1.

0 Teachers’ Code of Ethics and Teachers’ Accountability

1.1 Introduction
“Teaching is a noble profession” (Mondal & Roy, 2013). Hence, teachers are
usually looked high upon and they should be a role model in their interaction with their
students, colleagues and stakeholders. Every teacher should be aware of the
Teachers’ Code of Ethics and Teacher Accountability in order to act professionally and
ethically in their profession.

1.2 Teachers’ Code of Ethics

Major professional organisations “provide codes of ethics to guide decision-
making by their members” (Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006). According to Diaz,
Pelletiar, & Provenzo (2006), a code of ethics is a statement of principles that teachers
have to interpret and apply to daily situations whereas Mondal & Roy (2013) state that
the code of ethics lists out the expectations we have of ourselves and our colleagues.
It describes the ideal behaviours that we hope to achieve and compulsory to portray
in our profession. Hence, I think that the code of ethics lists out the guidelines and
principles that teachers have to adhere to in their daily teaching practices as well as
the expectations we have of ourselves and our colleagues in our field. The code of
ethics does not address the dilemma teachers may face specifically but they are useful
guidelines for teachers to carry out their personal responsibilities for their ethical
decision-making (Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006).

1.3 Malaysia Teachers’ Code of Ethics

Malaysia Teachers’ Code of Ethics spells out the guidelines for teachers to act
professionally in their field. It is based on the “Tatasusila Profesion Keguruan” which
is also known as the Teachers’ Oath. According to Noriati, Boon & Wong (2010),
Malaysia Teachers’ Code of Ethics consists of teacher’s responsibility towards four
parties, which are the students, parents, society and country as well as colleagues
and teaching profession (Noriati, Boon, & Wong, 2010).

1|Page
 Responsibility Towards Parents
Responsibility Towards Students
i. Respect the main responsibility of parents towards
i. Prioritise students' safety and welfare more than others
their children.
ii. Execute fairness towards each students regardless of
ii. Strive to establish good rapport and cooperation
physical, mental, emotional, political, economical, social,
between educational institution and families.
ethnic or religious factor.
iii. Maintain confidentiality of information of families
iii. Maintain the confidentiality of information of students
and children provided by parents with the exception
with the exception for legitimate authorities.
for those who have the rights to know.
iv. Guide and teach students without any payment.
iv. Provide information to parents for the welfare of
v. Demonstrate good examples for pupils in terms of children and use the information with wisdom.
attire, speech and behaviour.
v. Avoid from using and influenced by the parents'
vi. Maintain and improve professional efficiency through socio-economic status.
studies, visits and courses, conferences, meetings or
vi. Do not jeopardise parents' trust using words or
seminars so that our teaching can be of good quality.
actions.

Responsibility towards Society and Country Responsibility Towards Colleagues and

i. Avoid disseminating teachings which can affect the interest of
students, society or country or are opposed to the Pillars of the Country.
ii. Instil attitudes and values which can help and guide them to be loyal,
responsible, useful citizens who respect the differences in culture,
traditions and religions.
iii. Respect the community and fulfil the responsibility of a citizen and be
willing to participate in any community activities.
iv. Encourage the cooperation and mutual understanding between
teachers and parents as well as education institution and society.
v. Give contribution to improve moral living, culture and intellect of
society.
vi. Hold on to courteous behaviour accepted by the society and to live a
good life.
Teaching Profession
i. Avoid making any statement or doing any
actions that can tarnish others and teachers'
reputation.
ii. Do not involve in activities that can affect
the efficiency of a teacher.
iii. Strive to fulfil responsibilities with effort.
iv. Always be prepared to help our colleagues
especially the novice teachers in the
teaching profession.
v. Always control ourselves to not tarnish the
reputation of teaching profession.
vi. Be a member of the teaching association.

