Should the best teachers be sent to weak schools for the purpose of raising their standard of Education?

Sunil Sarkar August, 2013

Introduction
A good teacher is a compassionate, social, ideological and spiritual servant who serves the community through schooling to help the weak, needy and unlearned. A good teacher is somebody to be desired to educate any new generation in all times, born teachers, have charisma to lead, not boring and student does not feel restricted or afraid (Lnemets, Kalamees-Ruubel & Sepp, 2012, p.27). Good teachers have characteristics such as kindness, passionate, calm, respectful, firm, understanding and encouraging in making personal connection with the students (Lewis, 2008, p. 1). Teachers are key personals to assure learning standards and quality for a learner, school and the society. A weak school has a weak system in which the students have low cognitive ability, low learning desire and less interaction with the teachers and peer partners. The weak schools also have weak teachers, limited facilities, poor curriculum, and poor learning environment. The teachers get low wages, teach ineffectively and hold on to irrelevant traditional knowledge instead of the contemporary inquiries, innovations and discoveries. The good teachers must be sent to weak schools to

improve its knowledge quality, school culture and environment to benefit the society.

Basic arguments about a good teacher in a weak school

A school with low quality education has a complex system which is hard to be changed with just a best teacher. To improve the standard of the school needs infrastructural, economic, human and material development which a mere teacher cannot improve, instead he/she may destroy themselves. However, the determination of a best or ideal teacher is to be a caring professional for his/her learners to raise the school to its strongest standard. She/he must be able to effectively train the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the students to improve the society through building a professional community in the school. Every best teacher has an attitude to help the students, schools, societies and the world. We need to train our teachers to learn the true purpose of education is to redeem the students through education in the weak and needy schools. Usalis (2013) state that: Raising the standard is so important, especially in the society that we live in today. We must remember that the main standard is the cross of Christ, and that we place that cross before every child as his or her motivation for everything else that they do". (p. 2)

Reasons for not sending the good teacher in weak schools?

Sending the best teacher to a weak school may not effectively help to improve the quality standard of a school as the development of the whole school does not depend on just a teacher. To raise the standard a school needs good philosophy; mission, vision, objectives, environment, methods, activities, facilities, training and resources which even a group of teachers cannot achieve. If a best teacher goes to a weak school, she/he may find hard time to help own self rather than helping the students or the school. He/ She will surely lack motivation to enrich a school standard all alone. The quality itself along with the curriculum, environment, nourishment, payment and contextualization are some important reasons why it may not be effective to send the best teachers to weak schools to improve the standards. Quality: It takes time, resources and effective activities for a school to develop its quality. Quality is a multifaceted concept which encompasses how learning is organized and managed, what level of learning to be achieved, what leads in terms of outcomes and what goes on in the learning environment ( Madeuewesi, 2005, p.2). To raise the quality it needs a systematic planning and strategic improvement (Boraham & Ziarati, 2002). A school cannot be improved day and night with the arrival of a good teacher. The school needs to gradually raise its cognitive ability,

resources, finance and environment collaborating holistically. We also need a good principal to bring up a good school. It involves policy panning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of various program ( Okobia, 2012, pp. 1-4). Curriculum: The quality of a curriculum determines a quality of a school. If we want to improve a school standard we need to first improve the curriculum quality. A curriculum specialist has an important task to organize in curriculum to ensure the raising of the school standard. What are the content, methods, strategies and activities the school is going to use to educate the students helps to raise the standard. What the curriculum predicts is what the teachers teach to maintain the standard of a school. So, it is important that a school should have a progressive curriculum to develop a school. A good teacher will not be able to raise a standard if there ineffective content. The curriculum determines the content, objectives, goals, aims and philosophies of learning quality and standards. Environment: The learning environment in which a student learns is much more important than a best teacher or a group of good teachers. The classroom textbooks, tools, materials, furniture, laboratory and facilities the school has determine their effective learning. More aids and resources can help a learner to acquire more learning experiences as they directly get acquainted with the tools, materials and

utensils they are going to use after accomplishing the studies. Schools offering professional courses must provide equipments and material resources for the teachers and students to ensure quality learning. Over all in present days the teachers are facing multiple challenges, diversities, responsibilities and moral issues along with many natural, social and cultural environments (Lnemets, Kalamees-Ruubel & Sepp, 2012, p.27) to cope to maintain a standard. The principal, staffs and faculties together ensures an environment which helps effective learning and rising of the standard. Environment is designed to contribute to childrens physical, educational, cultural and socio-emotional wellbeing, offers opportunities for fantasy and innovation, and employs creative and sports-based learning methods, among others, in both formal and informal settings ( Kangas, 2010, p.1). A good environment determines good standards and holistic development of education. Nourishments: Proper nourishments make a student healthy, active and effective during learning. To improve a school standard we need to improve the school meals. A weak school usually has students with poor socio-economic status (especially in developing countries), who need food first much more than instruction or a best teacher. Ruth Kelly(2005) said that parents must have a greater role in improving the standard of their child's school meal, empowered to work with schools,

