Results from TALIS 2024

The voices of teachers

Costa Rica

Jorge Enrique Mora Chacón has been a secondary school teacher of social studies and civics since 1997, working at the Liceo San Miguel in San José, Costa Rica. He believes that a teacher's role is to help students see the world differently. This shift in perspective is essential and should be accompanied by two key objectives: fostering student autonomy and strengthening self-esteem.

However, Mr Mora Chacón believes that one cannot focus solely on academic content to achieve this. Emotional literacy is equally important. When a student says that they have not eaten for some time or that their parents have thrown them out of the house, the time is not right to start talking about the Cold War. In such moments, he believes it is crucial for teachers to draw on their skills to provide emotional support and demonstrate the sensitivity that every educator should possess.

In Costa Rica, the groundwork for this approach to teaching was laid with the passing of Law 7600 in 1996. This pioneering legislation created new opportunities for learners with special educational needs. It marked a turning point in the way education was approached, and its legacy continues to influence our understanding of inclusive education to this day.

Mr Mora Chacón believes that inclusion should be a path to autonomy, not a lifelong support system. The idea is not for students to remain dependent on constant support, but rather to benefit from meaningful early interventions involving educational, medical, psychological and social professionals.

Fortunately, Costa Rica has public policies and curricular frameworks in place, as well as a network of professionals, including teachers, doctors, psychologists, social workers and guidance counsellors, who all play a valuable role in this endeavour. The “profesor guía” (form tutor or lead teacher) plays a particularly demanding yet absolutely crucial role. They act as a liaison between students, their families, evaluation committees and support services. It is a role that can make a real difference.

New Zealand

Kieran Gainsford is a secondary school chemistry and science teacher, and head of department, at One Tree Hill College in Auckland, New Zealand. His school is a large public institution in central Auckland and its student population is very diverse. Many of his students are recent arrivals to New Zealand from countries such as the Philippines and Tonga, and the school also has a significant number of Māori students. Mr Gainsford sees this diversity as one of the most rewarding aspects of his role. However, it sometimes brings linguistic challenges. The school addresses this by offering English as a second language classes alongside regular subject instruction, but supporting such a wide range of learners requires all teaching staff to be equipped and trained.

Mr Gainsford points out that New Zealand’s decentralisation means this type of school support varies widely from school to school. “Teachers can be lucky or unlucky”, he says, depending on their school’s leadership and budget. This tension between school autonomy and system-level equity is, in his view, one of the defining features of the New Zealand education system. Mr Gainsford describes the country’s struggle with educational inequality as the “long tail of underachievement”, a persistent gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students. He believes this gap is rooted in structural differences between schools, such as varying levels of governance capacity and resource availability, and different levels of socioeconomic advantage among their students.

Cultural and linguistic recognition, particularly regarding Māori students, is another core element of teaching in New Zealand. Mr Gainsford explains that teachers are expected to develop language skills in te reo Māori as part of their certification, though current fluency levels vary widely. There are regulations requiring integrating Māori perspectives into subject curricula and, while the professional development needs are substantial, he believes that teachers are willing and ready to meet the challenge, provided they are supported.

“In New Zealand, people have a really strong appreciation of teachers and the work we do, and we certainly feel that from the public and from the families that we work with. I think our government should take up the task of developing policies to match the goodwill that we have among the public because we do feel their goodwill and their support. I do consider teaching to be a trusted and valued profession in New Zealand. Absolutely.”

Poland

Aneta Mastalerz is a Polish language teacher at an upper secondary vocational/technical school that focuses on information technology, metallurgy and mechanics. The school has an enrolment of about 500 students, 23 of whom are girls. Aneta has taught for 22 years, all at the same school.

According to Aneta, teachers need to “wake up” about technology. She says that the purpose of education is to develop intelligence and that technology can help teach content in more engaging ways. She acknowledges the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, but says that teachers must always keep learning. While artificial intelligence is often seen as a threat, it can also be a pedagogical aid that teachers can learn to use. “It won’t be like in the movies. Seeing ten pictures won’t make a student love art, but gradual exposure is helpful.”

