Think about everything you need to be, do and know as a teacher. If you are committed to being, doing and knowing the things that you should, you are an accountable teacher. 

Here are some of the things that we must BE, DO, and KNOW.

Mr B loves his job as a teacher, but he gets frustrated many times. There are times when there’s pressure– to create assessments, to check assignments, to create reports, to manage the classroom. He gets overwhelmed but doesn’t give up. He understands that he has a responsibility towards his learners and their future. So, he doesn’t give up. He works out ways to manage his time, organise his workspace, create systems to manage his classroom. He can do all of that because he is an accountable teacher.

As an accountable teacher, the things I must BE…

• Dedicated and patient 
• Positive and optimistic
• Resilient and committed
• Ethical and responsible
• Professional and open to change

Ms D, a school teacher, at times, gets lazy and doesn’t want to work. She could take a short cut and use lesson plans created by her colleague. She doesn’t do that, she knows that she won’t be able to deliver it to perfection because she doesn’t own it. On an unrelated topic, she, sometimes, feels like sharing her holiday pictures on social media. But she doesn’t, because her social media account is public and the parents of her students could have access to that content. Then, there are a couple of colleagues who she doesn’t get along with, yet she maintains a cordial relationship with them. Then there are times when she wants to scold a couple of students in her class. Of course, she doesn’t lash out at them. At any given point in time, in her personal as well as professional life, she keeps her behaviour in check. You see, she is an accountable teacher.

As an accountable teacher, the things I must DO…

• Conduct myself with dignity and respect
• Make professional growth a continuous process
• Maintain a healthy relationship with every stakeholder in education
• Perform all the duties with dedication
• Cooperate and collaborate with every stakeholder towards achieving learning goals

Mr K, a teacher, is also a keen learner. He seeks continuous feedback from his students, his colleagues, seniors and parents to understand his areas of improvement. He is open to constructive feedback and doesn’t mind changing his practices if they lead to his growth. On one occasion, he was supposed to organise an event in the school, he ensured that he learnt all about event management. He keeps learning about different methods to teach his subject and stays abreast with the latest developments in his area of expertise. He understands the levels and needs of each of his learners and makes use of a variety of strategies to make them learn. Needless to say, he is an accountable teacher.

As an accountable teacher, the things I must KNOW…

• Strengths and areas for development as an educator
• Ins and outs of any work that I undertake
• Learners and their abilities, preferences and needs
• Subject matter and the latest developments in my field
• Pedagogy, technology and content and their integration into teaching and learning

Though the concepts of BE, DO, KNOW have been elaborated with the help of three teachers, it is important to understand that one person can possess all of these characteristics… and an ideal educator should. 

If you want to dive deeper into this area of teaching and learning, please feel free to check out our course on Ethics and Values.