(Noriati, Boon, & Wong, 2010)

2|Page
 In short, the Malaysian Teachers’ Code of Ethics describes the responsibility
of a teacher towards one’s students, parents, society and country as well as
colleagues and teaching profession. These responsibilities are all aimed at producing
knowledgeable, loyal, responsible and capable citizens as stated in the “Tatasusila
Profesion Keguruan” or the Teachers’ Oath. Every teacher is subject to “Tatasusila
Profesion Keguruan” which is in the form of Teachers’ Oath and hence, it is their onus
to understand the elements of Malaysian Teachers’ Code of Ethics. This is because
this code of ethics serves as a guide for teachers’ teaching and learning choices and
actions (Wandberg & Rohwer, 2003). When teachers face ethical dilemmas in their
teaching practices, they should make decisions and take actions based on their
responsibility towards their students, parents, society and country as well as their
colleagues and teaching profession.

1.4 Teacher Accountability

Accountability is delegation of responsibility for organising activities in a
certain manner or producing specific results (Thurlow, 2009). Hence, teacher
accountability can be defined as the responsibility of a teacher towards his or her
students’ performance. Noriati, Boon & Wong (2010) state that teachers are
accountable for students, themselves, parents, society and nation as well as their
colleagues and teaching profession.

3|Page
 • educate pupils to achieve excellency in
their academic
• build their potential holistically to produce
students who are intellectually, spiritually,
Accountability towards emotionally, socially and physically well-
students balanced.
• build students' character.
• accountable towards pupils' academic
performance

• knowledgeable in one's own subject area

• update onself in latest development in
teaching
• master the knowledge of child
psychology, individual differences and
Accountability towards
general pedagogy
self
• committed towards one's work, positive,
execute fairness in one's work and
provide same opportunity of learning to
all students.
• be a good role model for pupils

• shape pupils' personality and character.

• build a good rapport with parents to
Accountability towards obtain their support in dealing with pupils'
parents problems in personality and academic
achievement
• build trust with parents

4|Page

Accountability society
and nation
• perform their duties to achieve the
aspirations of the National Philosophy of
Education.
• aware of the community environment
and avoid from being influenced by
negative elements that may tarnish the
reputation of school, society and
country.
• uphold the dignity of teaching profession
in the society.
• update one's knowledge through
readings and ICT.
• respect the community in which the
teacher serves and fulfil responsibility as
a member of the community.
• involve actively in community activities.

• cooperate with colleagues and help

Accountability towards
colleagues and teaching
profession
novice teachers in the teaching
profession
• master content knowledge and
pedagogical content knowledge and
attend courses, intellectual discussions,
action research and online readings to
improve oneself
• be punctual in entering classes, give
guidance to students and carry out
computer-based lessons, problem-
based learning and cooperative
learning.
• make full use of the facilities available in
the school

Hence, teachers need to be aware of the fact that their accountability is not
restricted towards their students solely. In fact, they are also accountable towards
parents, themselves, school and their colleagues as well as their teaching profession.
Teachers who are aware of their accountability will be able to fulfil their responsibility
with dedication and thus, be an effective teacher. The accountability of teachers is all
directed to producing human capital who are holistic in all aspects such as physical,
emotional, spiritual, intellectual and social.

