A few days ago, our school was visited by the a team of school supervisors from the State Education Department. Their visit was unannounced, so everyone was kind of flustered. Administrators and teachers were 'summoned', countless files were scrutinised, some teachers were observed in class... It stirred up quite a deal of resentment among the teachers, as we were pulled out of our comfort zones and kept on our toes throughout the school day. However, one good thing that came out of this was that teachers went into classes on time, and teachers who were rarely seen teaching before were covering the whiteboard with notes while spewing knowledge from their mouths!
In a way, the supervisors' visit was not really a surprise. Being an under-achieving school, we are frequently visited by Education Department officials, from the district level right up to the federal level. It was just a few years back that a whole team of supervisors - about 10 of them - came all the way from Putrajaya, and they left no stones unturned. From office files to academic files, to lesson plans and classroom lessons, nothing escaped their watchful eyes, and by the end of their visit, there was a long list of 'improvements' that we had to make.
Every time they come, the supervisors stress that they are not here to criticise, but to help. Unfortunately, many of us on the receiving end don't take it that way. They are taking us out of our comfort zone, asking us to do more for our students, which means more work, and nobody likes more work. I personally think that a few constructive criticisms aren't going to kill anybody, and many a times, what the supervisors say are absolutely true. Maybe many of us are just in denial, refusing to acknowledge the problems to avoid the extra effort needed to put things right.
On the other hand, I feel that the supervisors should show more empathy towards the teachers as well. In reminding us to do more for the students, they should spare a thought for all the effort we have put in so far, even though we still fall short. Even though we do not work for the rewards, we do appreciate some acknowledgement and support once in a while. It does help to 'recharge our batteries', so to speak. It will also be comforting to know that the 'people on top' are still on our side. Teaching students nowadays are much more difficult and stressful. Many external factors that affect a student's academic performance come into play. Hence, finding a solution is much more complicated than it seems. No one should simply blame the teachers for not doing their jobs and ignore the other factors.
Having said that, I feel that as teachers, it is our job to give the best to our students, no matter what the circumstances. If challenges come our way, it is our job to find a way around them, even if we can't totally overcome them. I mean, we are trained professionally for this, aren't we? Never mind if others do not understand us. We are doing what we do because we care for our students. If more teachers think this way, and not see teaching as just another job - or worst still, as a last resort - we will definitely see more improvements in the field of education.
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