While the teaching profession is the subject of more debate than ever before, the roles assigned to the teaching profession in the past years are truly admirable.
One of these examples was in 1971 Dr. A.Ferhan Oğuzkan The role assigned to the teacher in the book “Three Aspects of Teaching” written by the Ministry of National Education and published by the Ministry of National Education.
The book explains what qualities young people preparing to become teachers should possess as citizens, as members of the world community and as professionals.
In this sense, teachers have great duties and responsibilities in the reconstruction of Turkish society in the direction of democracy, the establishment of better relations with the nations and the development of the teaching profession. At the forefront of these duties and responsibilities is the need for teachers to be trained with a broad general culture, solid subject knowledge and an adequate professional formation.
The author believes that teaching has three aspects. First and foremost, a teacher, no matter where he or she is employed, must be an alert and enlightened member of our society, a person who addresses the problems of our world, which is becoming smaller and smaller as a result of the dizzying development of modern science and technology, and finally a skilled member of the teaching profession, the importance and value of which is recognized by everyone.
If we open these headings;
1-The teacher as an enlightened member of Turkish society
-The system of values that have important effects on contemporary Turkish culture,
- The reasons for the social, economic and political changes occurring in our society today,
- The democratic developments in recent years and the scope of these developments in terms of social and cultural progress,
- The importance of the teacher's role in participating in community-led social activities,
- It needs to grasp the need and value of achieving wholeness of personality.
2- The teacher as an alert member of the world community
-Understand and appreciate other cultures,
-To be aware of contemporary world problems and international institutions,
-They need to know the key factors that created a new era.
3- The teacher as an adequate member of his/her profession
-The importance of knowing the growth and behavior characteristics of young people,
- The importance of knowing the social environment of young people to understand them,
- The importance of knowing how to make productive use of information,
- The importance of guiding students' learning,
- The importance of knowing the place and task of measurement and evaluation in modern teaching,
- The importance of understanding the basic function of guidance in education,
- The importance of being prepared to work harmoniously with school administrators and other teachers,
- The importance of understanding the place and function of education and training in Turkish society.
More than half a century after the book was written and published by the Ministry of National Education, can we say that public and private sector teachers in the education system today possess these qualities?
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to answer this question in the affirmative!
Sources
Dr. A.Ferhan Oğuzkan. Three Aspects of Teaching.