5|Page
 1.5 Five ways to reach out to my pupils

An effective teacher will always put in effort to reach out to their pupils.
According to Online Cambridge Dictionary (2015), the phrase “reach out to somebody”
means “to try to communicate with a person or a group of people, usually in order to
help or involve them” and “to offer help or support to someone”. The Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary (2015) states that “reach out to somebody” means you “show
somebody that you are interested in them and want to help them”. Hence, when I reach
out to my pupils, I will put in effort to communicate and interact with my pupils actively
as well as offer help and support to them.
One of the ways that I will do to reach out to my pupils is by participating in
activities outside the classrooms. There are activities outside the classrooms
organised by schools nowadays as a support to the “1 Murid 1 Sukan” policy
introduced by the Ministry of Education. Some schools still organise the cross-country
race annually in tandem with the “1 Murid 1 Sukan” policy. By participating in these
activities, I will have the opportunity to mingle with the pupils outside the classrooms.
I think this is important especially because our participation and involvement in non-
academic events give us the opportunity to interact with pupils and enable them to
know that we offer support to them in these activities.
I was given the opportunity to participate in this cross-country race organised
by my school SJK Chung Hua Batu 35. I joined the race under the mixed age group
category. It was a memorable experience to be able to run with the pupils and to
discover their potential and talents hidden in them through this race. Pupils were also
excited when they see me running with them. I felt that it was a rare chance for me to
be able to join activities with them and it was indeed a good chance to build rapport
with them. Besides, I think that my participation in this activity also helped me to be
accountable to my pupils in the aspect of building their potential intellectually,
spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically. Pupils will be encouraged to participate
in activities outside the classroom and hence, develop holistically.

Besides, I will also spend some time to understand the difficulties faced by
my pupils in following my lessons. I think this is a way to show that we care for the
pupils. “Caring represents an interaction between people in which an individual, in this
context the teacher, puts personal needs aside in favour of the needs of another

6|Page
student” (Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006). Hence, I will not only show my concern
for pupils’ studies, but also their well-being.I will have some private talk to understand
the problems encountered by the pupils, particularly the low-proficiency pupils in
following my lessons. I think this is another way of reaching out to my pupils because
it enables them to feel being cared for, understood and supported rather than being
left out.

When I care for them, I am fulfilling my accountability towards their academic

performance because I intend to find out the obstacles they may face in their academic
and help them to overcome them. Also, I will take the opportunity to communicate with
parents about the problems faced by their children in their studies during the day when
students’ report cards are given out or whenever possible. I think this will help me to
better understand students’ possible problems in their studies.

Apart from that, I will also build a good rapport with the parents of my
students as a means to reach out to my students. In my opinion, having a good
connection with the parents is important because it enables us to understand our
pupils better. Parents usually state their concerns for their children and this will give
me a platform to discuss with them on ways to help their children perform in their
academic and co-curriculum. Diaz, Pelletier & Provenzo (2006) also state that by
working closely with parents, teachers can understand the students and in turn provide
the best educational strategies possible.
When I have a good relationship with parents, I am also fulfilling my
accountability towards parents, which is to build a good rapport with parents to obtain
their support in dealing with pupils' problems in personality and academic achievement.
I will have a better opportunity to help shape pupils’ personality and build their
potentials holistically with the cooperation of the parents. This will enable pupils to feel
supported in their school performance and hence, boost their performance in
academic and non-academic aspects.
In addition, it is of paramount importance that teachers “demonstrate good
examples for pupils in terms of attire, speech and behaviour” as stated in the
Malaysian Teachers’ Code of Ethics (Noriati, Boon, & Wong, 2010). In order to help
and support pupils to develop good attitude and personality, I will show good
examples for the pupils through my dressing code, speech and behaviour. For

7|Page
instance, I will be a teacher who is caring, approachable, respectful towards others,
understanding in my behaviour and speech. By displaying positive behaviour, we are
being good role models for the pupils to emulate because we are modelling the
behaviour we seek from them (Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006). This is vital as it
develops trust of the pupils towards us. When pupils observe our good behaviour, they
will look up to us and put their trust on us to be their guidance teacher. Hence, this will
enable us to reach out to them when they need help and guidance in their school life.

Furthermore, in my opinion, another way of reaching out to pupils is by

updating my knowledge through readings and ICT. This is also another
accountability of a teacher towards his or her society or nation (Noriati, Boon, & Wong,
2010). I think this is essential as pupils nowadays, especially the urban ones are
considered as the Generation Z. They have unprecedented exposure of new
technologies and hence, are known as the “true digital natives” (Pringle, 2015). Thus,
as a teacher for the Generation Z, I think I will practise lifelong learning through my
readings and exposure of the new technologies from time to time in order to keep
abreast with them in their era. If my pupils are from the rural area, then I will expose
them to the new technologies that are around the world through pictures or even using
the gadgets. I think this will enable me to reach out to my pupils of this era as I try to
bridge the gap between my pupils and me.

