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.
