Teaching Associations
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007As well as the championship and gratitude received from their students, teachers are also supported by services and resources offered from their teaching association.
Like the events and teacher appreciation ideas mentioned in the previous blogs, teacher associations help promote the role of teachers throughout the community. Here at Teacher-Appreciation.info we provide a list of teacher associations organized by country (yet teachers are also able to join associations based on their subject).
A famous teacher appreciation quote from UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) perfectly summarises the aim of a teacher association: “(That) it should be recognised that the proper status of teachers and due public regard for the profession of teaching are of major importanceâ€.
By becoming members of these associations, the teaching staff will not only find great benefits for themselves but will find that their students will reap major benefits too:
Teacher associations promote education relevant events and so allow the teacher to be completely up to date with his/her subject – the latest innovations, news and popular trends. Also, by mixing with teachers outside the classroom, they will amplify their pool of ideas for inside the classroom; the networking opportunities provoking inspiration for new activities and approaches to teaching.
The associations can claim an immense popularity amongst professional teachers: the National Education Association (NEA) of the United States has 3.2 million members and over 80% of teachers in Scotland are a member of the national Educational Institute, the country’s largest teaching association. Statistics such as these give great power to the collective memberships when arguing for more practical teacher appreciation gestures such as fair pay and employment conditions. Other benefits for teachers in these associations include services for sourcing teaching resources on a worldwide scale and career-relevant discounts (the Federación de Ensenañza (Teaching Federation) in Spain offers members up to 50% discount on book purchases).
Although their role is predominantly background, the teaching association is nevertheless a vital part in the smooth running of the education world; they communicate ideas, offer support and give confidence to all those with – or indeed interested in – a teaching career.
