end of the administrative hierarchy. This is because they facilitate learning only by providing the exterior sources of information, encouraging students to read and enabling them to accomplish the learning goals identified under the school syllabus. They are also responsible for the managing the resources of the library to ensure that students learning requirements are fulfilled. To sum up, the competency levels required for each professional role varies.
In comparison to a principal and librarian being a teacher is a persistent profession. On the whole, our aim as a professional organization is to help our students achieve their dreams and to consider life as a reality to be experienced.
