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A teacher is not only an educator, but also someone who fulfills many other
roles in assuring the best education is provided for their students. Discuss.
In society, a teacher is often perceived as someone who teachers or educates
others by providing them with information, however a teacher is much more
than this. A teachers role consists of many different things, which are imperative
in providing the best education for their students. A teacher acts as a mentor and
role model for their students, they must motivate their students and promote
student engagement and participation while also providing a positive working
environment in which their students feel comfortable. Teachers must have the
ability to manage the behaviour of their students, they must be able to easily
adapt to things that may be foreign which arise in their classroom and they must
act professionally. A Teacher is not only an educator, they do not just regurgitate
information and expect results from their students, they fulfill many other roles
and invest a significant amount of their time ensuring the best education is
provided for their students and the best results can be achieved with all that they
provide.

Teachers spend quite a significant amount of time with their students and play a
very important part of their lives. They are to guide their students through their
childhood acting as a mentor, a role model and almost the equivalent of a
surrogate parent. As a teacher, you may find certain students who lean on you
for support and come to you for advice or to share their good news. Positive
adult contact is crucial to raising well-balanced children and apart from parents,
teachers are the main source of knowledge and values for children. Teachers
who prepare themselves as mentors increase the potential to enhance student
growth and development, help students maximize education experiences, and
enrich their own teaching experience and professional development (Zachary,
2002). Students can tell when their teachers genuinely care about them and are
trustworthy, honest, and respectful (Lumpkin, 2008). These are the qualities
that students need, to be able to feel comfortable speaking to their teachers and
forming positive relationships with them. Teachers can serve as role models by
teaching and demonstrating character and moral virtues of honesty, trust,

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fairness, respect, and responsibility making them one of the main pillars of a
sound and progressive society (Lumpkin, 2008 p45). Teachers mentor students
to aid personal development and to encourage students to make wise choices.
Successful mentoring can only take place through building and maintaining a
positive relationships (Zachary, 2002). Many students say teachers who are
mentors really connect with them and help guide them through the process of
self- discovery and everything these teacher say will have an impact on these
students and their lives (Zachary, 2002). It is important to remember that
students come from different backgrounds and families. Some students may
require a parent figure in their lives and the teacher may fulfill this position
having great importance in the students life. This is also where it is important
for male teachers to be present in the school, as some students may need a father
figure in their lives providing an opportunity to someone who may need this
paternal role filled.

Being an effective motivator is an important quality teachers must acquire
because without motivation is it difficult for children to learn, having a major
impact on their education. It is important that teachers aim for more than just
achievement goals (Hattie, 2003). They need to aim to motivate, support and
engage their students in all learning areas in order for the students to reach
optimum development. Teachers motivating styles effect student engagement
and participation and can range from highly controlling to highly autonomy
supportive (Reeve, Jang, Carrell, Jeon & Barch, 2004 p18). Although motivation
from the teacher is important, not all motivating styles are successful.
Controlling teachers interfere with students inner motives because they tend to
make a teacher-constructed instructional agenda (Reeve, Jang, Carrell, Jeon &
Barch, 2004 p18) that influences what the students should think, feel and do).
Autonomy supportive teachers however, aid the motivation and participation of
their students by identifying and encouraging students needs, interests and
preferences and creating classroom opportunities by guiding the learning of
their students (Reeve, Jang, Carrell, Jeon & Barch, 2004). Research has shown
that that a dominant decrease in motivation and enagement occurs when the

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interests, needs and values of the students are not met, which also effects their
motivation in the long run (Thoonen, Sleegers, Peetsma & Oort, 2011). If the
children are not interested in what they are learning they will not be motivated
or engaged. It is the teachers responsibility to know their students and plan
their lessons assuring that each student will enjoy what they are learning and the
way in which it is taught also catering to different learning styles. The teachers
belief in themselves and their ability to influence the learning and motivation of
their students seems to be a strong predictor for the way they form their
teaching practices in order to keep their students engaged and motivated to
learn (Thoonen, Sleegers, Peetsma & Oort, 2011). When teachers believe in
themselves, they are more creative in their work, do more planning and are
better organised. They are open to new ideas, work longer with students who
are struggling and are more enthusiastic, which in turn acts as a motivator for
the students in their class (Thoonen, Sleegers, Peetsma & Oort, 2011). Motivation
is important because it aids students in being engaged, promotes participation
and contributes to their learning and development (Reeve, Jang, Carrell, Jeon &
Barch, 2004).

To be a successful teacher and provide the best education for students, teachers
require a high level of professionalism and commitment. (Parkey, Stanford &
Gougeon, 2010). Professionalism is shown through the way teachers implement
their teaching strategies and the way in which they are able to cater for different
learning needs and styles of their students in order for all learning objectives to
be met. Teachers should show professionalism by being prepared, passionate,
positive and enthusiastic about their work and take an interest in every child,
paying the same amount of attention to each child. It is important for teachers to
know their students, their culture, hobbies, families and communities so they are
able to provide them with the best education possible (Wookfolk & Margetts,
2013). Being a professional teacher involves being organized and having the
desire to continue improving their practice and reaching their goals and
purposes of teaching (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013, p8). By being an educator it is
important to show professionalism by building positive relationships with
students, their parents, other teachers and colleagues within the school

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(Wookfolk & Margetts, 2013). By having positive relationships with these main
stakeholders the students education is benefited as meetings can be quickly
organized if a problem was to arise.