As a conclusion, I think that I will use different ways to reach out to my pupils
because they are the pillars of the country and it is my onus to build their character
and potentials holistically. I think I will be an effective teacher in order to fulfil my
accountability towards my students, myself, the society and nation as well as my
colleagues and my profession as required in the Malaysian Teachers’ Code of Ethics
and Teachers’ Accountability.

2.0 Frances Fuller’s Theory of Concerns

2.1 Introduction

8|Page
 Frances Fuller’s Theory of Concern emerged in 1969 when she did a research
on the concerns of the pre-service teachers about their teacher education program
(Alshammari, 2000). In her study, she studied three groups of student teachers from
different semesters of their teacher preparation program and found that they have
different concerns at the beginning and the end of their semesters (Alshammari, 2000).
As a result of her study, there are three stages of concern, which are concern of
survival, concern of task and concern of impact.

2.2 Stages of Frances Fuller’s Theory of Concern

2.2.1 Stage 1: Concern of Survival

The first stage of concern in Fuller’s Theory of Concern is concern of survival.

This stage happens in the early stage of teaching whereby teachers’ concerns are
usually self-oriented (Alshammari, 2000). Bullough (1989, as cited in Borich and
Tombari, 1997) describes this stage as “the fight for one’s professional stage”. Hence,
in this stage, beginning teachers are usually interested in and concerned about things
such as class control, adequacy of their content knowledge and evaluation by their
principals and their students (Evanns & Chauvin, 1993). They reflect on experiences
related to survival in the classroom (Both, 2010). Borich & Tombari (1997) state that
the concerns that beginning teachers usually have in this stage are as follow:

 Will my learners like me?

 Will they listen to what I say?
 What will parents and teachers think of me?
 Will I do well when the principal observes me?
 Will I ever have time for myself?

For example, beginning teachers are usually conscious whether they gain
acceptance by their pupils at this stage. Besides, they are also worried whether they
are able to control and manage their pupils during the teaching and learning process.
Teachers at this stage are conscious whether they gained confidence and acceptance
by the parents and teachers. They are conscious about their performance during
observations of their lessons. They are concerned whether they have adequate
knowledge of their subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge.

9|Page
 2.2.2 Stage 2: Concern of Task

As the concerns for self begin to diminish after a few months of teaching,
beginning teachers will have a new set of concerns that is the concern of task or
management. At this stage, teachers are concerned about the tasks they need to
complete on a daily basis such as their duties, teaching materials and methods, the
number of students and classroom management (Both, 2010). Borich & Tombari (1997)
suggest that teachers’ concern will be as follow:

 How good are my instructional materials?

 Will I have enough time to cover all the content?
 How can I add variety to my presentations?
 Where can I get some ideas for a learning centre?
 What’s the best way to teach a language skill?

At this stage, beginning teachers start to develop confidence to manage

classroom routines and behavioural problems of their pupils. Teachers’ focus shifts to
how well they can deliver their lessons to their pupils. They are more interested in how
they can accomplish their daily tasks effectively.

2.2.3 Stage 3: Concern of Impact

At the final stage of teacher growth and development, their concern slowly
changes from management and lesson delivery to the impact of their teaching on their
learners (Borich & Tombari, 1997). Teachers at this stage are more concerned with
the impact of their teaching on pupils’ expectations and learning (Both, 2010).
Teachers who have the concern of impact are usually experienced teachers. At this
stage, the teachers display concern towards their “pupils’ learning, capacity,
understanding, gaining and evaluation” (Alshammari, 2000). In other words, the
teachers are concerned whether their teaching is able to meet the social, emotional
and academic needs of their pupils (Both, 2010). Hence, the concerns of the teacher
will be like:

 How can I increase my learners’ sense of accomplishment?

