“Let us acknowledge teachers. Let us elevate them to the levels they deserve. Let us invest in teachers so that they can effectively invest in our children”

Feb 08, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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By Karen Abrams, MBA, AA, Doctoral Candidate

(Kaieteur News) – Last week, our team had the distinct honor of engaging with more than 700 teachers. I personally spent time in deep conversation with more than 400 of them on the topic of artificial intelligence and its implications for teaching and learning. In a country the size of Guyana, those numbers are not incidental. They represent a meaningful share of the national teaching workforce choosing to give their time, attention, and mental energy to professional growth in a rapidly changing world. That choice matters.

Professional learning is often treated as a checkbox exercise, something endured rather than embraced. Yet these teachers showed up voluntarily. They listened closely. They asked thoughtful questions. They demonstrated curiosity and courage at a moment when the demands on teachers are heavier than ever. Conservatively, this group represents more than 10 percent of Guyana’s teachers signaling a desire to learn, adapt, and do better for their students.

Research has long confirmed what many of us already know intuitively. Teachers are one of the most powerful influences on student outcomes. John Hattie’s large-scale synthesis of educational research identifies teacher effectiveness as among the strongest in-school factors shaping student achievement, engagement, and long-term success. A good teacher does not simply deliver content. A good teacher changes trajectories and we see this reflected repeatedly in real lives.

In the United States, one of the most cited examples is that of Erin Gruwell, a high school English teacher whose work with at-risk students in Long Beach, California became known through the Freedom Writers story. Gruwell’s students, many of whom were written off due to poverty, violence, and low expectations, went on to graduate at rates far exceeding district averages. The key factor was not a new curriculum or expensive technology. It was a teacher who believed her students mattered, invested in relationships, and refused to lower expectations. Longitudinal evaluations later showed improved literacy, attendance, and post-secondary enrollment among her students.

Closer to the global South, a powerful example comes from rural India, where teacher-led literacy interventions documented by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab demonstrated that structured teacher coaching and support dramatically improved reading and numeracy outcomes for low-income students. When teachers were given training, mentoring, and autonomy, student learning gains followed quickly and measurably.  These stories are not anomalies. They are evidence.

Teachers spend more waking hours with our children than almost anyone else in society. Day after day, year after year, they shape how children see learning, authority, effort, and themselves. This reality places a national obligation on parents, governments, and institutions to ensure that teachers are supported, respected, and well-prepared to influence the nation’s most valuable resource, its children.

As a researcher, I am particularly drawn to Self-Determination Theory, developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. The theory identifies three core psychological needs for motivation and learning, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. While all three are essential, it is relatedness that repeatedly emerges as critical in classroom research.

Relatedness refers to the quality of the relationship between teacher and student. When students feel seen, respected, and understood by their teachers, engagement increases and resistance decreases. Multiple studies published in journals such as Educational Psychologist and Review of Educational Research show that strong teacher-student relationships are associated with higher academic achievement, better classroom behavior, and increased persistence, especially for students facing socioeconomic challenges.

This is why so many adults carry vivid memories of a single teacher who made a difference. Everyone has a teacher-story. A teacher who noticed them when others did not. A teacher who spoke encouragement at the right moment. A teacher who made them believe they were capable of more. These experiences are unforgettable because they are formative.  Yet teachers are asked to do this work under extraordinary constraints.

They are not only managing classrooms of ethnic or gender diversity. They are navigating diversity of academic preparation, home stability, nutrition, emotional regulation, and exposure to learning resources. In a single 40-minute lesson, a teacher may face students who are several grade levels apart in understanding, all while using the same materials and meeting the same curriculum expectations.  This is not a small ask.

Technology now offers real opportunities to support differentiated instruction. Research from the OECD and UNESCO shows that adaptive learning tools, formative assessment platforms, and AI-supported tutoring systems can help personalize instruction and provide timely feedback. But technology is only effective when teachers are trained, supported, and given the space to integrate it meaningfully. Studies consistently show that without proper professional development, technology adds stress rather than value.

In Guyana, and across the world, if our children are to win, our teachers must be treated like the gems they are. They must be prepared, supported, respected, and fairly compensated. They must be given access to modern tools, high-quality training, and professional environments that recognize their influence.

Last week’s engagement with hundreds of teachers was a reminder that despite the pressures, despite the challenges, many teachers remain deeply committed to growth and excellence. That commitment deserves more than applause. It deserves investment.

Let us acknowledge teachers. Let us elevate them to the levels they deserve. And let us invest in teachers so that they can effectively invest in our children.

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• children, Karen Abrams, teachers, teaching

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