Running head: The Art of Teaching

Discussion_________________________________________________________ Work Environment

To deliver a high quality education, working conditions play an important role in a schools priorities. Schools that are able to offer their teachers and students a safe, pleasant, and supportive working environment and adequate compensation are better able to attract and retain and motivate them to do their best. Teachers working conditions are important to students as well as teachers because they affect how much individual attention teachers can give to students. Large class sizes or disruptive students, for example, can make both teaching and learning difficult. Even though the physical structure of a classroom is pretty basic, the teacher still has, depending on school policies, the freedom to customize their desk to make the students and the teachers themselves as comfortable as possible.

Attitude, Work Ethics and Technics Involved

Teachers are more inclined to regard students as active participants in the process of acquiring knowledge than to see the teachers main role as the transmission of information and demonstration of correct solutions In the classroom, teachers in all countries put greater emphasis on ensuring that learning is well structured than on student-oriented activities which give them more autonomy. Both of these teaching practices are emphasized more than enhanced learning activities such as project work. At least half of teachers in most countries spend over 80% of their lesson time on teaching and learning. However, one in four teachers in most countries lose at least 30% of their lesson time,

The Art of Teaching and some lose more than half, through disruptions and administrative tasks. This is closely associated with the classroom disciplinary climate.

Professional and Social Responsibilities

It is a teacher's responsibility to provide a nurturing and welcoming learning environment for all their students, and to take seriously the position of influence that they are in. A teacher can influence what their students talk about, how they think and what they become. Social responsibility demands that a teacher not only cares about her students, she must understand how she fits into her community. Some other important principles that teachers are responsible to provide in their classroom are: Equity: Not all students learn the same way or at the same rate, but they all deserve the same chances to learn and succeed. A student with a learning disability may require extra attention than a student without a disability. Teaching may require extra steps for a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered student to feel safe, included and supported. Equality does not mean that all students are treated the same; equality means that all students are treated fairly, inclusively, and respectfully. The teacher should provide equitable opportunities for all students to develop their individual abilities, regardless of culture, socio-economic class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or faith. Unbiased Teaching: A teacher's personal opinions must be kept out of the classroom. Politics and religion can be discussed in general terms, but the teacher should never skew lessons to promote their own beliefs. Students must be presented with objective information so that they can amass the tools and knowledge to form their own decisions and think independently.

The Art of Teaching

Social Policy in Schools: A teacher sees first-hand how economic situations can affect a student's well-being and performance. A student from a low-income family may be less likely to participate in extracurricular activities, and may have poorer grades than a fellow student from a higher- income family. As an advocate of student success, it is a teacher's responsibility to do what he can to improve conditions, whether by raising concerns to the principal, speaking to parents coordinating school programs, or participating in social activism in his community. Social Education: It is not enough for a teacher to be aware of social justice issues; they should discuss these issues with their students. Timely domestic and international topics including the inequitable distribution of wealth and power, marginalized populations, gender and social inequality, the environment, and social services, should be talked about in a safe and openminded environment. These discussions will promote tolerance and unbiased thinking in students.

Salary
How much do teachers across the United States get paid? From the data collected from the National Center for Education Statistics by Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president at DePaul University in Chicago. The data for 2013 estimated the average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. The United States National Average is $56,383 (From $39,580 $75,279). The actual average for the state of Utah is $49,393.