Aneta believes that teachers must be lifelong learners. Poland’s professional development system is strong in this respect, provided teachers know how to use it. During the pandemic, for example, there was a rise of webinars and other remote learning opportunities. Polish teachers are now also supported to go abroad to learn in other countries. Her colleagues have travelled to Italy for teacher education and she has accompanied her students to Germany, Italy and Portugal for their education.

A key aspect of education is parental involvement. Previously, Aneta saw parents infrequently during scheduled meetings around grading periods. Now, however, parents feel empowered and want to be included. They are involved in school activities and ceremonies and are more aware of what their children are learning. This is good because engaged parents often have more engaged children. Technology also helps because parents can keep up remotely. Some teachers might say that parents are demanding, but Aneta thinks this is fine as long as demands stay within reasonable limits. She hears some teachers say, “I feel sorry for you, all the parents come to your meetings.” She responds, “I feel sorry for you, no one comes to yours.”

South Africa

Mpho is a secondary school teacher in Qibing, South Africa where she has taught for 12 years. Her school, located in a semi-rural area, has around 950 learners aged between 12 to 18 years old and employs 34 educators. She teaches accounting and employment studies. Many of the students come from low socio-economic backgrounds, some without access to basic needs such as food, and others balancing school with caring responsibilities at home. Despite these challenges, Mpho describes her students as highly motivated and expresses particular pride in those who have gone on to become teachers themselves.

The school has faced several specific difficulties in recent years. Flooding caused significant damage to buildings, leading to the introduction of mobile classrooms, and the lack of access to modern technology continues to place students at a disadvantage compared to their peers elsewhere in the country. Mpho says that more funding is needed to give students what they deserve. She worries that without reliable access to digital tools, her students may struggle to keep up.

Nonetheless, Mpho emphasises the positive aspects of her school. It is a diverse environment where multiculturalism is actively celebrated. Dedicated multicultural days honour the languages and traditions of the learners, while a school-based support team assists those with special educational needs or challenging home lives. The team is empowered to create individualised learning plans and escalate concerns to district-level professionals.

A strong sense of collaboration shapes the schools’ teaching environment. Mpho explains that teachers and school leadership work closely together, meeting regularly and cultivating a culture of mentorship in which experienced educators guide novice teachers during their early years.

For Mpho, teaching is more than a profession – it is a calling. She is determined to make a difference in the lives of her students and believes firmly that a quality education is key to securing a better future. “I am here to change lives,” she says.

United States

Nathan Peterson has taught for 20 years and currently teaches history at a middle school in Hawaii, United States. He teaches many students from ethnic minority backgrounds (primarily from Asia and the Pacific), from disadvantaged backgrounds and who do not speak the language of instruction fluently.

The pandemic fundamentally changed Mr Peterson’s teaching conditions. Mr Peterson often teaches summer school to supplement his income. In 2020, he found himself teaching physical education, during the summer, online. Although students were required to turn on their cameras, not all regularly did. Mr Peterson found it tiring to change activities frequently to maintain students’ attention.

As his school was re-emerging from the pandemic, Mr Peterson engaged in hybrid teaching: students who were failing were allowed to attend school in person on a rotational basis, while other students remained online, many without cameras. “I had some students in front of me, while others were maybe playing video games or eating cereal.” These experiences contributed to his belief that teaching is a face-to-face activity and that “we lost something when it wasn’t”.

Nevertheless, Mr Peterson also believes that the pandemic helped his community recognise the value of teachers. Teachers negotiated a new contract during the pandemic, which increased their salaries and the number of employment steps. The new contract does have some drawbacks, however. For example, Mr Peterson calls the portfolio requirement to demonstrate progress “time-consuming, cumbersome and redundant”. He also dislikes having to pay for his own professional development.