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Archive for November, 2011

Teachers Day Celebrations in India

Teachers Day Celebrations in India

Teachers’ Day is a national function celebrated in India. It is held on September 5th of every year which is also the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, one of our former President Dr. Radhakrishnan who was an ideal teacher. So it was decided to celebrate his birthday as Teacher’s Day to honor that noble profession.

The main idea is to draw the attention of the society towards this profession. No other profession either medical or legal have a day meant to celebrate and honor the best among them. It is an unique honour awarded to the teaching profession in our country.

On that day nearly a hundred teachers selected from primary, upper primary and secondary schools, oriental schools and colleges are invited by the President Of India and honored by giving a certificate of recognition along with some cash prize.

The award given by the President is called the National Award for Teachers, which is a great honor to the humble teachers. Selection for these awards are made on the basis of many considerations. Teacher’s personal character and conduct, his professional competence, his sociability, the results he produced, the contribution he made to the profession as a writer and as a researcher in Education, the popularity he enjoys in public, his efforts to eradicate illiteracy, public support he got for building infrastructure to his institution etc. The part he plays in extracurricular activities is also taken into account. So it is not easy to get a national award. Only ideal and worthy teachers get it.

Besides National awards, State awards and awards by National Foundation for teachers are also given. In some districts, district level awards are given to encourage ideal teachers. Giving an award is a good incentive.

Of late the awards given by Government have become mechanical. The original idea of involving the society at large is to recognize this noble profession missing. Many functions are being arranged by teachers to honor their fellow teachers. The parents are not showing the expected interest.

It was true, that a teacher enjoyed a place of honor after the mother and father and was only next to them, in our ancient society. Many changes have taken place. A teacher is no longer a selfless Guru. He is a paid employee, just like any other worker in an office or factory. With this social concept, it is difficult to expect the society to honor the teachers. But even now there are teachers who are respected and loved for their selfless service, spotless character and unbiased love and affection they show to their students. All such teachers may not get awards. The social respect they command is itself an award. As Dr. S. Radhakrishnan had himself said, teaching is its own reward. The satisfaction it gives the teacher is not comparable. A good teacher is always remembered by the student wherever he is.

Baiju Thampanoor is a free lance content writer. Has good experience in writing articles and press releases. Mobile Number Portability In India Send Free SMS to India

Teacher Professional Development Via Online Graduate Courses For Teachers

There are a number of options for teachers searching for online graduate courses. Online graduate courses for teachers can be used for continuing education (CEUs), in-service credit, or graduate credit. Teacher professional development via these online graduate courses can be put towards a salary increase, license recertification, or other forms of job advancement. Many universities offer online graduate courses for teachers, especially in teacher professional development.

There are a number of benefits to approaching teacher professional development through online courses. For the teachers, these courses can help them meet state requirements, they can get raises, and (most importantly!) they can learn skills and methods of teaching that they can use immediately in the classroom. For the school districts and states, online courses also have a host of advantages.

Online teacher professional development allows teachers to spend less time commuting to classes and more time preparing and working in the classroom. Often online options are less expensive as well, so whether the district or the teacher is paying, money is saved. It’s easier for school districts to monitor the certification process (initially and ongoing).

Through online graduate courses for teachers school districts can help their educators develop the skills necessary to excel and provide the students with the best education possible. These courses have a variety of ways to measure competence as well. Since these courses can be offered for all teachers at a school, they can even discuss the materials learned in a discussion environment if the school wants to set up a time for that. By working together, teachers still get an interactive education from online teacher professional development.

Some of the most common trouble areas that schools face in terms of teacher professional development are: 1) developing a basic framework for how to teach, 2) communication between teachers and administration about what exactly the teachers need, 3) teaching ESL students, and 4) effectively teaching students that are not the norm – underachievers, gifted students, and special education.

Other topics that are often the subject of teacher professional development have to do with technology – integrating technology in the classroom, using technology to simplify grading and creating assignments, making websites for classes so that students have up to date information, and learning how to teach these students that are so immersed in technology constantly.

It should be noted that in addition to professional development, teachers can also get other graduate credit online as well as completing entire Master’s of Education programs online. There are options for just about everything. Many online programs also have agreements with local schools so that teachers have access to materials and technology that they might not already have. These agreements can be very helpful for teachers taking online courses.

If a school district is looking for a solution to teacher professional development, online graduate courses for teachers may be a very good opportunity to take advantage of. Teachers can meet state requirements and enhance their skillsets; they can also interact with other teachers in their district who are taking the same programs.

Vince Welsh is CEO of Teacher Education Institute. TEI offers rigorous, graduate-level professional development courses for K-12 classroom teachers. For more about TEI, teacher professional development, online graduate courses for teachers, visit http://www.teachereducation.com