Five vital steps for school teachers of CBSE schools to become effective
CBSE schools are ideal vehicles for a lot of experimentation in today's conditions. The vital New Education Policy has already been implemented in one way or the other. It is in this context that CBSE school teachers need to reinvent themselves. Five vital steps in this context are sought to be discussed in this article.
Introduction
Today, the CBSE schools have multiplied even in small towns and rural areas. The schools have a curriculum that is quite different from that of the State Board Schools. Since the New Education Policy has been rolled out in the CBSE schools, there should be a drastic shift in the mindsets and training in terms of new skill sets on a continuous basis.
It is relevant for all CBSE school teachers to a) Immediately acquire all higher qualifications in Education b) Take up additional Post-graduate courses in at least three different disciplines c) Become Multi-taskers d) Get trained in psychological counseling and e) Take up leadership positions for career growth.Immediately acquire all higher qualifications in Education
Even primary school children need to immediately acquire the Bachelor of Education(B.Ed) and the Master's Degree in Education(M.Ed). For one, the CBSE regulations could change drastically, to reflect the basic requirements to take on the new challenges. Secondly, in a highly competitive market, qualifications in Education matter so much.Take up additional Post-graduate courses in at least three different disciplines
How about a Mathematics teacher doubling up as a History teacher or a teacher of Sociology or Public Administration? Yes. This does seem possible if one looks at the kind of electives being available in the CBSE schools under the New Education Policy. At the moment, trained teachers in Social Sciences are very difficult to get. But when teachers have Post-graduate degrees in subjects such as Economics, Sociology, History, or Philosophy from Universities such as the Indira Gandhi National Open University, through the Online and the Distance Education modes, it becomes very interesting and relevant for the CBSE schools to make full use of such skilled teachers. Furthermore, there are several State Universities like the University of Madras that also run online or Distance Education courses in subjects like Sociology or Psychology.
CBSE teachers should make full use of such facilities to acquire further Post-graduate qualifications and become teachers in more than one core subject. This is an urgent imperative.Become Multi-taskers
This is a big imperative as well. The CBSE is based at New Delhi but has mostly computerized its operations. It regularly sends various sorts of communications to schools. Most CBSE teachers do not care to even open the CBSE website to read the recent developments. If the teachers are serious about making a good difference in their careers right now, they need to change their mindsets and become multi-taskers. When the teacher himself or herself shows interest, the school management would sit up and take notice. A teacher would be far ahead in the competitive race if he or she is not only highly qualified but can also handle the administrative work related to following the rules and regulations and the systems that encompass such administrative basic framework in practice. Such practical work is always appreciated and the complications of the CBSE regulations can only be expected to increase in the years to come.Get trained in psychological counseling
State Universities like the one mentioned above also offer a highly job-oriented course in Counseling Psychology. The CBSE teachers need to take full advantage of such a course and become an expert in psychological counseling.
There is massive scope for this counseling at two levels. Firstly, the parents are those who have already been dazed, even in the metro cities like Chennai or Bangalore. They find the CBSE curriculum and syllabus highly taxing when compared to the State Board in their respective states. However, since the ramifications of the changes already seen are going to affect all children, there are bound to be problems of adjustment and the consequent behavioral problems among students. Even if the school does not designate the CBSE school teacher as a counselor, those who are well-trained can easily add tremendous value by providing the required counseling services to students who need it as a matter of urgent intervention. Such practical counseling will also enable the CBSE school teacher to be far ahead of the learning curve than those who are either not qualified or trained or do not show interest.
The current practice is to appoint a part-time counselor who visits the school a couple of days every week and does the job. However, this is often inadequate and will show up as such. This is exactly where the proactive teacher will not only be doing a good service but he or she will also become an expert in this vital skill.Take up leadership positions for career growth
Today, it is impossible for anyone to stay in a particular school and serve as a teacher till his or her retirement. There need to be two or three changes for the better, more so, for those who are a cut above the rest. This can happen, for example, as a transition to the post of Vice-Principal in a residential school and further promotion as a Principal. In fact, there is a massive shortage of highly qualified and skilled all-rounders. Most teachers are subject experts and nothing more. The world is likely to appreciate anyone who is multi-skilled and who has worked in various responsibilities.
The number of students also matters a lot. There are quite a large number of corporate houses that run different CBSE schools in many of their manufacturing facilities, for example. If one joins the corporate office of a big group engaged in providing high-quality education, he or she will have a great career, where doing something innovative can be a reality, every single day. In fact, aiming for such leadership positions should be the career goal of ambitious CBSE school teachers. Conclusion
The day is not far off when CBSE school teachers will necessarily have to change their mindsets and embrace the change of a tall order. They can become effective if they follow the aforesaid steps and take them to their logical conclusion. For, today's world is not the same as yesterday, and the one that will show up tomorrow or anytime in the future will have changed to a maximum extent in any CBSE school. The teachers need to be prepared for the challenges ahead.
This is a good article from the author. With the introduction of the new education system, we can expect major changes in the education field and the teachers who are instrumental in making the whole system successful should get equipped with the new requirements and skills. In fact, not only in the education field but also in all other fields also, one should acquire additional skills to be the front-runner in career growth. The teachers should be able to manage the development of technology and should be able to use them in their teaching so that students will get benefited.
Changes are inevitable and all employees should get equipped themselves to face the changes. Such people only can have a glowing career path.