In my day, it was clear that the adults in my life were capable and knowledgeable when it came to what I needed. My parents provided unwavering support for every one of my teachers, operating from the premise that the teacher was in that position as a result of her own education and training, and that her experience in the classroom gave her the edge, so to speak, when it came to matters of my own education and development. The result was that as a student, I deeply believed that my teachers were the primary source of my success or failure – I trusted in them, in their knowledge and in their ability to lead me through the trials of primary and secondary education to that desired goal of success at GCE O and A Levels.

Fast forward to 2018 – Nobody believes that the teacher knows what he or she is doing. Everybody goes for lessons. And the lessons teacher is empowered with great respect and trust, while the school teacher is ignored, disrespected and often dismissed by the students and parents.  And the irony of it all? The lessons teacher is a school teacher in some other school. How did we get here? How did we get to this point where the student complains that his or her non performance in a subject is because the teacher does not make the subject interesting? And the parent openly agrees that it is the teacher at fault when the student does not do what is required in the class, is often disruptive and distracting to other students?

This unfortunate cycle of blind faith in our children and overzealous agreement with their every complaint, has to stop now. We cannot fully prepare our children for the future, for “the real world” if we continue to blindly support their stories and not at some point give a verbal shakeup and demand to know what they have done, or failed to do to result in their unacceptable performance. No longer can we accept the excuse that “the teacher did not teach” –  we are really not helping our children become capable, responsible young adults.

After more than 38 years in secondary education, I finally believe that a teacher can “bring the horse to water, but cannot make him drink it”. We can provide all the engaging strategies for learning, incorporate ICTs in our teaching, prepare copious notes and worksheets, conduct reviews and one on one sessions – we can continue to do our part, but if the student – supported by the parents – does not do their part, learning will not happen.

Judith Pereira

Principal,

The British Academy