THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (31)

There are two perpetuating myths about teaching that need to be dispelled.

The first is that teachers work a six hour day five days a week for forty weeks each year. The amount of time teachers spend “on tasks” over and above that time means the public is only aware of the “tip of the iceberg”. Hours of planning and preparation go into teaching. Instruction is followed by assessment, upon which revision and extension programs are based.

The second myth is that teachers focus only on academics. Although the “3Rs” are very important there is a great deal more to the development of children than ‘Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.

The myths are as far from reality as Antarctica is from the equator.