Teaching is a complicated task. So is learning.

Executing instruction correctly, and in a

planned manner is critical to the development of the student and ultimately has an overwhelming
impact on society as a whole. But the crucial component in school is not the teachers alone. The
difference makers in the schools are the students as well, and the burden of the work should be
shared by both, in order to prepare students for life outside of academia.
I believe school is not the end goal of ones life. School and education are tools by
which students learn the skill necessary to function in an adult world. Therefore, it is the role of
the school to prepare students for what comes after education, be that entry into the workforce,
secondary education, or military experience. Of course, content is a part of this. But the school
is also located to ensure that students graduate with the life lessons necessary to lead successful
lives in polite society. Success is measured differently by each student; for some, success means
lots of money and material possessions. For others, it is family, or just the satisfaction of
knowing they are good at the work that they do. For this reason, it is the role of the school to
provide option for students to succeed in a multitude of fashions. Students should be given
opportunity, not pigeonholed into an overall definition of success. (Dockery, 2010)
As teachers we have two roles in learning. The most important role is to remember that
we are a guide. We should think of ourselves as more of a coach, rather than the person who is
responsible for shouldering the burden of the work. When the teacher promotes themselves as a
coach, this requires the students in their classroom to engage in more critical thinking and
problem solving, which is how students grow and mature in their education. The students may
fail at first, but it is through these failures that true learning occurs. So, the primary role of the
teacher is not to teach, but to guide. This guiding process is facilitated through the student-

teacher relationship. It is the teachers job to get to know each of their students, to build an
atmosphere of mutual respect on which the interactions within the classroom should be based.
Research shows that the most effective variable in the delivery of instruction is the relationship
between the student and the teacher. (Barrow, 2015)
Addressing the issue of how students learn best is a more complicated process. The
simple answer is that all students learn best in a different manner. But the simple answer is not
actually that simple. The fact is that there are a few common denominators in how students
learn; there are also many exceptions. I believe students learn best when they are allowed to
experience, to try, to fail and to try again. Students should be given a problem to solve, not
content to memorize because the process of solving the problem will lead to longer lasting
content knowledge and more applicable problem solving strategies that they can carry over into
their real life experience. A study by Koporan, et al in 2014 exhibited this process by engaging
middle school students in project based learning. Consequently, their attitudes toward the
material became much more favorable and the students were able to retain more of the content
being assessed. (Koporan, 2014)
Good curriculum is planned in advance. The core of any good curriculum planning is
questioning. Questioning should be preplanned in order to elicit responses from a student. A
good teacher never actually answers a question. They continue asking questions that lead the
student to think for themselves and eventually come up with their own answers, even if they do
not match the question that was originally asked. Good curriculum is also aligned vertically,
with the grades that are above and below, and horizontally. Lessons should be differentiated in
order to facilitate different levels of learning and different learning types. (Mcghie-Richmond,
2013)

Student should learn content. That is important; it is why they go to school in the first
place. But content knowledge only gets them as far as they can apply that knowledge.
Therefore, the critical things that students must learn are the skills that are applicable in real-life
scenarios: problem solving, critical thinking, use of technology. These skills allow them to move
beyond the mere recitation of rote facts and figure things out for themselves. Additionally,
school is where students learn many social lessons as well: fair play, justice, sharing, time
management, overcoming adversity and giving back to the community.
Teaching and learning re complicated tasks. But the role of a teacher can be life changing
and allow for students to move further than their dreams. Teaching is truly the profession of the
future.

References
Barrow, M. (2015). Caring In Teaching: A Complicated Relationship. Journal of Effective
Teaching, 15(2), 45-49. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
Dockery, A. (2015). Education and happiness in the school-to-work transition. Longitudinal
Surveys of Austrailian Youth. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
Freeman, Y., & Freeman, D. (n.d.). Four Keys for School Success for Elementary English
Learners. International Handbook of English Language Teaching, 349-364. doi:10.1007/978-0387-46301-8_25
Koparan, T. (2014). The Effect on the 8th Grade Students Attitude towards Statistics of Project
Based Learning. European Journal of Educational Research EUROPEAN J ED RES, 3(2), 7385. doi:10.12973/eu-jer.3.2.73
McGhie-Richmond, D., & Sung, A. (2013). Applying Universal Design for Learning to
Instructional Lesson Planning. Univeristy of Victoria. Retrieved April 10, 2016.