ROLES OF A NEW TEACHER

As a new teacher, it is crucial to know what

roles one is taking on. Being a teacher comes
with many other roles and responsibilities. As a
professional educator, you are also expected
ROLES, RIGHTS AND
to be a positive leader, mentor, professional “The mediocre teacher tells. The
RESPONSIBILITIES OF
and mandated reporter (Meier, 2018)
NEW TEACHERS
good teacher explains. The

superior teacher demonstrates.

NEW TEACHERS AND THEIR RIGHTS BY: TIARAH UMU
 Protected from certain harms under the The great teacher inspires.” –
Equal Protection Clause in the
Fourteenth Amendment William Arthur Ward
 Freedom from Discrimination
 Academic Freedom, but content must
be relevant and consistent with
responsibilities of teacher
 Freedom of Expression
 Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
(FindLaw, 2018)
RESPONSIBILITIES
OF TEACHERS
When an adult decides to become a
professional educator, he/she accepts the
multiple responsibilities that come with the
job. Not only are teachers expected to
effectively relay the curriculum to students,
but they are also held accountable for other
tasks such as; positive leadership and
mentoring, professionalism, mandated
reporting, and being ethical. (Zeiger, 2018).
LEADERSHIP & MENTORING
Teachers are given the opportunity to lead
and mentor students to become better
learners and influential members of the
community. Part of being a great leader is
exemplifying what is expected of the
students. For example, teachers should
practice what they preach. If there are high
expectations for students, there should be
high expectation for teachers. When it
comes to mentoring a class full of students,
it is important to outline the key attributes
in a student, i.e. respect, attentiveness,
responsibility etc.
PROFESSIONALISM
A new teacher, as well as all teachers,
should appear as a professional in terms of
appearance and demeanor. When a teacher
shows up for work, it is important that they
are dressed professionally because it makes
a non-verbal statement saying they are
present and prepared to take care of
business. In addition to clothing, a
teacher’s demeanor is also important.
Students will respect a teacher that carries
themselves with confidence and care and it
is also vital to know where the fine line
between being a caring adult versus a friend
lies. Finally, as an educator it should always
be a priority to want to further professional
development.
MANDATED REPORTING
Teachers are mandated reporters, which
means they have a legal responsibility to
report any suspect child abuse or neglect. It
is very important for teachers to know how
much of an impact they have as bystanders
in a situation where a student might be a
victim of child abuse or neglect. As a
teacher, there is a civic duty to the student
body to put their safety above anything
else. (NOVA, 2013).
ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
A new teacher should always keep the Law
of Ethics in mind. Being new to a school can
be very intimidating; therefore, it is
important that one does not lose sight of
what is right as a teacher despite the yearn
for approval by the students and faculty.
There should never be any discrimination or
favoritism towards students because it could
be detrimental to their learning.
Interaction amongst other colleagues should
be productive and not consist of any
gossiping or bad-mouthing of a student.
Instead of bonding over gossip, teachers
should find opportunities to connect through
suggesting more helpful ways to assist
students and their learning.
“A good teacher can inspire
hope, ignite the imagination
and instill a love of learning”
– Brad Henry
 References

F. (n.d.). Teacher Certification. Retrieved from https://education.findlaw.com/teachers-rights/teacher-certification.html

Meier, K. S. (2018, March 15). What Is the Role of Teachers in Education? Retrieved from https://work.chron.com/role-teachers-education-8807.html

NOVA. (2013). Training for Professionals: Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect[Brochure]. Author. Retrieved from

http://novabucks.org/pdfs/MandatedReporterTrainingbrochure2013.pdf

Zeiger, S. (2018, July 01). Signs of Professionalism in a Teacher. Retrieved from https://work.chron.com/signs-professionalism-teacher-9324.html