Commitment of teachers to the profession

TEACHER LEADERSHIP SEMINAR (FOR KENYA AND TANZANIA STUDENTS).

COMMITMENT OF TEACHERS TO THE PROFESSION. PRESENTER WILLY MURIUKI.

INTRODUCTION. Professional commitment is conceptualized as positive, affective attachment to ones work. It is a feeling of dedication among individuals or a group towards their profession. It involves pride in one being in the teaching profession and a strong desire for professional development (Shashi,2014)..

The strength of any profession depends on the degree of commitment of its members. Teaching is not an exception and its widely accepted that the distinguishing feature that teachers have is their commitment to the development of student achievement. Rosenholtz (1989) in his studies confirmed the relationship between teacher commitment and student achievement..

Professional commitments that a teacher needs to make..

The article on “Teacher’s commitment to, and Experiences of Teaching profession in Tanzania resonates in Kenya well. Just as in Tanzania, most Kenyans join the profession as a result of: Failure to obtain grades for lucrative courses. Influence by parents / guardians and other close relatives. Teaching course enables the graduates to get jobs more easily. However, in both countries, a few students like the teaching profession naturally and join out of their own will..

The practicing teachers are demotivated by: Poor working conditions . Low salaries and allowances Lack of promotion opportunities Scarce in-service and continuous development programs..

What is encouraging in both countries is that teachers believe: T here are more opportunities of furthering their studies. The students appreciate their work. Teaching creates opportunities of meeting new people and making friends..

There exist some areas where the teachers’ commitment is low in Kenya . Teachers commitment to the learners They lack the commitment to: Learn from the opportunities within the classroom and around the school. Engage students with active learning techniques. Ensure that learners have a variety of resources. Ensure the learning environment is safe and friendly in order to motivate the students. Reflect on students learning in order to improve the quality of classroom practice . Enhance inclusive learning to ensure total development of all learners regardless of their differences. Manage student behavior in order to enhance learning..

Teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession They lack commitment to: Prepare and maintain professional documents and accurate records. Participate in a professional community. Demonstrate knowledge of content and pedagogy. Reflect on their teaching in order to improve the quality of teaching. Grow and develop professionally Managing classroom procedures..

Teachers’ commitment to the community They lack commitment to: Establish a culture of learning. Create a symbolic relationship between the school and the community. Preserve and transfer cultural heritage.

These areas are common in some ways. In most cases the teachers who lack commitment in the classroom lacks the same in the profession and the community. This is due to: Lack of motivation from the school and the community Overworking due to attending large classes Low morale due to poor living and working conditions. Poor remuneration..

In some cases these weakness varies from school to school. This due to high levels of motivation in some schools. In such schools, the management : is always available to help the teacher to overcome emerging challenges. Rewards the teachers for the outstanding contributions to the school. Involves the teachers in making important decisions that affect them. Empower each teachers strengths..

How the gaps in teacher commitment can be addressed at the school level.

Commitment to the profession They should be encouraged to: Create professional learning communities within the school and develop a more formal structure for collaboration for example use of google drive. Using this they can identify and discuss the challenges facing them during the teaching and learning process . B e involved in action research. Be involved in reflective practice on their own teaching as individuals or as peers. Engage in lesson observation with their colleagues in order to improve on their practice. Be involved in in-service programs such as organizing in-house training and inviting resource persons. Join professional bodies for example Kenya National Examination Council.

Commitment to the community Teachers should be encouraged to : Establish learning programs that are suitable to the community members Collaborate and partner with the community to support teaching and learning programs. Organize games and sports and involve members from neighboring institutions and the community in general. Establish tree planting programs for the community. Organize cultural festival activities that involve community members..

CONCLUSION Mkumbo (2012) revealed that teachers' commitment to the teaching profession is devastatingly low, with the majority of teachers expressing that they did not choose the teaching profession as their choice, but were compelled by the easiness to get the job and lack of qualifications to join other professions of their liking and choice . There is need to make the profession attractive in order for more trainees to wish to join the profession..

The teachers’ level of commitment can be improved by: ( i ) Improving the work conditions for teachers including better housing . ( ii) increasing their salaries and allowances . ( iii) Developing regular continuous development programs ( iv) Creating promotion opportunities for deserving teachers.

REFERENCE. Rosenholtz, Susan J. "Workplace conditions that affect teacher quality and commitment: Implications for teacher induction programs." The Elementary School Journal 89.4 (1989): 421-439. Mart, C. T. (2013). A Passionate Teacher: Teacher Commitment and Dedication to Student Learning. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development , 2(1), 437-442. Mkumbo, Kitila. (2012). Teachers' Commitment to, and Experiences of, the Teaching Profession in Tanzania: Findings of Focus Group Research. International Education Studies. 5. 10.5539/ies.v5n3p222 . Ronit Bogler, Anit Somech, Influence of teacher empowerment on teachers’ organizational commitment, professional commitment and organizational citizenship behavior in schools , Teaching and Teacher Education , Volume 20, Issue 3 , 2004 , Pages 277-289, ISSN 0742-051X , , https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2004.02.003, (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X04000125 ).