What should teachers ideally be responsible for?

I always hate it when people insist that the job of a teacher is to teach. That's simply not true, and I don't want it to be true. While I could once again explain some of the reasons that I believe teachers can't and shouldn't teach in the classroom, I'm going to ask a question instead. If a school could be used as an effective educational tool, what would be the primary purpose for the teacher?


While I fully believe that education is the responsibility of the learner, I acknowledge that outside assistance can be beneficial. Simply put, the ideal role that a teacher plays is as an educational assistant to learners.

I can go a little further and come up with the two primary goals that teachers should embrace. A teacher should motivate and provide resources.

Motivation can help ensure that a learner maintains the desire to learn that has always been the biggest driving force of education. In most cases, it is very easy to motivate students. All that teachers need to do is pique the interests of the learners.

Teachers should try to find the resources that will help the learner. For example, a learner who is interested in computers needs computer access. A teacher could secure access to a computer and any software that the learner is interested in learning. The teachers themselves can also act as resources. They should answer questions and help learners if they become stuck.