What are schools for? What do they offer?

Of course, schools are establishments meant to educate youth. However, there are many subcategories under the heading "educate." The most obvious would be education in a particular content area, but students learn much more than content in schools. How do children learn to make connections between subjects, and how do they learn that they need to manage their time efficiently in order to finish assignments on time? Schools teach students core curriculum, but schools also teach children time management, responsibility, social skills, and a plethora of other useful life skills.

In my school experiences, I've learned much about interacting with others. This is not something I believe teachers intentionally focus on, but it is a tremendously important aspect of our school system. Teachers lead by example whether they like it or not, and when a teacher displays rude or unprofessional behavior, students will undoubtedly reflect that behavior. This is why teachers have such a vital role in children's lives. Educators truly are "keepers of the future" in this regard.

It is my personal belief that teachers need to really get to know each of their students. Once a teacher and student have made a more personal connection, the learning process accelerates. Students learn more from their school experience when teachers actually care about their students' interests and passions. I commend teachers who strive to know each of their students on this level because I know it isn't easy. However, the effort pays off when a teacher can see the progress that each student makes.

What makes a teacher successful and who should be the judge of that success and why?

What I feel makes a teacher successful is the amount of growth that students experience from interacting with that particular teacher. This growth may not be immediately apparent. It may not even be apparent for several years after the student-teacher relationship ends. Some teachers may plant seeds of knowledge in a student's mind, and those seeds might take some time to germinate.

Successful teachers teach not only their own subject matter, but also how their subject matter relates to other subjects and life in general. The most successful teachers look at the big picture and set their focus on their students and their students' needs rather than the core subject matter.

I think that students and teachers are the best candidates to accurately judge a teacher's level of success. Judgment cannot, however, be determined by only one party. For example, a teacher may assume that a student has learned something proficiently when the student has in fact been faking his way through the entire lesson, not understanding a single thing. If we were to just take the teacher's judgment of success in this case, we would be utterly misled. If we took only the student's evaluation of success, we could also be misinformed. Like I said earlier, some lessons that teachers present may not immediately register with a given student. If a student doesn't understand a lesson right away, she might say that the teacher is performing poorly. A few hours, weeks, months, etc. later, we may find out that the student had an epiphany and now understands the lesson. Thus, I believe it is essential to utilize both teacher and student input to determine the success of a teacher.

Higher Standards for Teachers

Why does society hold teachers to higher standards of moral and ethical behavior?

I understand why teachers are held to higher standards in our society, but why can't the "teacher standard" be the same standard that everyone in our society aims to meet?  Teachers obviously need to act morally and ethically because they come into contact with young impressionable minds all day, every day.  The impact that a teacher's ill behavior can have on his students is tremendous, but isn't it the same for any adult who behaves immorally or unethically in the presence of a child?

Students spend a great amount of time in the school system, and they learn much more than the core curriculum.  School is where students learn to interact with each other and become a productive and intelligent member of society.  No mother wants her child to go to school day after day and be influenced by a teacher with less than exceptional moral fiber.  Parents should be especially concerned because their children spend as much time learning from their teachers as they do from their own parents.

Teachers need to be guardians and protectors of morality so that tomorrow's leaders don't lose sight of the aspects in life that matter the most.