By AL JOHN U. FEBRERO
Teaching profession requires a strong passion and drive to attain its general goals and objectives. To bring the best means of educating the learners thus uplifting the level of education here in our country, to cater the major problems such that unemployment and poverty be addressed. Teacher performance is the main factor that will direct the success of education and will determine if the sector of education has achieved its peak. But, a short visit to these factors is beneficial to everyone who are aiming to take their performance to its greater heights. Some of the factors that affect, as existing studies proved, are teachers’ attitudes, and beliefs.
Teachers’ attitude which refers to the behavior demonstrated by teachers towards teaching can be manifested by teachers’satisfaction, influence and development. Satisfaction includes how the teachers feel about their jobs, the routinized activities that occur in their personal and professional life where they feel the appreciation of their exerted efforts. The teachers see their compensation as honorary means of appreciating their demonstrated knowledge, skills and values that bring meaningful teaching-learning process. Influence refers to the positive application of teacher’s behaviors as they serve as role models to their pupils and to colleagues as well. Educator influence shall always be positive: where they continually inspire the learners to achieve better performance and be the best of what they can be. Development refers to teachers’ openness that in everyday portraying their roles as educators, they are also undergoing personal and professional development, thus functioning in their best state. The teachers’ openness to suggestions and constructive criticism will bring a clear path to develop themselves.
Beliefs refer to the guiding principle that will direct the teacher in their everyday assumption of duties. These beliefs can be classified into:
teacher-related, pupil-related and work-related beliefs. Teacher-related beliefs mainly refer to the roles, duties and responsibilities of the educator to the pupils, schools, stakeholders and community. Specifically, these refer to what their roles are in educating the learners; what to teach, how to teach and many more. Pupil-related beliefs refer to how the teacher sees and treats the learners. Ideally, the teachers shall see the pupils as their main client wherein they are the basis and reason of bringing meaningful and authentic teaching and learning process. Their achievement will be the manifestation of the cooperative effort between the teacher and the learners. Work-related beliefs refer to how the teachers practice their profession; this implies that the teacher shall see the teaching profession as a noble job and prerequisite to achieve a community that is ready to face life’s challenges.
By revisiting these factors, through the conduct of school in-service training, and learning action cells, teachers’ performance can be improved and maximize to achieve higher results.