The Duties of a Teacher

In light of recent events, I've been inspired to reflect on my profession and the responsibilities it includes. Given that teachers are a part of the development and every day lives of growing children, the responsibilities are very vast. And it had not occurred to me until now, my 8th semester of teaching, that I fully realized what I am charged to do every day.


Teachers must be listeners.
We have to receive every word and idea from our students. We have to hold on to their dreams, their fears, their celebrations, their sorrows. We have to look them and listen to them with undivided attention and reception. We have to confirm to them that they may speak their minds and give their opinions in order to affirm to them that they are important and that what they have to say to us really matters.


Teachers must be messengers.
In addition to delivering our content standards, objectives, academic vocabulary, etc. we are messengers of current events, of coping strategies, of life experience, of expectations and consequences. We communicate to them of the riches that lie outside of the classroom walls, and that's a big responsibility! Everything we tell them, they believe, and their imaginations create, they accredit us for those details. They count on us to bring messages into their language and make connections for them to be excited about discovering in the world.


Teachers must be bodyguards.
As long as they are within the walls of our school, they are ours to protect. From what evil is out in the world, from what evil is within the school or evil within themselves. It's our job to save them from anything that could be harmful.


Teachers must be providers.
We have to provide a safe environment for them to develop, to learn, to make connections and to be themselves. We have to provide them with color, light, images, words, numbers, ideas, concepts, film, theater, music, all the things that they may not have access to when they are not in school. We have to provide opportunities for them to experience something new and incredible. They should look forward to discovering what's next that we have to provide for them. We have to provide experiences that they wouldn't get otherwise, and the empowerment to seek these experiences on their own.



Teachers must bring light.
I've heard this before, and thought it was completely cheesy and difficult. But it is absolutely true. When they bring darkness, when there is darkness outside out classrooms, we have to bring the light. A smile, an embrace, a kind voice, a second chance, a second opportunity, a fresh perspective, something other than the same dark responses or words that they might hear or have in their lives. It is a teacher's responsibility to bring encouragement, positivity, patience, empowerment to ALL students, regardless of their ability or engagement level. They all deserve to have teachers that try their hardest to reach them and give them the light that they need.



This is daunting to think about. However, not impossible. I know plenty of teachers who want to be all these things for students, and also know that it is imperative. And if one is not willing to listen, deliver messages, bodyguard, provide and bring light, then they're in the wrong career!