FOR KIZANGILA

“Many other school systems in the country face problems in getting rid of teachers accused of misconduct or ineptitude” (“Getting Rid of Bad Teachers” 1). The practice and teaching in the degree of Education is rigorous and is designed to train a student to become a good educator someday; however, not all are bright enough to finish it successfully. What is more intriguing here is that they find ways to become a teacher, and from there spread their ineffectiveness to their students through weak way of teaching. What the author was trying to point out was that even though the education institution tries hard in creating really good teachers and training them as future educators, sometimes they cannot help it and some students who are not well prepared get slip past their graduation and eventually land on a teaching career. This is unacceptable, no student, especially those in college will ever put their own career at risk with some unprepared, not well-experienced teachers. Although debaters and advocates that fight for the rights of teachers argues that society is being unfair for such kind of judgment, nobody can argue if the evidence is almost right to our faces. Timothy Daly said “In our recent report, “The Widget Effect,” we found that most teachers are evaluated based on short and infrequent observations by administrators that put them into one of just two categories: “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” As a result, more than 99 percent of teachers in some districts earn the highest possible rating” (1). No matter how they say it, the people, especially the students know better because they are the ones who see it real time. In accordance to this, the issue of incompetent teachers only heightens the image of the bad teachers who lurks in almost every educational institution.

What is the issue with bad teachers? “I believe that bad teachers exist. I believe that most teachers believe that bad teachers exist” (Greene 1). Even the teachers get to admit that among their glorious titles of masters’ and doctoral degree in Education; there will always be some bad eggs that keep on rotting amongst them. Such surrounds the magnificence that they held within every academic institution. Because of these so-called bad teachers, they are now being doubted if they can really be trusted with the student’s education. “While no one ever hears of American colleges and universities being accused of producing consistently "bad" accountants or bad pharmacists or bad historians or bad computer programmers or bad anthropologists, apparently, those same colleges and universities have turned out a disproportionately high number of "bad" teachers” (Macaray 1). Truly, this statement is more than enough than what we could deny, but not because of any less serious reason but because we see it and it is evident in our society. As time comes, the percentage of teachers who are considered as bad is just going higher and higher. And with this, we fear that the students’ learning experience is being put at stake. The connection of producing bad teachers who are not well-equipped with the knowledge that they are supposed to share is shameful, and should be controlled and eliminated by a more rigid practice and curriculum during studies. To answer the claim of Macaray, where the quote insinuates something like the society is being harsh with the labeling of “bad teachers” is that teachers are supposed to be what they are called. They are expected to teach; they are the ones who will be handling those future anthropologists, computer programmers, pharmacists and all careers we can think of. That is why the expectation as to the authority and characteristics of a teacher is high, because they have very important role in a student’s education life.

The government is trying to update teachers to the fast-paced changes that are happening to us. As evidence, “the Senate introduced their bill to reauthorize the Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 -- The Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act (ATTAIN). ATTAIN builds upon the successful education technology programs that began with No Child Left Behind and focuses more on systemic school redesign through the innovative use of technology” (Wolf 1). By this, teachers are given the chance to update themselves from the old tradition of teaching and make them in tuned with how the students now preferred to be taught. If they are the kind of teachers who are aimed to really teach their students and teach well, they will not sloth over this and try their very best in educating themselves. We are all aware that even the young students are already aware of the power of the internet and all the gadgets used with it. Also, the technology is now offering us a different and exciting way of educating ourselves in various discipline of education. With this in mind, a good teacher should be responsible enough to know and update themselves in this pace. That way, they will be able to be in sync with their students. Another proof that good teachers are the ones who allowed changes and utilize technology is as stated:

“…Alabama's Chilton County Schools, Elmore County Board of Education and Marengo County Board of Education have entered into a partnership to establish a technology mentoring program that facilitates more teacher training and collaboration on technology embedded projects. As a result, teachers report that students are becoming increasingly proficient in acquiring the scientific knowledge base needed to master course content, and science teachers report that students are better prepared for and more attentive in class. Additionally, student attendance has improved and grades are improving” (1).

Such incident not only showed how much a teacher needs to undergo in order to be called good, these also served as a reminder that not all traditional is good, especially when it comes to teaching. Bad teachers are those who stick to it stubbornly, even when he knows that changes are inevitable and is needed in order to get in pace in our lives.

Another reason why teachers are being called bad is due to their personality. “School violence is an issue of national and internation concern, especially because of its adverse impact on students' physical and emotional well-being” (Mona Khoury-Kassabri (1) as qtd. in Akiba, LeTendre, Baker & Goesling, 2002). Truly, behavioral problem of teachers can trigger an emotional turmoil to a student, that way the teacher hinders the full potential of a student to learn and become better in his academics. Another report of a bad teacher was stated by Ryan Buxton (1) in his report, where “An appeals court has upheld Slippery Rock University's right to fire a professor who got drunk and made sexual comments to students during a spring break trip he had supervised.” This only showed the more obvious way a teacher becomes bad; and that it is through committing a more obvious crime or engaging themselves in a situation that requires serious attention from the law. When this happen, the society especially the parents become worried of the possibilities that can happen to the students. One might become corrupted, the other one might be devastated by the kind of treatment they will get from a supposed-to-be well mannered teachers. We would not know exactly, such can have different effects on different students based on how much they were exposed to the wrongdoings of their teachers.

In summary, the depth of badness of a teacher differs from every perspective. There are bad teachers who became bad because of classroom misbehavior; some became bad teachers because they go against the law, while some become bad because they of their social misconduct. All of these factors are not good, and should be found in the jurisdiction of our educational organization. We should all work hard for what is best for our students. In the future, they will be the ones who will help us and our economy to grow more and continue our legacy. If we let a bad teacher or bad teachers to ruin a good career of a student just because they misbehave and act inappropriately, then we also endanger the quality of youth we prepare for our future. Teachers at all cost must act and behave the way they should be: respected and well mannered, and most importantly, knowledgeable and full of wisdom.

Works Cited

Buxton, Ryan. "Fired Professor Robert Ammon Jr. Rightfully Terminated After Sexual Harassment, Court Finds." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 June 2013. Web. 23 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/11/professor-robert-ammon-jr-fired-sexual-harassment_n_3421700.html>.

"Getting Rid of Bad Teachers." Room for Debate Getting Rid of Bad Teachers Comments. www.nytimes.com, 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 June 2014. <http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/getting-rid-of-bad-teachers/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&_r=0>.

Greene, Peter. "Yes, Virginia, There Are Bad Teachers." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 June 2014. Web. 21 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greene/yes-virginia-there-are-ba_b_5507684.html>.

Khoury-Kassabri, Mona1, [email protected]. "The Relationship Between Teacher Self-Efficacy And Violence Toward Students As Mediated By Teacher's Attitude." Social Work Research 36.2 (2012): 127-139. Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 25 June 2014.

Macaray, David. "Exploiting the Myth of the 'Bad' Teacher." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 June 2014. Web. 21 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-macaray/exploiting-the-myth-of-th_b_5490278.html>.

Wolf, Mary. "The Importance of Teacher Professional Development." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Apr. 2009. Web. 21 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-ann-wolf/the-importance-of-teacher_b_191259.html>.