As a teacher it is important to have the ability to adapt to new things quite
quickly. Teaching is not a profession that you can expect to use what you have
learnt at university to obtain your degree for the rest of your career. It is
important to react well to change and embrace it. Each class and each child you
teach will be different and it is important for a teacher to adjust their teaching
methods to provide the best outcome for their students. It is important to learn
and become well adapted to cultural and ethnic diversity, student ability, the
impact of socio-economic status and linguistic diversity that may be present in
your classroom in order to meet students diverse needs (Parkay, Standford,
Gougeon, 2010). It is also imperative for teachers to be well adapted and adjust
their teaching methods as times are changing and new technologies are being
introduced that are engaging to todays tech-savvy students. It is also important
to understand and to adjust to the reality that technology has transformed how
students can learn (Parkay, Standford, Gougeon, 2010 p432). The introduction
of ICT broadens the possibilities for teaching and learning while also bringing
about challenges and difficulties and adapting to these methods can be quite
challenging for teachers who are in some cases taught in these areas by their
students (Uibu & Kikas, 2008).

Teachers' responses to children's appropriate and problem behaviour can help
set the tone of the classroom environment. Depending on the class the teacher
has responsibility for and the different children in this class, it is important to
implement behavioural management techniques that are successful and provide
a positive classroom environment, where children are able to learn without
being distracted. There are many different behavioural management techniques
which are used by teachers however it is the teachers role to adopt the method
that works for both themselves and their class in order to create the best
outcome. Creating a positive and engaging classroom atmosphere is one of the
most powerful tools teachers can use to encourage children's learning and

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prevent problem behaviours from occurring (Conroy, Sutherland, Snyder, Al-

Hendawi & Vo, 2009). Studies have shown that if teachers attend to poor
behaviour in a harsh manner, they will most likely receive negative responses in
return and see an increase in the display of problematic behaviour. If teachers
however ignore appropriate behaviour and attend to problematic behaviours
children will most likely engage in poor behaviour in order to gain the attention
of the teacher (Conroy, Sutherland, Snyder, Al-Hendawi & Vo, 2009). If teachers
react positively to appropriate behaviour it is likely that those displaying
appropriate behaviour will continue doing so and those displaying poor
behaviour will react in a positive way and mirror the positive behaviour shown
(Conroy, Sutherland, Snyder, Al-Hendawi & Vo, 2009). I experienced this on
placement as at first my behavioural management techniques involved attending
to those who were demonstrating poor behaviour however after altering these
techniques and focusing on those who were displaying accurate and respectable
behaviour in a positive manner, those who were misbehaving altered their
behaviour and mirrored what I had said I liked about the students doing the
right thing.
It is important for teachers to adopt an appropriate method that works for their
class and a method that they are confidant and comfortable implementing. It is
also important to be consistent when managing behaviour and not always
attending to the same few people but treating each individual student the same
because this could also be the cause of many behavioural issues.

Trough my placement I was able to reflect on all the different roles a teacher
possesses and the different things they do to ensure their students are receiving
the best education possible. I saw that proving a supportive and positive
relationship and environment for the students was very important and without
the mini roles that are carried out it is difficult for student to learn and develop
adequately. Teaching is more than just lecturing students, its about knowing
your students, their needs, interests and desires in order for them to have an
effective education. Every year teachers get a new class, and for that whole year
they treat this class as if they were their own children. They invest a lot of time

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and ensure that they provide all they can and more for the students in their class
to be successful.

References:
Conroy, M. A., Sutherland, K. S., Snyder, A., Al-Hendawi, M., & Vo, A. (2009). Creating a
Positive Classroom Atmosphere: Teachers' Use of Effective Praise and Feedback. Beyond
Behavior, 18(2), 18-26
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com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=1d3cfee4-2177-
4823-9177-3ada139d5cc8%40sessionmgr114&hid=126

Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers make a difference: what is the research evidence? (p. 4).
Camberwell: Australian Council for Educational Research
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http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/limestonecoast/files/pages/new%20page/PLC/teachers_m
ake_a_difference.pdf

Lumpkin, A. (2008). Teachers as role models teaching character and moral virtues.
Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 79(2), 45-50.
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http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/07303084.2008.1
0598134

Parkay, F. W., Stanford, B. H., & Gougeon, T. D. (2010). Becoming a teacher (pp. 432-462).
Pearson/Merrill.
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http://wwwfp.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/preface/
0132626144.pdf

Reeve, J., Jang, H., Carrell, D., Jeon, S., & Barch, J. (2004). Enhancing students' engagement
by increasing teachers' autonomy support. Motivation and emotion, 28(2), 147-169.
Retrieved 28/8/14 from:
http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/787/art%253A10.1023%252FB%253AMOE
M.0000032312.95499.6f.pdf?auth66=1410002256_a95f113e35e5162e4a7e2bc1dd8ee
710&ext=.pdf

Thoonen, E. E., Sleegers, P. J., Peetsma, T. T., & Oort, F. J. (2011). Can teachers motivate
students to learn?. Educational Studies, 37(3), 345-360.
Retrieved 28/8/14 from:
http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/03055698.2010.5
07008

Uibu, K., & Kikas, E. (2008). The roles of a primary school teacher in the information
society. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52(5), 459-480.
Retrieved 28/8/14 from:
http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/00313830802346
348

Woolfolk, A. E., & Margetts, K. (2013). Educational psychology (3rd Australian ed.)
Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

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Zachary, L. J. (2002). The role of teacher as mentor. New directions for adult and
continuing education, 2002(93), 27-38.
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p.pdf?v=1&t=hzlzp0km&s=969cd61b0201c59c95f6de77d8c2d5dad4d51b7b