BLOCK IV: THE TEACHERS ROLE.

CLASS CONVERSATION
12. Which of this teacher's abilities would you emphasise?
Considering the seminar where some characteristics of a good teacher were
commented and decided the most important four, we found that Erins teachers
abilities are characterized for many aspects:
First of all, Erin is passionate and in love with her profession, which
transmits her motivation and enthusiasm to her students. The teachers behavior
is essential to make kids believe in what you are doing and involve them in the
learning process. This can easily be seen when taking into account the fact that
she works in different jobs to have further resources at class. This point leads to
the encouragement of the close relation students-teacher. She gives them
confidence and gains theirs, by considering their social situations, group and
personal needs and developing a close teaching approach.
Regarding the activities proposed, she suggests really active tasks and
dynamics (active learning) making students participate and giving them quick
feedback of everything they do to improve their performances. She spends

many time preparing and developing her lessons and all the activities to be
done.
Erins has high expectations towards her students and transmits this

to each of them. This has to do with the empathy and equal respect for every

pupil, without discriminating by race, social situation, learning necessities and

difficulties.
Finally, she is a strong person that overcomes all the obstacles arisen along the
film such as the lack of resources or school support. For this reason, it is
possible to say that she is a very resilient person, that works to pull that class
towards off.

13. How does Erin evolve as a teacher throughout the film?

Along the film, Erin develops her role as a teacher. At the beginning, she arrives
at school with high expectations towards it and confident of her possibilities of
leaving print in her students. She believes in the educational system and shows
the headmaster her belief of being able to control and tutoring what is classified
as a conflictive group class.

Once she has contact with the students and their behaviors, she becomes scared
because of the worry of how to deal with the group. For this reason, she feels
disappointed with the situations. However, from a critical incident such as a
bullying drawing of a student, she finds the way of engaging her students and
she finds hope in a really difficult course.
From this point on, she shows her motivation and commitment as a teacher. She
has huge ambitions to make those students improve academically and
emotionally.

Her

wide

range

of

strategies,

preparation,

passion

and

predisposition towards her profession makes her be a great teacher. This is

demonstrated at the end of the film when her students want her to be her
teacher in future courses.
14. What are your abilities/potentials as future primary education
teachers? Can you establish points you have in common? What kinds of
reflection does this lead you to?
As a group, we agree in the fact that our potential is the innovative vision of the
school we have thanks to the university lessons. We remember our primary
education lessons as outloud reading and mechanic exercises of the book. Along
these courses, we have seen further educational visions we believe need to be
established at schools. In our opinion, Erin has contemporary ideas and points of
view regarding the teaching and learning process far from the ones in that
period. What is more, we think each of us has some personal characteristics or
aptitudes that favour our role as future teachers: good communications skills,
empathy, commitment, motivation, high expectations towards the profession,
open minds to new methodologies and a really important point which is we all
like kids and have the will of helping them grow and develop.
Comparing all our ideas and characteristics we have found some points in
common. We all agree that for being a good teacher are needed motivation,
willingness to keep on learning new things and strategies, commitment towards
the profession and the students, consideration for all the students and people in
general, without labelling neither leaving apart anyone, and good communication
skills or at least wide range of communication strategies. We believe, these are
strengths to be considered in our future as teachers.

This has leaded us to reflect on the reason why some teachers do not have the
expected abilities or attitudes to be a good teacher. In our opinion, we strongly
believe that usually everyone starts with these ideas actually clear, but possibly
the time or obstacles find on their way can demotivate them. What is more,
sometimes the lack of resources can lead to a lack of preparation, training and
even materials to develop new teaching methodologies and strategies. For this
reason, we believe that in this educational issue everyone needs to be involved:
social and educational community. We strongly think that is the collaboration
among all the members of a society which builds a durable and strong
educational system, which includes prepared and encouraged teachers.
Finally, what we get from this activity is that we need to consider all these
aspects through the years and being ready and prepared to changes, obstacles
and future learning.