Discuss the various functions of a teacher

a) Guidance:
A pupil learns many things at school. Besides subject areas, one is expected to be prepared socially, morally and emotionally. One of the teacher's functions is to guide pupils to become good adult member of society. Teachers ensure that learners keep time. Late come are punished to discourage the habit. T1iose with academic difficulties are advised on how to improve. Teachers also advise and help students with emotional problems.
The guidance function of the teacher is important in attaining the goals of the school. Teachers are expected to provide guidance and counseling to their learners. With the rapid changes in society and various challenges such as drug abuse and HIV/AIDS, teachers can no longer afford to restrict their work to classroom instruction. They can use their Subject areas to discuss the vices tormenting society and ways of pre-venting them. Teachers should help learners deal with the many challenges they encounter in their everyday living within the school environment. Some teachers have succeeded in transforming the character of their students.
However, some teachers have done more harm, than good to their students. In offering guidance and counseling, some fail to uphold confidentiality; others are untrained. Many of them counsel through trial and error. Some of these teachers do not know hove to win the confidence and trust of students. Their effectiveness is also questionable since inmost schools, teachers endure a heavy workload. Some of the teacher's advisory roles are controlled by the school administration. Other administrators interfere with teachers' work.

b) Administrative Function:
Every teacher is an administrator. He manages the learning process as well as all learning resources in the classroom. To succeed in his teaching tasks, the teacher must be skilful at managing learning. There should be orderly arrangement and grading of the material to be learnt. The teacher must also manage the pupils. He does this by providing pupils with an environment that promotes learning. The pupils must be orderly. Thus, the sitting arrangement has to be ordered to' permit easy movement: The teacher must also manage equipment like tables, desks, chairs and chalkboard. Sometimes, the teacher assists the principal in the overall administration of the school by performing specific assignments. At the secondary school level, subject teachers sometimes double up as housemasters, a position which combines administrative and guidance functions.
Teachers are supposed to be peace keepers among students. If conflicts erupt, they must ensure that disputants are calmed and committed to the mediation process and are ready to negotiate in good faith to solve the problem. Usually, disputants ask the mediator for help. In some cases, the mediator may see a dispute taking place and ask if he can be of service. However, teachers are sometimes the cause of class conflicts. This happens through student favoritism. Some teachers have their "ears" and "eyes" among students. This meat is that they have identified a few students who act as informants/spies. This tends to create antagonism in class.

c) Disciplinarian:
Teachers play the role of disciplinarian at all times in order to mould learners into responsible citizens. They know the values that society expects each individual to uphold. They emphasize these through school rules and regulations. Teachers are also expected to keep their classes controlled and therefore create a conducive learning environment for all students. Some teachers abuse the need to enforce discipline to create fear and intimidation. Some have harmed their students; even causing death by the disciplinary measures used.

d) Role Models:
Teachers embody the central values f society and are responsible for the maintenance of moral consensus in a secular society: (Durkheim 1961). In school, they actions are closely monitored and aped by learners. Students expect too much perfection from teachers. In Kenya, some teachers hardly play the role society expects them to nor what it would like students to emulate. Teachers have been interdicted for impregnating their students. Others have been associated with anti social behaviour such as reporting to work drunk and shabby dressing.

e) Instructor:
The teacher is a mediator between a student and the curriculum. He socializes the learners into the accepted norms and skills which have been laid down by society. How the teacher plays his role of mediator has an influence on learners' future roles in society. They may become successful and therefore contribute to nation building or turn out to be failures and thus a threat to other citizens. In mediation, some teachers are ready and willing to assist learners reach their academic peaks while others discourage learners. Sometimes, however, the quality of instruction given to learners is inadequate. Kenyan schools have suffered several student strikes associated with grievances over poor curriculum implementation.

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francis1897 answered the question on August 22, 2022 at 06:58