Professional Teaching Standard (Review)

Professional Teaching Standard (PTS) is actually a main reference for teachers and generally explains what a teacher can do and provides a structured path to support the development of teachers. So here are the six main issues relating to this topic:

• discipline
• readiness in facing changes and challenges
• teacher teaching a subject that is not their option
• teacher still using traditional 
• teaching as their last resort
• school vs tuition

Now, the first issue teacher's discipline. Teacher's discipline is very important because they are the role model for their students. Schools tend to set strict rules and regulations for students for example be punctual, do not litter around the school, do not step on certain green grassy area and so on. As teacher, they should follow suit too. However imagine if a teacher constantly come late to school, enter class late, yawn in class, throwing emotions regularly and blaming student with illogical reasons... how will the students think of them... gradually students will follow these teachers footstep and lose respect towards these kind of teachers. Hence teachers should be more responsible, control their emotions remind themselves that they too are not above the rules set by headmaster even though some are merely additional rules. 

Second issue is readiness of teacher in facing changes and challenges. Looking back at ancient times where technology is still new, and computer is not something common or affordable, teachers tend to use cardboard, manila paper, but mostly will stick to whiteboard approach or what we now call it as "chalk and talk" method. So the current trend should be technology-based teaching. However, most teachers still sticking with chalk and talk method, this shows that most teachers are not ready to face changes. This is in fact an important issue as the trend of students are mostly involve with technology such as computers, laptops, i-phone, any new gadgets arise they will explore it. So how can teachers motivate and inspire them if they themselves are not ready to flow along that trend let alone teach them. Besides that, teachers are assign with tonnes of paper work and of course, manage at least a club or uniform body or anything at all. Is definitely not easy, but for example a teacher is only interested in football. So what happens when he/she is assign to manage a badminton club? with little knowledge in that field still he/she must do it. Hence it is advisable that teachers attend course in how to manage an organization, with these they can definitely manage a club, then hire outsiders who are professional in taking over coaching duties.

Third issue, teacher teaching something that is not their option. Well to us, this is without a shadow of a doubt a major issue that needs to be address as soon as possible. Logically thinking, how can these teachers motivate and inspire their students let alone teach, when they don't even know what they are doing is like instructing a national football player to play in a national tournament for badminton, and these chosen players are suppose to inspire the whole nation. So, the statistics department have a major role in solving this issue. An important note here is that if a teacher is teaching a subject "A" that is not his/her option, should he/she fill up the statistics form saying that she is A subject teacher or instead the other way round.     

Fourth issue, teaching still using traditional method of teaching, well you guys might wanna review back paragraph containing second issue.

Fifth issue,  teaching career as their last resort. Again, you cannot do well in something that you don't like or enjoy doing it. You will feel "burn out" after a short period of time, low in confidence, miserable... Thinking back, nowadays, after secondary school students graduated from their respective schools, some tend to come back and serve the school. Their motives are good and we are not questioning it, but without proper training, are they eligible to teach at all. Some schools even let these "former students" take over the entire role of the teacher on leave (such as maternity leave in which these leave is quite a long period). Indirectly, society will see it as teaching is a very easy profession, with inadequate knowledge or even knowledge equivalent to form 5 or 6 will be able to teach. Seriously, is that true? According to my teacher, qualified teacher that is, even a daily lesson plan require a day or two to do it (to perfection as her lesson is truly beneficial yet fun), well what can we say then...  

Sixth issue, school vs tuition (beware this is not fighting game, joking). Shop lots in housing area will have at least three tuition centers, in town or city centers a tuition center can be as large as a few floors or even two blocks of office building. Question here is why the need for tuition when schools provide cheaper education? Let us compare, schools are equip with classrooms (some with ceiling fans while some are air-conditioned), laboratories (science and computer), arts room, canteen, ... while tuition center provide classrooms that are air conditioned, ... what else more... Weird. The truth is through tuition, students are more expose to doing exercise be familiar with the "common question". In short this might be due to our too exam-oriented style of education. This indirectly causes students (more importantly parents) to shift their focus to theory based-learning or even exercise-based learning and they score well in exams! School is actually providing a more all rounded education from theory to practical and even surviving skills.