Saudi Gazette The Ministry of Education announced this academic year as the ‘Teachers' year' to honor all teachers in the Kingdom. Yet many teachers question how they are being honored when they feel deprived of several rights. They also complain of being disrespected by students and being forced to teach in classroom conditions that actually hinder the learning process. Teachers believe that school administration and the Ministry of Education should provide regular courses and workshops to keep teachers updated with the latest techniques in teaching and child development. The teachers' skills should be continuously nurtured so that they can teach, inspire, positively influence the students and impact their overall development. Abdullah Al-Shareef, a teacher, has initiated an on-line forum for teachers where they can share experiences, support one another, and discuss important issues. “Honoring teachers is achieved by not merely naming the year after this profession, but by granting them their rights,” Al-Shareef said. Like many other teachers, he believes that teachers will not be able to optimally perform their jobs if they are frustrated and emotionally drained. If teachers' minds are preoccupied with problems of salary and disputes over working hours, he/she will not be able to give their students in class their full and undivided attention that these children deserve. The feeling of being mistreated and lack of financial security will interfere with their capacity to lead the new generation to productivity and success. Teachers call for several steps of reform so that they can do a better job of educating the youth. According to Al-Shareef, “Demands of teachers in the Kingdom, both male and female include improved transportation options, medical insurance, making necessary infrastructure repairs, fewer classes per week, and reducing classroom size.” Overburdened schedules also interfere with the teacher's ability to make sure that all students have understood the lesson. “How are teachers expected to give their best in the classroom when the average teacher has 24 classes each week on his/her schedule?” complained Muhammad Al-Ya'la, a teacher. “With such a cramped schedule there is not much time or energy left for the teacher to be creative. And add to that the schools' demands on teachers to supervise morning assembly and after school hours, attending substitute classes, and organizing extra-curricular activities,” he added. Teachers these days are in the midst of a dilemma of commanding respect from students while still maintaining a friendly relationship, especially with the teenage students. “The problem is that my classmates take advantage of the nice teachers and they don't respect them. Some students have reached the point of making fun of the teachers,” admitted Muhammad Mustafa, a student of ninth grade in a private school. “I can't tell the kids to stop it or they will pick on me. The kids only respect the mean teachers,” he added. Teaching is indeed an honorable profession and all members of the society including school authorities, ministry, parents and students must contribute to respect and honor teachers in order to refine the education process and improve the quality of education in the Kingdom. __
