In the modern society, education has been caught up in the free market culture where cases of demand and supply apply. Teachers have always been held accountable for the decision they make regarding whether they lead to success or failure. In most countries, the test-taking systems apply to most students being rated based on their scores. However, a primary question arises on whether teachers should be faulted as a cause of the poor performance of their students. Academic issues revolve around various factors which contribute to the transformative power of education. In this case, the government, parents, student, teachers and the society at large have a role to play. Despite people having many expectations from teachers, they should not blame them for the poor performance of the students.
Traditional and modern view
The conventional view of education portrays teaching as a noble profession. Similarly, teachers are taken to be distributors of knowledge which as passed from one generation to another. As a result, the teacher is a role model, trainer, parent, and motivator. A successful student is also described to be an all-rounded individual where some of these features are inherited from the teacher. There is a traditional quote that says if one can read or write, all gratitude to the teacher. In this case, many people are always thankful for the role that their teachers played (Meichenbaum, 2017). There are very many attributes that can be associated with having a good teacher which include, progress, success, and growth in one's life. Attending school in the past was seen as a luxury for majority or privilege for the lucky few ones. However, the majority of these individuals still appreciate the role that their teachers played in their lives. The controversy implies that failure in classwork goes beyond the part of the teacher. Therefore, the traditional argument obligates the teacher with a supportive role in the development of a child's life. As a result, teachers should not be blamed for poor performance of students in that their responsibilities revolve even outside the curriculum requirements.
According to Meichenbaum (2017), the modern society has a different reflection of the teacher's responsibility in that the roles to be accomplished have reduced. Technology has eliminated the aspect of classroom setting where the bond between the teacher and students is lost. Additionally, online classes eliminate the close monitoring of individuals as compared to the past. Despite the numerous changes in the education system, it is evident that a certain percentage of individuals perform well in their studies. In this case, the blame on teachers is contradicting. Another main area of change is the age at which pupils attend their early education programs. Recently, school enrolment starts early with most of the children spending their first twenty years in school. However, the increased interaction does not guarantee one better performance.
Basing the argument on both the traditional and modern view, it is evident that the role of a teacher is to impart knowledge to the learners but the aspect of poor or excellent performance includes other variables. Another argument is that high test scores cannot be the only factor by which pupil's achievement should be measured (Spady, 2014). Those unfortunate students who get affected by these factors might end up performing poorly despite having a close connection with the teacher. Some of these variables that contribute to poor performance exclusive of the teacher's responsibility include:
The overcrowded curriculum
- recently, the education systems in most nations have changed as a result of community, employer, and political pressures. Most of the demands that these sectors call for are not adequately represented in the education systems. When taking an example of the education for the disabled, most governments fail to address their needs. In this case, it is evident that despite the presence of teacher performance can be influenced by the curriculum provisions. At the same time, the number of subjects being studied has increased with time. The change is an unsatisfactory factor in that when new items are added; it is more likely that existing studies will be dropped to make way for the change. Not all amendments devote their attention to the basic that students should acquire (Tinto, 2015). Some systems are also more demanding in line with both resources and the output. An example is when the tests being administered in a school have a low contribution to the skills that the students should acquire. These factors are beyond the teacher's control in that the society and the government need to come in and offer extra support.
Time devoted to non-core teaching tasks
- most of the education systems in the modern society demand that teachers should routinely undertake some non-teaching duties on top of the curriculum topics workload. The increased responsibilities become a burden when there is no correspondent increase in the number of teachers available. Similarly, the changing nature of society has burdened the teachers with to deal with other factors such as disruptive behaviors, supporting students during family breakdowns, and also the role of accommodating physical and intellectual disabilities. Similarly, the move to devolution for most nations have contributed to the increase in administrative responsibilities of teachers (Yost, 2016). Apart from preparing students academically, it is the responsibility of the teacher to act as a law enforcer, employment agent, counselor among other duties. The workload contributes to limited time being devoted to classwork which has an impact on the student performance.
Pace and scope of change in schools
- evolution is a fact of life and is inevitable. The education system has changed over time with most teachers being unable to escape it. The number of changes implemented in school and the time given for teachers to evaluate the transition process has a great impact on performance. Reflecting on the traditional view, most people appreciate their teachers for positive factors that go beyond classwork. In this case, any changes being made in schools require both involvement and consultation with the teachers before implementation. Contrary, most changes are being deployed without adequate consultation. The main reason for the emphasis on teacher involvement is that they understand the needs of their students better than other society members in line with education (Yost, 2016). As a result, so much time is spent when trying to incorporate these changes and make them part of the curriculum. Failure to meet the classroom demand through the changes widens the gap between administration and teaching as well as development and implementation. Research shows that the accelerating rate of change for the past twenty years have some negative effects due to the little time allocated for the transition.
Student reluctance
- if one thinks about education, individuals play the most prominent role in their performance. Approximately 65 percent of the students who attain low grades in examinations is as a result of personal factors. In this case, failure to prepare in advance, attitude towards a particular subject, inability to study and inefficient application of skills. Consistent with the factors, research shows that educational progress involves the curriculum to be a primary contributor to students' progress. Therefore, individuals a have a significant role to play to be able to meet the educational requirements that are associated with both the school and the country. Despite having a tutor, when students do not show interest in their studies, it is more likely that the performance is low.
Recommendations
Having highly effective teachers is an enriching factor in students' lives in line with the long run career options as well as children development. However, some additional factors should be considered to add to the teachers' efforts towards excellent performance. First, the method in which learning is accessed should be evaluated in such a way that it involves both grades and non-educational activities. When the teacher plays the role of a motivator and counselor, it means that upright morals and behaviors by the students are a positive attribute (Spady, 2014). Similarly, there should be valid grading procedures such that the varying factors between two different schools are covered. At the same time, there should be an alignment of the achievement test with the curriculum systems. The reason is that when implementing change, the procedure involves both the set policies and the target populations.
Additionally, based on the argument that many of the variables that affect the learning process are beyond the control of an individual teacher, an emphasis should be done on the aspect of accountability of the external variables. An example is the level of support provided by the society and the government towards the well-being of students. Resources should be distributed while considering the needs of each student (Tinto, 2015). These case include the availability of books, favorable technology, a standardized ratio of teachers to students, and enhanced support of curriculum specialists. Similarly, parents have a more significant role to play in that their support is also substantial for child growth. When presenting at-risk students to the teacher, moral support should also be offered form home. Lastly, the community matters concerning education should also be considered in that value for school by the community is essential.
Conclusion
As it has become evident, the interplay of the factors affecting student performance is multifaceted and requires the collaboration of different groups of individuals. In the current social setting, it is also challenging to measure the value of success while involving the education system as the primary factor. Any program implemented to enhance a positive change is education should work towards a common goal of No Child Left Behind in both the process of resource allocation and provision of better facilities. The society should also recognize the teacher's role in the community by dropping the current way of looking at things. In this case, the behavior of comparing the student's score and holding the teachers responsible should be eliminated. Teaching is crucial but not the only important variable that determines the success of pupils.
References
Meichenbaum, D. (2017). Teaching thinking: A cognitive behavioral perspective. In The Evolution of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (pp. 85-104). Routledge.
Spady, W. G. (2014). Dropouts from higher education: An interdisciplinary review and synthesis. Interchange, 1(1), 64-85.
Tinto, V. (2015). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of educational research, 45(1), 89-125.
Yost, D. S. (2016). Reflection and self-efficacy: Enhancing the retention of qualified teachers from a teacher education perspective. Teacher Education Quarterly, 33(4), 59-76.
