A teacher is a member of a society, tribe, family and above all, a human being like everyone else. This means that a teacher has way more to do than just teaching or any other role within the school premises.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the different things that a teacher is supposed to do in order to be a good citizen and also feel better inside. These include;
1. Guiding children of the community
Today, so many parents don’t have or just can’t make enough time for their kids, and this has led to unruly behaviors because children are almost rarely advised and never supervised. Here’s how teachers can guide children;
- Career guidance
- Basic advice
- Teaching them basic life skills
Of course, you can’t have access to every child – but the greater chance is around your neighborhood.
2. Offering private lessons to students that need them
So many students need private lessons – usually because they have personal hindrances including learning disabilities or other diseases. As a teacher, you can help them through;
- Coaching
- Home tutoring
- Online lessons
- Free online tutorials on sites like YouTube
Through offering private or tailored lessons outside school, you earn extra cash because many parents are willing to pay whatever amount of money to make sure their children can learn.
3. Participating in religious activities
Almost everyone has a religious inclination – and putting aside all mystical ideas, religion is usually the best psychotherapy when you take it in moderation. Therefore, you can participate in activities like;
- Preaching to fellow community members
- Contributing to building the church
- Joining the choir
Participating in religious activities might not be your thing, or you might even be an atheist – and that’s the limitation of this idea.
4. Participate in community work
Community work is so important, not only in making the community clean and organized, but also uniting the majority of the members. Therefore, teachers should engage in community work like;
- General cleaning
- Bush clearing
- Attending and raising important ideas in community meetings
Sometimes, your ability to work well with the members of the community depends more on their behavior than yours. This means you don’t have to force your way into the community if they cant welcome or accept you.
5. Volunteering
Volunteering is one way that you can give to your community, even without using or giving out money. There are various tasks in which a teacher can volunteer including;
- Organizing citizens and helping doctors in mass vaccinations
- Solving cases between citizens
- Community sanitation
- Helping in hospitals as nurses are operating patients, usually sending the equipment to them
Even though some of these things sound technical, there are so many uneducated people that offer to help, and actually do.
6. Development through business
Business is the most indirect way of helping the community grow. The more you start businesses of any sort, the more you add value to the society in ways such as;
- Providing jobs to the young people in the community
- Inspiring others to start businesses in the area
- Paying taxes that contribute to long term growth
Though so many teachers and other professionals under paid employment are usually reluctant to start businesses, a business can be a great way to learn more about how money works.
7. Sensitization of the community
The are so many things that the general population of the community might not know due to lack of education. Being a teacher puts you in a direct leadership position because you have a lot of knowledge you can share with students about things like;
- Girl-child education
- The dangers of some extreme cultural practices
- How to save and invest money in order to grow wealth
Some residents of the community are not open to new ideas, and most likely wont yield to your sensitization. However, this shouldn’t stop you from trying to sensitize them.
8. Fighting vices in the community
Many societies in rural areas usually indulge in various vices due to widespread misinformation and lack of proper education including;
- Early marriages
- Gender-based violence
- Female Genital Mutilation
Even though you don’t have so much power and influence, it’s entirely possible to sensitize people and rally the authorities against the citizens against the practitioners.
9. Supporting their own family
If you haven’t started a family yet, a time will come when you’ll have to, and you definitely will. As a teacher, it’s so important for you to be able to support your family in ways such as;
- Providing everything they need
- Giving advice to your children on how to navigate school and the world
- Making sure they have access to education
Supporting your own family symbolizes that you’re capable of handling even more, like leadership positions in the school and community.
10. Vying for leadership positions
Lots of people spend their entire lives being afraid of talking about or directly participating in politics and leadership. However, so many teachers have had massively successful political careers. This is because;
- It puts you at a better advantage to sensitize people
- You have the authority to fight vices even better
- It gives you enough money and resources to help some people in need
The truth is, politics can be dangerous or safe depending on where you are and the people you’re running against – and it can get to extremes like murder, but it’s usually worth the ride.
Conclusion;
This article is not a to-do list, but it’s safe for you as a teacher to take part in some of the activities in this article. This is because it won’t always be work all the time, and there has to be more about you than just the way you teach and handle other school activities.