examine what is on the menu, and what can be improved (p.10). Many students often suffer malnutrition and which affects their academic performances. In many schools in London today the schools are co-operating with parents to serve healthy meal in their school as government has passed legislation for the students to have healthy and standard meals for effective and standard education (Kelly, 2005, pp. 1-4). It means in weak schools the physical need comes ahead of mental need. Payment: For a best teacher to be in a weak school is a hard task as often there is no proper environment for him/her to flourish. It is usually hard for the weak school to pay to a best teacher. A small pay for the best teacher will surely affect his lifestyle, teaching styles and motivation. At the same time if the school pays different teacher different payment it will not be fair for those who receives less payment. All the teachers will be expecting the same wages which will oppress the school and it may bring hindrance for the quality improvement. Wagner & Porter (2000) finds a strong evidences that the average starting wages of the teachers in given school district depend positively on the average starting wages of teachers in neighboring districts ( p.2) Contextualization:

Contextualization of learning occurs when curriculum content and the methods and materials associated with it are directly related to the experiences and environment of the learner ( Taylor, Peter; Mulhall, Abigail,1997, para. 1). The teacher from the local area knows better how to deal with the students than a teacher from another school. They know their behavior, aptitude, learning spirit and how to motivate the students. It is not a best teacher who changes the schools but a group of local teachers who have love and understanding for their students, schools and the community.

True meaning and true work of a teacher

The work of education and the work redemption are one (White, 1952, P. 20). A teacher needs to redeem his/her students through various truthful teachings and experiences of life which will save them from the bondage of sin. A best teacher is always happy to see his/her students learn, prosper and accomplish the task. He/she always positively look forward to reward his students rather than punishment. It is always a pleasure for a best teacher to touch the life of a weak student and grow potentials in them to be fitted with the core knowledge and standards required by the school. He/she is always there to serve the students voluntarily, help the school and help the community for sake of his compassion, spirit teaching and wellbeing for God and human.

Teacher as culture builder: Best teachers have a deep sense of humor for the culture of the school. Once a school culture is build, it leads the whole school toward a learning success. A best teacher can be a motivational leader for the school to promote a learning culture and spirit in the school. At the same time multi- cultural educational patter has a great effect on the quality of the schools today. Different culture comes with different knowledge pattern. Jianchun (2013) describes about different culture need different cognition receptivity, comprehensive ability and sense of identity (p. 136). Different educational cultural environments prioritize teachers' skills and knowledge differently. The reflective practice of recognizing and accepting knowledge is a work of a professional in the environment of a school culture (Lnemets, Kalamees-Ruubel & Sepp, 2012, p.28). The teachers of the schools with the students and administrators build a culture in the school which will help the society they live. Teacher as community leader: The teacher builds the students cognitive, meta-cognitive, motivational and behavioral pattern to build a community. Teachers among themselves suppose to build a professional learning community (PLC) to learn from one another and to effectively teach one another (Dufor, 2004, pp.1-5). A best teacher can contribute much to help other teachers, administrators and students to motivate to learn

effectively. The knowledge, skills, ideology, moral value, character education the students acquire from the school builds their community. A best teacher is a mentor for the school and his community. Teacher as social leader: The dynamic of relationship between teachers and students has been of particular significance since cooperative learning became recognized as a most supportive environment for studies. Cooperative and collaborative learning is a personal philosophy of a teacher striving for educational excellence, not just a classroom technique. People come as groups actions to enhance excellence of individuals which are in contrast to competition. (Lnemets, Kalamees-Ruubel & Sepp, 2012, p.26-28). Teacher as servant A best teacher is a humble man who is always there to help the students to improve their ideas, behaviors and experiences. He is not authoritative but has humble intention to help the learning need of students even in challenging situations. His intention is not to punish the students but to reward the students teaching in love even holding their hands if necessary. Seventh-day Adventist upholds that: The teacher will have love, kindness, and tenderness for the scholars under his charge, he will feel that as a faithful servant he must discipline and

preserve order in his class. If truth is cherished, the love of the Saviour is revealed in his words and deportment. The word of God with him is not a dead letter; he will give not only lip service, but heart service (Ellen G. White, 2012, pp.25-26). A best teacher is a savant of God to serve for human kind. He/she finds joy in teaching, handling and sacrificing their life for the students.

Conclusion
A best teacher must face challenges to raise the standard of a weak school which I would consider as a noble task to be a teacher for the cause of humanity and kingdom of God. Before sending a good teacher to a weak school the administrators must first consider that the schools curriculum provides proper provisions, contents, strategies and methods for a good teacher to explore in the school. Even though a best teacher has the potentials to gradually change the instructions, strategies, quality and environment of the school, it requires patients, innovations and time to raise the standard. He can motivate the school inhabitants to have an appropriate learning culture to build a professional learning community in the school to effectively teach the students and build the community in the society in general. Even if the teacher does not receive enough wages and the school directs against his knowledge, skills and professional experiences, he needs to have compactions, endurance and motivation to help the school raise its standard. By building a good relationship with the administrators, teachers,

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