Work through the panel talk (pp. 64-66). Dwell on the problem of the teacher’s profession (200-250 words)

According to the panel talk the most difficult problem of the teacher’s profession (I mean, for a beginner or a novice teacher) is achieving good communication between a teacher and his class, maintaining discipline and asserting a beginner’s authority as a teacher. It is very hard to be firm and exacting without losing touch with children and alienating them. It is no easy matter to find a way with children, to gain their love and respect; it takes a lot of experience and patience.

Besides, for a beginner there are other numerous problems to confront with. For example, one of these problems is adjusting to colleagues. It is a good thing if relationships between a beginner and his experienced colleagues are cordial, but more often than not, experienced colleagues show some kind of hostility towards beginners, it can lead to tension and frustration in their relationships. Commonly, a beginner’s incapability to cope with discipline problems, his youth, and using of new methods are a source of irritation and, maybe, even jealousy between a newcomer and a senior staff.

A teacher may have problems in making contact with parents of his pupils. Often parents don’t like beginners or young teachers; they prefer experienced teachers for their children. It may lead to misunderstanding, lack of respect and teacher’s authority.

And what can we say about penalties at school? It is a problem too. It is no easy matter to gain an understanding what kind of penalties may be effective in your class.

In fact, the problems are so numerous that they look insurmountable. There is no universal recipe how to cope with these problems from the very beginning – it is individual and requires such special qualities as a sense of humour, resourcefulness, creativity, love of work, et cetera. From my point of view, the most difficult problem is moulding all necessary qualities (I can say – indispensable qualities); this is the most difficult part of the teacher’s profession, which involves constant self-education and self-sculpture.

Staff relationships are important for a probationer because of their influence on staff-pupil relationships. They are a source of help a source of or troubles for a beginner. Acceptance into a school is like acceptance into a new family. There are family customs to be learnt and the established group has to be dealt with. Often older persons of the staff can be a great threat to probationers and cause a good deal of distrust and cynicism towards probationers’ new ideas for the fact that probationers’ new methods may serve to remind senior staff, how long ago their training was and how their teaching skills are being brought into question. Having been accepted into school staff, any probationer understands that he and many of his colleagues with whom he has to be in very close contact, think on very different lines. It may be a shock for the probationer. Differences of opinion and attitudes between the old and the young are endemic in our society so any probationer ought to be prepared for differences of this kind.

According to their own experience, probationers can give some pieces of advice to students to make easier student’s future work as a teacher.

Staff relationships are very important for a beginner because of their influence on work, life and future success of any beginner. Staff relationships may be a source of happiness and help or a source of hostility and irritation. Staff relationships are also important in that they indirectly influence teacher-pupil relationships and these relationships are, in turn, very important for establishing a positive classroom climate because good teaching involves more than simply transmitting information; it includes motivating pupils and creating a positive classroom environment, as well. Moreover, any beginner needs help and understanding; it is impossible to find without good relationships with older members of the staff. “A good beginning makes a good ending.”

2. Why is acceptance into a school compared with an acceptance into a new family?

Acceptance into a school can be compared with an acceptance into a new family because commonly, the relationship to older members of the staff may have a certain mother-in-law quality. There are family customs to be learnt and however warm the welcome, a grain of jealousy between the newcomer and the established family group has to be dealt with. Probationers themselves are, in turn, often unaware of the threat their youth and new ideas can be to older members of the staff. It is a real big family.

3. Why is it common for older members of staff to feel on the defensive in the presence of probationers?

Because a probationer’s new methods may serve to remind senior staff, how long ago their training was and how their teaching skills are being brought into question. Besides, the youth of the probationer attracts the children towards him (in contrary to the age of senior staff).

I think that the word “cynicism” is used in its direct meaning. Senior staff cast doubt on a probationer’s ability to cope with problems of teaching, to choose the right methods of teaching and so on.

Probationers, in turn, may have cynical attitude to work and older staff, that means that they may be condescending towards the old and be distrustful of old methods of teaching. So, both sides have no trust in each other and doubt other’s motives and methods of work.

Because a probationer understands that he and many of his colleagues with whom he has to be in very close contact, think on very different lines. In a college or university, it is possible to be less aware of the differences between the people, but not in the probationer’s work place. And it is a shock for any probationer who is permissive in outlook and who has, without thinking, mostly been friendly with like-minded individuals, to find that his new colleagues are “solidly authoritarian in sentiment”, for example.

I think that the advice “Don’t be afraid of older members of staff” may be called positive and constructive. A beginner needs help and confidence but it is unachievable in the atmosphere of fear. Older members of staff may express hostility towards a beginner, but it is not right to be afraid of them. A beginner ought to gain their respect and amiability with his/her behaviour, knowledge and other assets and traits of his/her character, not showing fear and timidity or hostility.

I think it is impossible to follow the advice about “thick skin to old-fashioned criticism” because it is incorrectly to ignore critical remarks of older members of the staff on the whole, there may be very useful (although it may be a very unpleasant thing) remarks among others. Sometimes critical remarks help in choosing the right way to cope with numerous problems of the teacher’s profession, especially they may be useful for probationers. Of course, all remarks need to be seriously thought over. But it is only my point of view.

.This statement can be considered from two different points of view. On the one hand teaching definitely comprises a set of skills that can be learned, just as writing or speaking in public are the abilities that can be developed. However, this does not guarantee that you will learn to be a great teacher any more than everyone, who studies writing, becomes a Jane Austen^{^[1]} or everyone, who studies public speaking, becomes a Martin Luther King^{^[2]}, Jr. It does mean that you can learn to do a very good job, good enough to give you satisfaction. But on the other hand …

If you want to be a great teacher, you need a lot of qualities, which are inborn, which can’t be developed (or, in some cases, it takes a great deal of time, patience and will-power). It is necessary to have some kind of “charisma”, to be able to spark a thirst for knowledge in your pupils, in other words, to be a great teacher.

I can’t insist that people should teach children if only they have this kind of talent. I knew many brilliant teachers who have no gift like this. But all of them have high skills at teaching and love their work, and their pupils worship them. They are rather “made” then “born” teachers.

I believe that it is great happiness if you have this kind of talent and you are a teacher.

[1] Austen, Jane (1775-1817), English novelist, noted for her witty studies of early-19th-century English society. With meticulous detail, Austen portrayed the quiet, day-to-day life of members of the upper middle class. Her works combine romantic comedy with social satire and psychological insight (Pride and Prejudice (1813)).

[2] King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929-1968), American clergyman and Nobel Prize winner, one of the principal leaders of the American civil rights movement and a prominent advocate of nonviolent protest. King’s challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s helped convince many white Americans to support the cause of civil rights in the United States. After his assassination in 1968, King became a symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice.