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The New Future of Teacherhood
By Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko
Newsdiaryonline
Tue Oct 4,2011
Dr
Oko,International Coordinator, Global Educators for All
Initiative
As the world prepares to observes the international day of
teachers 2011 on October 5, 2011, it is an opportunity to
reflect again on the teaching profession, the challenges it is
facing and the chances of improvement in the future. For some,
teachers are born but others feel that teachers are made. In
whatever way, teachers are born and made. We are all born with
the inherent potentials to become teachers but yet need the
professional training to develop the potentials and master the
skills of teaching. Out of the 7 billion people living on earth
at this time, the UN reports that about 60 million are
professionally trained as teachers. Unfortunately, other
educators, namely, parents and leaders are not mostly
professional trained as teachers are. Teachers remain the
largest professionally trained group in the world and serve as
mediators between the desires of parents and the actions of
leaders. Yet, despite the many expectations from teachers, not
much is being done to inspire teachers, to empower them and
connect them to information, colleagues and resources as well as
to utilize their wisdom and celebrate their accomplishment. Is
this a permanent situation or there is a hope for the future. I
am opportune to view into the past and peep into the future and
tempted to reveal and share on the new future of teacherhood.
Many know about parenthood, fatherhood, motherhood, childhood
and even brotherhood and sisterhood. Yes, there is also
teacherhood and what is its future?
Many do not want to be teachers even though we need many
teachers because teachers are poorly paid, not respected in the
society and are not making the needed impact. Teachers have been neglected, ignored, not recognized and appreciated as well
as rejected for the past two thousand years because of the
rejection of Great Teachers from Heaven who appeared and came
with a new level of teaching but faced unimaginable suffering by
ignorant people of the earth. As the price is being paid, in the
days ahead, true teachers will get well paid. The fortune of
teachers will change drastically and in unimaginable ways in the
next 10 years if we fulfill our responsibility to guide the
people into the new consciousness needed for our age.
As we desire for a new expression of education, we need a new
generation of educators whose reward in heaven shall begin on
earth. However, teachers need to invest their heart, improve
their head, use their hands and create partnership with parents
and leaders as well as bring the families, schools and
communities together. While focusing on quantity of education,
teachers must insist and stand up as champions of quality
education in their communities.
Teachers should lead the way against corruption and resurrect
our dead and decaying families, schools and communities. This is
the new future of teacherhood and we must realize that we are
called to parent, teach and lead with the heart of true parents.
The dictatorial age of teachers as masters and learners as
servants/slaves is over and now is the age of teachers as
parents with learners as children. Teachers must realize that
they are the present kings while their learners are the future
kings. The kingdom of teachers shall be inherited by the future
kings, the learners and we must prepare them as our heirs,
otherwise, our efforts shall end in our own generation.
In the days ahead, as the world has dedicated the 2011 World
Teachers Day theme to “Teachers for Gender Equality”, teachers
need to live by the principles of gender equality and should
expect that teaching requirement shall include couplehood and
schools shall soon disappear for families to become core
institutions of education. Grading learners into "classes"
should be replaced by "families" and each home should have a
study room unlike today's houses decorated by drinking bars,
dining rooms and toilets as major facilities. Religion and
Science should be brought together by the couplehood of software
and hardware in Technology and teachers and learners shall
become one family committed to education of all.
We must re-emphasize that education begins before birth and
parents need professional training to raise the desired children
that we should teach. We should not divorce the content of our
lessons from the needs of the society. The past, present and
future should be guided by teachers to have a common vision. As
no nation can rise beyond the quality of its teachers, we must
ensure that our nation grows beyond the level of being good to
the realm of being better and possibly be the best. As the world
marks the 2011 World Teachers Day, let us reflect and remember
that as teachers we must stand up for gender equality by
providing equal opportunities for all learners beyond the
boundaries of their gender. We must work with colleagues,
whether male or female and should support all learners. Despite
our differences and the differences among learners, we are not
the same but equal and should have equal educational
opportunities.
Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko’s Message for World Teachers
Day 2011 – October 5, 2011.He is
the
International Coordinator, Global Educators for All Initiative
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