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On my first year as a teacher trainer, I was met with a teacher trainee who managed to find every single loophole in the system and was on the verge of graduating. Unfortunately for him, he met me. The one loophole that placed him at odds with me was that we were not allowed to fail our students.

I know, it is a rather dumb rule, but the system is built in such a way that any teacher trainer is discouraged to fail anyone at all. For starters, there would be a pile of paperwork to be completed just because I have failed someone. Also, the lecturer who fails any student would be questioned and the work vetted to ensure no bias was in place. All this are good, but no one looks forward for the extra work. Furthermore, either by sheer luck or guesswork, this trainee knew about it. As such, when I received a blank answer sheet filled with random scribbling (literally random scribbling), I took action and failed him.

My senior colleagues were not pleased, but my head of department stood by my decision and after completing a mountain of paperwork, he was made to take the entire semester again. He did not learn his lesson, the last I have heard, but I think it provides an important lesson to teachers.

We are the gatekeepers

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As teachers, we are given a mandate to see our students through and prepare them for their future role in society. It is unfortunate that this mandate has been diminished to just passing and failing the students. It is so much more than that, it is about helping them stay away from mistakes that can be avoided, contributing to society and making a difference.

However, some may decide to just pass students because they do not want to see them in the following semester. Some may even pass students because it is such a hassle to fail them. Others may be afraid of being questioned by the authorities. I for one think that those are just small inconveniences compared to the bigger problem if we just allow all our students to sail through without properly evaluating them. Imagine what that does to the students' identity as they are filled with a false sense of their own ability. They may stop striving to be better or even studying. Now imagine if that student who did not deserve to pass became your surgeon or the engineer who built your house.

Be fearless

Thus, it is important to stand firm with the decision that we have made. At times, we second guess if we made the wrong decision and think that perhaps the student was right all along. While that can be true, I feel that fear stems from how we perceive ourselves as teachers. Most of the time, we feel as if we are inferior to the other professions and as such if a parent who is of a more desirable profession questions our decision, we tend to concede. The thing is, we made a professional judgement and as such, we should be fearless in defending it. I am open to discussion but I will always support my decision with reasons and as such, would defend it.

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If I am proven wrong however, I will always admit my mistake, because I am not perfect and I do make mistakes at times too. The bottom line is that, this post is not a call for all teachers to ignore what others say about us. The call is for all teachers to take pride in what they do.

The end of 2017 is near and as all the schools close and we plan for a new year ahead. Teachers, you rock! Happy holidays and Happy Steeming!

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