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Let us begin by defining who a teacher is. According to Dictionary.com, a teacher is a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession. Nevertheless, when we look at a teacher's typical day in a classroom, we realize that he/she does more than just teach. For the purpose of this summative task, I will summarize the teacher's role in the classroom in five short points as follows: 1) Instructor: In this role, according to the International TEFL and TESOL Training( ITTT), the teacher is a "knower" of a certain body of knowledge. As such, his primary responsibility is to pass on, or teach it to his/her students. He/she does this following a given curriculum and based on the guidelines set by his/her school. He/she ensures that the knowledge is passed on to the students within the stipulated period of time spelled out in his contract of employment. 2) Facilitator: According to yet the ITTT, the teacher as a facilitator is responsible for providing an appropriate learning environment. Since students, especially the young ones often mimic a teacher's actions, it is the teacher's place to prepare and maintain a warm and happy classroom environment. In such an environment, students are more likely to succeed as the atmosphere is conducive enough for them to perform at their best. 3) Mentor: Once more, the ITTT defines a mentor as a role model. This is very true to an extent, but since I beg to differ here, I would rather separate the role of mentor and role model because I think there is a clear cut line between the two. As a mentor, the teacher encourages the students to enjoy learning and strive to be the best they can. As a mentor, he needs to be a keen listener. He must listen to the students in order to be able to help build their self confidence and push them to want to be successful. 4) Role model: Considering the fact that students get to spend a lot of time with their teacher, it goes without saying that teachers inadvertently become their models. Even though some teachers may not see or want to see themselves as role models, the truth is that the sheer amount of time that they spend with their students is long enough to have either a positive or negative impact on the students. Given this therefore, the teacher will need to bear in mind that his/her call is not only to teach, but equally to love and care for the students. On a personal note, having spent some time in Asia and of course here in Cameroon where I was born and raised, I can confidently say that teachers are generally well respected in society, thus becoming role models to students and parents alike. As a result of the trust that teachers have gained from the community, many have been elected to positions of leadership in such communities. 5) Policeman: The ITTT further states that the teacher's role as a policeman is in crowd control. In this case, it becomes imperative for the teacher to move or change the seating positions of students in order to check the actions of troublemakers in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers play this role when they notice signs of abuse on any of their students. Such abuse could be from home, in which case it becomes the teacher's responsibility to follow up such cases, depending on the set down rules in the school. In my part of the country, teachers are affectionately referred to as chameleons. Just as a chameleon would change its colour to adapt to its environment, teachers can take on any of the roles above to suit any given situation.
