Efficacy in Teaching: A Necessary Balance of Confidence, Self-Awareness, and Persistence

  When I first came to Luther freshman year, I had the unmitigated arrogance to say to a friend that I felt destined for 'greater' things than teaching.  Ironic now, of course, since I feel teachers are the most undervalued workers on the planet, feeling the crushing pressure of expectations while receiving few tangible benefits.  Everyday they are expected to inform and engage students, maintain discipline, satisfy district and national standards of assessment, create appropriate learning environments, submit lesson plans, attend meetings, satisfy parents, organize school events, coach, and remain relentlessly optimistic, despite obstacles, stress, and insufficient pay.  This is a ridiculously long list of things to do, and those with the capacity to get the job done deserve the utmost respect. 

I wonder how many people would take the challenge if they got the whole low-down on the job description.  From the outskirts, teaching appears to be a pretty thankless job for the difficulties entailed.  Altruistic motivation must outweigh tangible benefits if teachers are to be effective in this world.  But a lot of teachers find themselves drained of that internal motivation by the end of their first year.  The task proves too daunting, and altruism is no longer sufficient to motivate teachers.  The teachers who dropped out after the first year lack self-awareness of their capacity for teaching.  They might possess a strong work ethic and confidence in their abilities but are unable to reflect on their own limitations, and so grow frustrated at their failures. 

An effective teacher must be able to maintain a balance of confidence, persistence, and self-awareness in order to be successful. If any one trait is lacking, we witness a breakdown in learning.  A teacher without confidence becomes too oppressed by his or her limitations.  A teacher without a persistent work ethic fails to push his or her students toward learning goals or maintain an effective learning environment.  Without self-awareness, a teacher is trapped by his or her inability to identify and overcome ineffectiveness. 

In the teaching world, efficacy is best developed through outside input.  Communication with other teachers and critical feedback allow teachers to develop and experiment with alternative approaches to teaching that may prove more effective.  This in turn stimulates a more collaborative learning environment.  If teachers understand their individual responsibilities in the community of the school, individual work ethic is reinforced.  If teachers support and encourage one another, confidence is built and restored.  Working together and understanding how others deal with similar situations can make the daunting task of teaching seem more reasonable.  With a collaborative support structure firmly in place, schools will enhance awareness, confidence, work ethic, and the effectiveness of teachers.