Teacher

“The time is now, the place is here, we are the people”

(The above quote is taken from the General Chapter document of the Congregation of Christian Brothers)

Keeping in mind the document “Spirit at St Columba's”, a teacher at St Columba's is expected to :

1. Fully commit herself / himself to the vision at St Columba's

2. Be aware that she / he is uniquely blessed to contribute to the dynamic vision of the school and thus she / he brings ALL of her / his giftedness to this endeavour.

a. He /s she places all his / her abilities and talents to this vocation.

3. Realise that as a part of St Columba's she / he belongs to a wider family of the Edmund Rice Educational Institutions in India and around the world.

a. He / she may be called upon to attend programmes involving the wider Edmund Rice family

4. Appreciate that Teaching is a vocation and a profession, and thus :

a. He / She takes opportunities for spiritual and personality growth throughout his / her career

b. He / she takes responsibility for professional development throughout his / her career
i. This includes continuous up-gradation of capabilities throughout the period of service

5. Be a team player and work with the Management, Administration, Staff and students of the school to bring the vision to reality

6. Be a support and encouragement to the Management, Administration, Staff, students and parents of the school.

7. Taking a mature, personal concern for the well-being of all the students

8. Making herself / himself available to meet / interact with parents

9. Be well prepared for all classes assigned as per the timetable.

10. Be adaptable to reskilling oneself with the development and changes in curriculum even to the extent of doing all it reasonably requires to be able to teach a new subject (related but not directly learnt at the qualifying degree / professional level)

11. Realise that substitution for fellow staff members is an integral part of the life of a teacher and he / she will prepare for at least 5 substitution periods per week. This preparation will focus on life skills / current affairs / knowledge growth and development and related topics, which further the student's education but which may not be directly related to the syllabus.

12. Be Punctual (in so doing we show our respect for others and are an example to our students)

a. Report to school by 7.20am on a working day

b. Be on time for classes and all school events

13. Be available to stay back after school when and if the occasion arises

14. Know that in a student’s mind a teacher is always a teacher and will thus maintain the highest standards of personal behaviour in and outside school.

15. Have read the codes of protective and peer to peer behaviour of the school and to abide by the same

16. To inculcate personal discipline in students by the discipline of her / his own life; by taking age appropriate steps to inculcate a habit of discipline in students by:

a. Being well prepared for class

b. Creating a sense of relevance and interest in the matter being taught

c. Varying teaching styles

d. Taking into account the differences in the learning styles and capabilities of the students

e. Encouraging student gleaning of information

f. Encouraging students to ask questions

g. Not tolerating disrespectfulness among students and / or to the teachers

h. Calling students to attention and cooperation in the class

i. Having students move from class to class or to a venue outside class in a disciplined line.

17. Be available and take seriously supervision of students during breaks and before and after school

18. Prepare students for assemblies and co-curricular events

19. Conscientiously assess the students work written or creative; class or home assignments

20. Conscientiously prepare test / exam question papers as per the directions given

21. Take responsibility for all exam related work : supervision; correction; entry of marks / grades; etc.

22. Take prior permission from the Principal to be engaged in any activity of remunerative value, even after school hours.

23. Take prior permission to leave station, even during holiday periods.

24. Take prior permission for casual leave or Earned leave from the Headmistress / Administrator, understanding that the students have an equal right to be taught when they come to school and that the Headmistress / Administrator may not sanction leave in certain situations. If Earned leave is taken for medical conditions, a medical certificate must be included in the application for leave.

25. Work with Special educators at cooperative teaching so as to enable a truly inclusive educational experience for all students at the school.

26. Not all circumstances and eventualities can be listed here and it is expected that goodwill and good sense will prevail at all times.