Importance of Teachers in the School System

Voices echo throughout the classroom, as objects fly throughout the air. Imagine a classroom with no order, and it is clear why teachers are so needed. Teachers are one of the most important building blocks of a successful society. For how can a culture survive if the next generation is not being properly instructed?

This is the dilemma that is facing the world today. In an ever-evolving world filled with AI and technology, teachers are needed more than ever to be good role models and to teach their students how to be prepared for the real-world.

Why Teachers are Important

When speaking with a teacher from Leipsic, Ohio, it was clear that there are teachers who have a assion for teaching the next generation. This teacher, named Russ Wenzinger, has been teaching in the Leipsic school system for many years. When asked why he thought it was important for teachers to be good influences, he had much to say.

“First off, teachers spend a lot of time with kids. Kids are at school almost 7 hours a day and then with sports and other events.”

This is a lot of time that children are spending away from their families, and this makes a teacher’s role even more important.

He also noted that students “Seem to listen to teachers more than their parents sometimes so teachers can have a huge influence just because they’re a new voice, a different voice.”

This new perspective can be very refreshing from a student’s point of view.

Video Learning in School

While there can be much controversy between parents and the school systems across America, the fact remains that teachers are critical for advancing the understanding of the students. It is important to monitor the information that is being taught to these students, in order to confirm its trustworthiness.

When asked about the importance of teaching instead of showing videos to the class, Wenzinger gave a very important distinction.

He said that “I love me some videos…. videos can be good especially for a history teacher. It’s a wonderful way to bring things to life, but I do a lot of teaching.”

This balance can be useful to keep things interesting while still maintaining accuracy as well. Videos can also be used to gain knowledge on lesser-known or niche topics.

Wenzinger also states that “Anybody can stick a video in. It doesn’t take any knowledge or expertise so definitely we have to keep a limit to the videos.”

These videos, often found on Youtube or other platforms, can be very useful to further educate students.

AI and Technology in the School

One of the biggest controversies in the school system today is the use of AI and technology. AI has provoked cheating, and it gives students less responsibility to do their own work.

When asked if this makes being a teacher more difficult, Wenzinger gave a resounding yes.

“You can’t really do a research paper anymore in a typed format without having huge oversight. I know some who have gone to pen and paper and making kids do papers in front of them.”

The ability to use AI to cheat has become a normality in today’s world. Teachers like Wenzinger believe that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

“Yes, it’s a huge problem. How can we even have research projects anymore without software that outdoes the AI software? What’s real? What’s a legitimate source? All AI and fake everywhere.”

Perhaps it is even a desired outcome to return to doing work offline. When asked about doing all work on paper and pencil, Wenzinger believes this to be a possible solution.

“Yeah I think we should. Make kids research in class and just write it out…. then they can type it from the hand written. If this is too radical, you have to use AI detection software.”

The takeover of AI is a real problem within the school systems. It has become so easy to cheat that students rarely do their own work anymore. This is a very concerning situation that needs to be addressed.

Conclusion

Teachers have long been overlooked as a replaceable and obsolete job. This could not be further from the truth. Teachers are instrumental as role models, leaders, and instructors for the future.

They are put in place to prepare students for the ever-changing world. They are needed to create a system that enables students to succeed when they advance into the real world. This is not a localized task, but rather, it is an issue that affects the entire world. With something that is of such a high magnitude, there should be a large calling for action to be taken.