Video 1
What makes a teacher who makes a difference?

Are teachers like doctors? Do we save lives? Well, medically, no we don’t save lives. However, a good teacher should have the ability to turn lives round and ensure that children achieve the best they possibly can. How can they do this? What makes a teacher who can make that difference?

Reflecting on this video sparked several ideas within me on what it really takes to be that teacher who makes a difference. Would it be fair to say that teaching is a calling? I know that teaching has always been the career (excluding when I was a little girl who wanted to be a singer) that I wanted to pursue and so perhaps for me it is my calling. However I have recently received a message from a girl two years younger than me panicking because she has changed her mind from wanting to do chemical engineering to being a teacher. Is this going to make her any less of a teacher than someone like myself who has never really considered anything else? My answer to that would be no. At any stage in your life you could change your mind on where you would like to go next and so long as you have the passion, drive and determination to follow it through and be the best you can be then this shouldn’t put you at any less advantage.

As it is clearly identified by the South African teachers there are numerous aspects which make a good teacher; someone who is willing to be part of a team and is willing to take time to understand other professionals opinions; who ensures that everyone is able to communicate with them; who is dedicated to their work and ensures that they take their learning out with the classroom and is continuously expanding and reflecting on their own knowledge and practice; who incorporates other professionals and the surrounding community within their teaching. Lastly and- in my opinion – most importantly as one gentleman stated in the video, a good teacher should love their work. I believe that if a teacher has that passion and love towards their work then all of the above will naturally become a part of them and their practice.

Video 2
Do you agree with what these teachers call professionalism?

The main point of agreement from this video is that teachers are professionals in the sense that children see them as their role model. We should be professional in our practice in terms of: our appearance, the way we communicate, our actions and our responses. One lady also speaks about having the ability as a professional to work cooperatively with others, including parents and staff. I agree with what they have to say in this video. However, I feel that professionalism is much more than this. A professional should have a deep understanding of their profession and should possess all of the skills that were discussed in the reflection of video clip one.

Video 3
What is the message being conveyed?

This video brings to attention the question of there being difference between being a professional and being a worker. Chris Christie makes clear that he believes teachers should be admired by everyone around them and deserve more credit than what they are given for looking after and caring about our children.
In opposed to this Karen Lewis claims that she is an ‘educational worker’. The phrase “punch a clock” suggesting that he just clocks in and out of work would suggest that there is no care or passion for the work. This would suggest that Lewis believes that teacher just simply turn up for work and are therefore no more than “workers”.

Personally I would agree to a certain extent with Lewis. However I would be inclined to turn this around and say that if you are simply just ‘turning up for work’ then you are not being professional. Every teacher is different and I am almost certain that some teachers put in a lot more extra time to their lesson plans and development than others; thus making them more professional in their practice.