Pedagogy: Life and blood of teaching profession

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday November 3, 2025 06:00

Teachers have long realised and accepted the uniqueness of their profession. Teaching and learning thrive and prosper within a positive social milieu. The creation of the necessary enabling social milieu cannot be left in the hands of parents alone. That offering the best pedagogical experiences within the classroom theatre can deliver so much, but the rest could come from learners’ psycho-social readiness. The role of the teachers, therefore, in ensuring that students are both technically razor sharp and psychologically ready to navigate both learning tasks in general and (final) examination hurdles in particular cannot be overemphasized.

The 2025 academic year is coming to an end, and a season of examinations has begun in earnest across the length and breadth of the country. Those close to the teaching theatre are beginning to witness teachers’ display of their deepest commitment, compassion and professionalism at a crucial stage in the education journey of their students. Make no mistake about teachers. Based on what I am seeing with my own eyes, teachers love their students and their profession. Students are motivated by clear and visible signs of a self-respecting profession. Here is my personal experience of the admirable professionalism and conduct of the teachers during the examination season. I have personally witnessed with a great sense of joy and admiration recent developments in which teachers go out of their way to offer moral and psychological support to students during the examination writing season. Teachers are no longer merely content with the fact that they have delivered the curriculum in the classroom as best as they could, but they also elect to go that extra mile to demonstrate that they are with the students every step of the way. Our curriculum comprises different subjects. Whenever a subject is written, the responsible department would lead the way in terms of developing a theme that would govern the conduct of members of the school team. There is a thematic approach.

The thematic approach to examinations assumes different colours guided by each subject area. For example, a subject could choose gold as the theme of the day. Once a theme has been identified, the members of the school team could look gold as a mark of respect for a particular subject. The thematic approach to examinations demonstrates a spirit of oneness, unity of purpose, and mind. More often than not, organisations fail to accomplish objectives due to the prevalence of silos. But teachers have demonstrated their unique approach to team building. Small things, taken for granted, such as dressing in a particular way as dictated by the subject theme, can bring down barriers and build a long and enduring spirit of camaraderie, collaboration, and collegiality among members of staff. It is indeed true that successful mobilisation of teachers to rally behind a particular subject is an effective strategy that goes beyond honouring the examination period. Learners at all times should be made to think positively and have good impressions about their school and teachers.

The spirit of unity and harmonious relations that appear to be prevailing among teachers goes a long way to motivate students to value their school work and to work hard to uphold the reputation of their school if it is a successful school or raise the profile to another level of a struggling school. When teachers who are already educated stand together as a team, students from the foundation stage learn the value of thriving on collective wisdom. When teachers support one another, students follow suit to lend support to one another in their learning tasks. Successful teaching, therefore, cannot solely rely on the instructional prowess of individual teachers; it is also the creation of a positive and supportive social environment that completes the equation of building students’ capacity to prosper academically and even beyond the confines of the classroom.

Mind games play a vital role in raising educational outcomes. Students do apply themselves fully and with positive energy when they feel that they are in the right school, handled by teachers with the right attitudes. Students need affirmation at every stage of their learning endeavours. Students tend to unleash their best selves when reminded now and then of what they are capable of achieving and the possibilities that lie ahead. So mind games win battles. The Marine Corps, when going to war, is guided by its culture of positivity. And that spirit is that failure is not an option. Students should be made to embrace a culture of accomplishment rather than the possibility of failure.

This is how a positive social milieu can complement the endeavours of teachers in the classroom. Parents, too, should join the fray by cultivating positive attitudes in the minds of their children. Parents should raise their children conscious of the positive attitudes children are learning at school. The home environment should not stand in the way of progress by promoting negativity and failure. Labeling a child as useless at home can frustrate the students and reverse the gains made at school.