Keriffe Clark | Solving the teacher crisis

As the nation braces itself for another exodus of high-quality teachers from the primary and secondary levels, it is imperative that as educational leaders we reflect and devise meaningful strategies to retain some of the best classroom teachers locally.

Arguably, the majority of the teachers who migrate do so because they believe that overseas schools provide, inter alia, better compensation and remuneration. This is indeed true, based on conversations with colleagues. Many will tell you, though, that they leave as a result of callous supervisors who belittle, frustrate and break their zeal to remain in the Jamaican classroom.

Having taught in a First-World country, I can attest to the level of exposure that can be gained in light of the abundance of resources, professional development and travel opportunities, and an increased level of appreciation and cultural tolerance. It may, therefore, be difficult to convince a teacher to not accept such an opportunity if it is afforded. Importantly, too, is the fact that some areas, such as foreign languages, require teachers to benefit from authentic exposure if they are to enhance their lessons through lived experiences.

In a matter of days, the academic year commences and classrooms will once again become safe havens, a ray of hope and a space for cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual development for many students. Little do we know, though, that for many teachers, especially the neophytes, realities of the classroom, including having a supervisor, will determine how short- or long-lived their stint is as a teacher in Jamaica.

If we are to successfully retain quality teachers, a critical aspect that we must no longer overlook is that of teacher supervision. Research studies worldwide have proven that there are marked differences between supervising a teacher and appraising him/her. My varied experiences as a classroom teacher at the secondary level and a teacher educator at the tertiary level have also proven how clearly distinct the two are.

Additionally, as a facilitator of leadership development sessions, I have interacted with a number of supervisors who require enhanced skills, knowledge and dispositions to effectively contribute to the growth and development of teachers. It is on this premise that I proffer a change in the way we supervise teachers.

My recommendation, therefore, is for heads of departments, grade coordinators, vice-principals and principals to take on a more developmental approach to supervision if we are to minimise the number of teachers who seek refuge in other countries.

DEVELOPMENT PACE

Theorised and developed in the 1980s by Glickman, developmental supervision acknowledges that teachers are humans and that they develop at different paces. With this in mind, we must then be cognisant of the fact that it is woefully inadequate to visit a teacher’s classroom once per term and then to complete an appraisal document that captures his/her performance, involvement, impact and capabilities. In some instances, too, teachers will tell you that they are visited once for the academic year.

Given that we struggle to adequately compensate teachers, let us see how best we can invest in their development by proving to them that as effective supervisors, we have their best interest at heart. Let us reduce the number of schools who place numerous ads in the papers in search of teachers every academic year as a result of high turnover rates.

Additionally, let us elevate the competencies of teachers if we are to see sustained improvements in the performances of our students. For too long, we have embraced a culture of promotion to ‘senior teacher’ on the premise of tenure rather than on the skills needed and honed to effectively supervise others, to ensure that the level of quality of education is augmented.

Supervisors, too, are humans and develop at different paces.

Keriffe Clark is president of the Association of Graduate Researchers in Education at The University of West Indies, Mona, and programmes officer at the National College for Educational Leadership. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and kerclrk@gmail.com.