Teachers should not be using their own resources in classroom

Jan 10, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

As our country develops, it is expected that our education system evolves to meet the needs of our country. Our Teachers are therefore very important in transforming the educational sector and the country as a whole. To motivate Teachers, they must feel that they are valued and cared for by their employers. Teachers must be given the resources in order to be effective in the classroom.

Because of the low salaries of Teachers, most live pay cheque to pay cheque. Yet, many Teachers often find ways to go deep into their pockets to buy resources needed for effective teaching. This should not be happening in a developing country like ours. I am a CSEC Teacher with over 60 SBA to mark.

Why should I use my personal phone and laptop to mark students’ SBA? In most subjects, students only submit soft copy of their SBAs and Teachers have to mark those soft copies. I cannot afford to purchase a new computer (my personal one is not functioning) and therefore I have to mark those SBA using my personal phone. Every Teacher who is teaching Grade 10 or 11 must be given a laptop to use. Often times, we need to check the student’s work and provide feedback. How is that possible with a smart phone? Why should we use our personal laptops (those who own one) to complete our work? I hope that Teachers will one day be given all the resources they need to be effective.

Yours truly,

Frustrated Teacher