An English teacher has a huge responsibility in making sure the students learn the language properly. It is important that they fulfill their duties and responsibilities in making sure that the students are able to write well and be confident in themselves. They need to put ample thought and dedication to planning their lessons and effective techniques through which to teach them. They then need to track the progress of the students and give constructive criticism in order to ensure them to do better next time. While there are a number of duties and responsibilities for English teachers, here are our top 11.
1. Knowledge of the Subject
The first and foremost duty of any English Teacher is to have enough knowledge of the subject. They need to study their field inside out and continue to do so, keeping themselves updated with the latest books and articles as well as technology to further enhance their teaching materials and methods.
2. Preparation
Any English teacher should prepare lessons in-depth and be fully prepared before teaching a class. This means planning a lesson from start to finish; how to begin, what to teach in that particular lesson, what questions to ask the students, what activities to give them etc.
3. Ensuring an Orderly Classroom
It is also part of a teacher’s duty to ensure that the classroom maintains full discipline and order. Establish certain ground rules and make sure the students adhere to them. This will keep the classroom organized and structured and stimulate a good learning environment. Reward those who do follow them and punish those who don’t so that others can follow by example.
4. To Follow Timings and Be Available
A teacher is like a role model for the students and so it is essential that they be on time for every lesson. If a teacher comes late this could encourage the students to start doing so as well. Apart from that, it is also essential that the teacher finish the designed curriculum in time. If he/she has planned to finish a certain novel or play by a given period they should ensure that they are able to complete it on time.
It is also important for you to be available if the students need to come and seek your help or guidance, they need to know that you are there if they need you. This has a strong influence on their attitude towards the subject.
5. Design Strategies to Develop Independent Learners
One thing a teacher should be careful of is not to spoon-feed the students. The harm in spoon feeding is that it can cause the students to become completely reliant on you and stop thinking for themselves. This can cause many problems later on when they go to college and have jobs.
Being an English Teacher you should design techniques to lead them to think on their own and become independent learners. For example, get their analysis on a certain poem before you analyze it for them. Make sure to implement these strategies once you have designed them.
6. Set Goals and Motivate Your Students
Being an English teacher, it is your duty and responsibility to motivate your students and set goals for them. In fact, it is better if you set goals with them, so that they feel in charge and work harder to obtain them. Help them reach those goals and offer them incentives to motivate them. They can be small incentives such as candy or bigger ones like giving the class a pizza treat if they reach a certain goal. Just make sure that you keep encouraging your students and motivating them so that they don’t give up at any point.
7. To Provide Diverse Learning Experiences
As an English teacher, you can find multiple teaching techniques that you can use to teach your students. This is in order to prevent them from getting bored and losing interest. For example, you can get the students to perform a certain play in class, or show them a movie of a novel they are currently studying. The options in today’s world are endless. You can even go a step further and invite a well-known literary personality or writer to come to class and inspire the students. The point is to keep diversifying your methods to keep your students engaged to their maximum potential.
8. To Support All Students
Sometimes teachers can be biased without realizing it and this causes them to focus more on certain students and neglect others in the process. As a teacher, you need to make sure that you are providing equal support to all your students and going a step further for those who are weak and need it more. You need to be observant to see who’s lagging behind in class, as most students will be shy and not reach out for help. Check yourself from time to time to make sure you are not doing favoritism as that could set back your other students.
9. Build Confidence
As an English teacher, you need to get your students to be bold and get out there! Encourage them to use their imagination and to read out stories to the class. Even if their work is not very good keep praising them and encouraging them to work harder as it will build their confidence and lead them to do better. All they really need is someone to believe in them and you need to be that someone since you’re their teacher.
10. Tests and Progress Reports
In order to judge your students’ progress, it is essential that you prepare tests and quizzes for them from time to time. See where they are at, what they are struggling with, and then address those issues. You can then show them and their parents their progress through progress reports, to ensure that they are in the loop as well and can do their part in helping out the child.
11. Assign Reading Materials
Apart from the curriculum, you can set aside other reading materials, including books and articles for your students. They can read them in their free time and it would help them with the course itself. Perhaps you can have a system of bonus points for those who read the extra reading material, in order to encourage them to do so.
With these 11 duties and responsibilities for English teachers, you are good to go and will see great results in no time at all. Happy teaching!