 How can I fulfil the emotional and social needs of my pupils?
 What is the best way to challenge my unmotivated pupils?

10 | P a g e
  What skill do they need to best prepare them for the next grade?
(Borich & Tombari, 1997)

Teachers at this stage are concerned whether they can make differences in
their pupils’ life. They place pupils as their main concern at this stage as they are
concerned about pupils’ potentials, motivation in learning, accomplishment in their task
and future success.

2.3 Summary

In short, Frances Fuller’s Theory of Concern conceptualises the growth and

development process for a teacher as a natural flow from concerns for self, to task
and to impact (Borich & Tombari, 1997). Teachers may return to their earlier concern,
for instance from concern of impact to concern of task as a result of having to teach a
new grade or in a new school environment. Hence, teachers’ concern may be context
dependent.

2.4 How I handle three stages in my professional development

Novice teachers face challenges in the real classroom situations in the
beginning of their career path. Some of them feel that they are not adequately
prepared for the challenges that they encounter in the beginning of their teaching
experiences (Senom, Abd Razak, & Shanina Sharatol, 2013). Their concerns are

11 | P a g e
different according to the period of time of their teaching experiences, starting from
concern of survival to concern of task and followed by concern of impact.

As a novice teacher, I will take some steps to handle the three stages of concern
in my professional development. The first stage of concern is concern of self. At this
stage, teachers are concerned about classroom management and pupils, adequacy
of their content knowledge and evaluation by their principals and students. At this
stage, I will apply different classroom management strategies to manage my
pupils during the teaching and learning process. Before I teach the pupils, I will try to
obtain information of the pupils from the teacher who previously taught them and
asked about the difficulties they face in learning that particular subject. I will also look
at the previous results of the pupils in order to know their learning needs. By learning
about the pupils beforehand, I will be able to manage them better during the teaching
and learning process as I will know the learning materials that I have to prepare for
them. This is because it is important for me to consider “gender and cultural diversity,
differences in learning style, and varying abilities” of pupils in my planning of classroom
management (Kauchak & Eggen, 2007).

Apart from that, I will also apply different classroom management skills such as
“with-itness” and body language such as gestures, proximity and facial expressions to
show pupils I am observing their behaviour to help pupils to develop classroom
routines and participate in the classroom activities that I prepare for them. I will set
clear and reasonable classroom rules and procedures and enforce them fairly and
consistently to ensure pupils develop good behaviour and promote a feeling of pride
and responsibility in the classroom (Kauchak & Eggen, 2007).

Besides, I will also display positive behaviours to gain acceptance and

approval by my principal and pupils. I think it is imperative for a novice teacher to show
positive behaviours in his or her work because these behaviours will reflect our
personality and working attitude and teachers’ attitude has a powerful impact and
influence on pupils’ learning (Kauchak & Eggen, 2007). Hence, I will display positive
behaviours such as giving encouragement to pupils, be brave in taking up challenges
in work, showing respect to others and so forth. By showing positive behaviours to our
authority as well as our pupils, we will be able to build good rapport with our principal
and our pupils. Hence, I will display positive behaviours in my career.

