by Shardha SANDAPEN

At this time of the year parents and teachers are eagerly waiting for the CPE results and it?s only a question of days before we celebrate our CPE laureates. Doesn?t it sound odd that schools and teachers are being awarded laureateships? Do we really have best schools and best teachers?

Indeed our star schools and national colleges are considered as the best. What makes them so prestigious? Do they have the best teachers? It?s more a question of intake!

When a school admits students with excellent CPE results, that is, high ability students instead of mixed ability or low ability students, it is not at all surprising that at the end of their schooling these learners become our laureates at HSC level. The teachers have been there only as facilitators and guides to learning. We are always there to make our learners aware of their potentials and abilities, so that they can give the best of themselves. And this is all that we do and can do; there is no laureate maker or best teacher! Studies and reports in more developed countries such as the USA and the UK give evidence that there is only a minimal variation in the effectiveness of schools and teachers. They indicate that ?Educational outcomes (are) mainly linked with children?s basic abilities, their home background and community cultural input?. (Coleman and Jencks). What if our best schools had to admit mixed ability or low ability students? Would our ?best? teachers? performances be the same? If they were able to make CPE and HSC laureates out of our low achievers, then undoubtedly they would be the best!

As teachers we are closely involved in what and how our children learn. For most people it probably seems self-evident that teachers must have an important effect on a learner?s educational progress. There are also many anecdotal examples of individual teachers who people believe made a significant difference to their lives. Most of us can still remember our best or favorite teacher(s), and we teachers are, indeed, the best teachers of so many of our learners. We cannot deny the vivid memories of the unique individuals who taught us.

Generally, people tend to evaluate teachers on the basis of their learners? achievement and this is what enables them to differentiate between good and poor teachers. A fairer evaluation of teachers should take into account their initial abilities, training, knowledge, attitudes and experience together with students? performances. As a matter of fact, each school in this country has its lot of good and poor teachers. There are so many of our colleagues in primary schools and private secondary schools, who in spite of the lack of resources and facilities, manage to make our lower ability learners succeed. Without the help and guidance of these devoted teachers, these children would have been failures and drop outs. We should also not forget those good teachers who are striving hard in the ZEP and pre-vocational schools to develop literacy and numeracy in our learners. And what about our colleagues who endeavour to teach our children with special needs? Teaching children with disabilities or physical and intellectual impairment is extremely difficult and challenging! Our tribute should also go to those secondary schools which have refused the prestigious title of ?best? schools by opting for the admission of mixed-ability students. How can we not appreciate those teachers who are struggling to give their best to learners of different abilities?

Finally, our gratitude should also be expressed to those very good teachers whether in pre-primary, primary or secondary schools, whether in highly prestigious or less prestigious schools, who do not content themselves with merely teaching a subject to their learners. They make a difference in the lives of their learners by listening to them, understanding, helping, supporting and guiding them since they have real concern for their learners because they love them and care for them.