Blog Post #5

What do you think is the most important role a teacher plays? Why?


There are many roles that teachers play in the lives of their students, all of which are important and to some students some are more important than others, but the one I find most important is personal cheerleader and mentor.

During a student's childhood years their self worth is everything, this is the moment that their personalities really get to shine through being away from home and let's face it, not all kids are kind at school. What we really don't know is that not all parents are kind either, so school is a great place to really let a child grow and express themselves. A teacher's role as a personal cheerleader is so important, to help the student not give up, to see their potential and to mentor them on that path.

I know not all children are going to be a teacher's favorite, there will be times of frustration and where patience is very very thin, but to try and see the potential of that child will not only help the child, but also the teacher. We as teachers won't know what is going on at home, a child could be abused verbally (or physically) which will only drop their self esteem or make it difficult to see their worth, but also more often is the abuse of being neglected, behind work loads, other siblings, or even TV and computers, children aren't being praised, or given the attention they need to grow into confident individuals, and this will reflect in their learning and grades.

So, I think it's important for a teacher to nurture the positive and really help shape the student's esteem and help them to succeed. There was a time in Mrs. C's classroom where I saw a child who had just lost his mother a week prior struggle, not wanting to do anything because as they said "what was the use", his mother wasn't there anymore to see them do well and his father was too busy crying. Mrs. C took that child aside and told them how important it was for him to do well, because of how important he was to his family and his mother. Just being there and motivating the student to do well is enough to push any student forward and try their very best. That is why I believe being a personal cheerleader to each student is the most important.