12 | P a g e
 When my concern for survival is resolved, then I will start to be concerned with
tasks which are the duties that I need to perform in the school. At this stage, I may be
more interested in accomplishing my tasks and responsibilities in the school. I will
manage my time wisely in order to be an efficient teacher in fulfilling my
responsibilities in the school. I will plan my lessons and the tasks that I need to
accomplish and stipulate time for each task beforehand in order to accomplish them.
Furthermore, I will also employ different teaching strategies in my daily
teaching practice in order to maximise pupils’ learning opportunities. I will apply the
pedagogical knowledge that I have gained through my course of study when planning
and conducting lessons for my pupils. Hence, I will carry out various fun and purposeful
learning activities for my pupils in order to cater to different learning needs and styles
of pupils (Kauchak & Eggen, 2007). I will also monitor the effectiveness of my
classroom management strategies at this time and improve on them whenever
necessary. I think all these are important as they make up an effective teacher.
Following concern of task is concern of impact. At this stage, I will be more
concerned about my ability to make a difference in my pupils and the teaching and
learning process (Chan, 2004). Hence, I will reflect on my daily teaching practice
in order to plan and implement effective lessons for my pupils. According to Diaz,
Pelletier, & Provenzo, (2006), a reflective practitioner will undergo “the process of
understanding and improving one’s teaching based on the reflection of one’s own
experiences”. This is because teaching involves more than just imparting new
knowledge to pupils. It is the process of “thinking actively about our instruction, the
experience of the learners, what we have taught, the elements that went well and did
not go well in our teaching and adjusting our teaching in the future” (Diaz, Pelletier, &
Provenzo, 2006).
In my opinion, when I am a reflective practitioner in my practice, I will observe
whether the teaching methods and approaches that I use during my lessons are
effective and useful in facilitating pupils’ learning. Besides, when I reflect on my
teaching practice on a regular basis, I will be able to make adjustments and
improvements to my teaching practices. Hence, my teaching practice will not be
stagnant because I will keep on revising and improving on my teaching approaches
and methods throughout my teaching experiences.
In short, I know I may go through different stages of concern when I become a
teacher. I will take different steps to handle all the stages of concern and discuss with
13 | P a g e
experienced teachers whenever I face problems in handling my tasks. I believe that
by doing this, I will be able to go past every stage whereby my ultimate concern will
be the impact of my teaching on the pupils.

3.0 School Leadership skills

3.1 The concept of school leadership skills

“Leadership is inspiring others to pursue your vision within the

parameters you set, to the extent that it becomes a shared effort, a
shared vision and a shared success.”

14 | P a g e
 (Zeitchik, 2012, in Clark, 2014)

From the quote above, leadership is the ability to motivate others to strive for
the same goal and objectives with us so that we can work towards our goal and enjoy
success together. Leadership is important in any organisation to maximise the
efficiency of the organisation and to achieve the organisational goals. Similarly, school
leadership is also essential as it can determine students’ outcomes and teachers’
influence in the classroom (Sullivan, 2012). According to Sullivan (2012), a recent
RAND Corporation report found that approximately 60% of a school’s influence on the
student achievement relies on leadership and teachers’ effectiveness, with principals
attributing to 25% of a school’s impact on achievement. Hence, it is of paramount
importance that principals of schools have high leadership skills in order to guarantee
students’ and overall school achievement.

Besides principals, teachers are also important school leaders that have impact
on student achievement. Hence, teachers also need to display leadership skills in
order to aid students to maximise their potentials and abilities.

3.2 Five effective leadership skills that teachers should possess

Teachers are leaders in classrooms, facilitating the learning activities of pupils
and helping them to achieve their learning goals. Teachers play an important role in
displaying leadership skills to lead the group of learners to work towards their learning
objectives and achieve success as a whole.
Teachers should have effective leadership skills in order to help pupils achieve
success in their learning as well as developing their potentials. Teacher with effective

15 | P a g e
leadership skills possess effective communication skills. They are able to interact
with students, parents, colleagues and their school administrator. They are skilled at
listening and respecting others’ opinions and ideas. For instance, in the classroom,
they will use their verbal and non-verbal communication skills to deliver their teaching
content, facilitate pupils’ discussion, address pupils’ learning needs and problems,
provide feedback to pupils and give encouragement to pupils effectively.
Besides being able to communicate effectively with the pupils, teachers with
good communication skills are also able to communicate effectively with parents of
their pupils. They are able to hold parent-teacher conference and communicate their
expectation and concern towards their pupils clearly. Apart from that, great teacher-
leaders can communicate with their colleagues and school administrators effectively.
They can collaborate with their colleagues and respect their colleagues views and
opinions.
Besides, having effective leadership skills requires teachers to set challenging
yet attainable goals (Chang, 2014). Setting goals is important as this enables
learners to know the direction and objectives of their learning and hence, able to work
together to achieve the goal. Teachers should set high but achievable learning goals
for the learners so that learners will know what is required of them and work towards
the predetermined learning objectives. Such teachers will teach learners how to attain
these goals and act as their facilitator and guidance teacher in the process of achieving
these learning objectives.
In addition, effective teachers should be knowledgeable in their content
knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. As effective leaders, teachers
should have sound knowledge in their subject content. This is because we cannot
teach what we do not understand (Kauchak & Eggen, 2007). A research examining
the relationships between what teachers know and how they teach shows that
teachers are required to have sound knowledge of their subject matter because this
determines how well they can deliver their teaching content (Shulman, 1986; Wilson,
Shulman, & Richert, 1987, in Kauchak & Eggen, 2007).
Besides, effective teacher-leaders not only possess sound knowledge of their
subject matter, they also have the knowledge on how to present the subject content in
a way that all learners understand (Kauchak & Eggen, 2007). This knowledge is known
as the pedagogical content knowledge. They will employ different pedagogical
strategies to maximise pupils’ learning opportunities. For example, teachers with
16 | P a g e
adequate pedagogical content knowledge will be able to provide simple and clear
examples for pupils to understand the subject matter learnt. When teachers are able
to help pupils to make sense of the subject matter learnt, then they will be good
instructional leaders in the classroom.
Furthermore, teachers who display effective leadership skills are respectful
towards their pupils. According to Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo (2006), using a
respectful approach to discipline allows us to understand our students’ motivation and
to work with them proactively to change their behaviour. Different pupils have different
motivation levels in their learning and some may be affected by their family issues and
background. As a result, some pupils may have disciplinary problems and issues such
as arguments, blaming, cheating, depression, divorce, failing, gangs, homework,
jealousy, lying, parent involvement, sex, stealing, tantrums, tardiness and whining
(Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006). When teachers are respectful towards their pupils,
it means that they deal with each problem individually and separately and use
encouragement and kindness to help pupils to overcome their issues. This is important
as it shows that teachers have respect towards their pupils regardless of their
problems and remain their faith in pupils’ underlying potentials and abilities.
Teachers who are respectful towards pupils also show respect and impartiality
towards pupils of different races, religion and personality. Teachers who are respectful
towards their pupils will not judge them based on their races, religion or socioeconomic
background. They will be impartial towards all pupils and create a sense of security
for all pupils. For instance, our Malaysian classroom consists of pupils from different
skin colour, belief and socioeconomic status. When teachers show respect towards
pupils regardless of their differences, they are not only inculcating the culture of
respect for others in their pupils, but also creating a secured learning environment for
their pupils. Pupils will also show respect the teachers and their peers in return and
this will be maximise their learning opportunities in the classroom.
Last but not least, teachers who possess effective leadership skill will bring out
the best in others (Whitaker, 2012). Teachers can bring out the best in pupils when
they are able to see different potentials in pupils and encourage them to display their
hidden talents with confidence. They are able to motivate pupils and inspire them to
strive harder to achieve success. Teachers who can give motivation to their pupils are
usually optimistic. They are able to see opportunities and chances for success even

17 | P a g e
in pupils’ failures. Hence, teachers who are able to motivate and inspire their pupils
are effective leaders.
An award-winning teacher from North Carolina and former teacher in Harlem,
New York, Ron Clark developed his “55 essential rules” with the purpose of bringing
out the best in his students (Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006). His approach of
bringing out the best in his pupils revolves around the importance of respecting his
pupils’ thinking and learning (Clark, 2003, in Diaz, Pelletier, & Provenzo, 2006). Hence,
even though he set specific rules for the behaviours of his pupils in his classroom, he
intended to bring out the best in his pupils. As a result, his pupils were highly motivated
in their studies and eventually made him a national hero. Therefore, a teacher with
effective school leadership skills brings out the best in his or her pupils.
In a conclusion, teachers need to be effective leaders in order to lead pupils to
success not only in their academic field, but also areas of life that they are talented in.
Teachers who possess effective leadership skills will be able to help pupils to be
successful in their varying abilities and potentials and thus, help them to achieve
success in the future.

4.0 Bibliography

Alshammari, B. S. (2000). The Developmental Stages of Concern of Teachers

Toward the Implication of Information Technology Curriculum in Kuwait. Doctor
of Philosophy , 18-23.

Borich, G. D., & Tombari, M. L. (1997). Educational Psychology: A Contemporary

Approach. United States of America: Longman.

18 | P a g e
Both, E. (2010). Reconsidering Fuller's Concerns-Based Model of Teacher
Development: Comparing Regular and Academic Student Teachers' Changing
Concerns. Instructional Design and Consultancy , 5.

Chan, K.-w. (2004). Teacher Professional Development: In-service Teachers'

Motives, Perceptions and Concerns about Teaching. Hong Kong Teachers'
Centre Journal , 58.

Chang, D. (23 January, 2014). Huffingtonpost. Retrieved 4 August, 2015, from

Huffingtonpost: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-chang/9-reasons-great-
teachers-_b_4236859.html

Clark, D. (16 October, 2014). Big Dog and Little Dog's Performance Juxtaposition.
Retrieved 30 July, 2015, from Big Dog and Little Dog's Performance
Juxtaposition: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.html

Diaz, C. F., Pelletier, C. M., & Provenzo, E. F. (2006). Touch the future: Teach!
United States of America: Pearson Education.

Dictionary, O. A. (2015). Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 25 July, 2015, from Oxford

Dictionaries: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/learner/reach-out-to

Evanns, L., & Chauvin, S. (1993). Faculty DEvelopers as Change Facilitator: The
Concerns-Based Adoption Model. To Improve the Academy , 167-168.

Kauchak, D. P., & Eggen, P. D. (2007). Learning and Teaching: Research-based

Methods. United States of America: Pearson Education.

Mondal, P., & Roy, R. (2013). Professional Ethics and Accountability of Teaching.
Review of Research , 1-4.

Noriati, A. R., Boon, P. Y., & Wong, K. W. (2010). Asas Kepimpinan dan
Perkembangan Profesional Guru. Selangor: Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd.

Press, C. U. (2015). Cambridge Dictionaries Online. Retrieved 24 July, 2015, from

Cambridge Dictionaries Online:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/reach-out-to-sb

Pringle, H. (3 August, 2015). TheDrum. Retrieved 3 August, 2015, from TheDrum:

http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2015/08/03/spotting-difference-between-baby-
boomer-and-generation-z-and-why-it-matters

Senom, F., Abd Razak, Z., & Shanina Sharatol, A. S. (2013). Novice Teachers’
Challenges and Survival: Where do Malaysian ESL Teachers Stand? American
Journal of Educational Research , 119-120.

Sullivan, T. (2012). The Importance of Leadership in High-Performing Schools.

Curriculum and Leadership Journal , 1.

19 | P a g e
Thurlow, M. (23 December, 2009). education.com. Retrieved 14 July, 2015, from
education.com: http://www.education.com/reference/article/accountability/

Wandberg, R., & Rohwer, J. (2003). Teaching to the standards of effective practice:
A guide to becoming a successful teacher. UNited States of America: Pearson
Education.

Whitaker, M. K. (13 March, 2012). AboutLeaders. Retrieved 3 August, 2015, from

AboutLeaders: http://aboutleaders.com/leadership-skills-9-a-great-leader-a-
great-teacher/#gs.45b31270bc9448759189a09bf12bf31d

20 | P a g e