difference between a good and bad education.

The Berkeley Institute educator earlier this week gave an inspirational speech to The Rotary Club of Hamilton, in which she said the public school system had a number of excellent teachers.

However she said, like in any profession, there were good workers and bad; the Island had to work together to improve the standards of all teachers in Bermuda.

She said: "How many times have we heard that statement -- it takes a village to raise a child? Hundreds of times.

"Yes, it does take a village to raise a child, but as renowned American author, talk show host and comedian Bertice Berry states `the village is sick... teachers are the physicians'.'' Ms Swan said the problems facing teachers here are the same for teachers everywhere.

She added: "If we know anything from research over a 30-year period on what affects student achievement, it is teacher quality. If we don't have great teachers, we don't have great students.'' The leading teacher, a product of public education, said it was a given that no two teachers would be the same.

However, she said, there were several basic characteristics which were easily identifiable.

"The effective teacher is the one who has a thorough command on his/her field,'' she added.

"Students can easily spot an unprepared instructor. The teacher is also a learner -- one who Paulo Freire refers to as a teacher-student -- one who enters into a (dialogue) with students.

"Do we want curiosity in the classroom? Do we want our students to process honesty, dedication and a passion for ideas? Yes, therefore, effective teachers have to embody those traits. They teach and lead by example.'' She said the secret to teacher success was having respect for pupils and said their job was to empower students and get them to do things they did not think they were capable of.

A good teacher, she added, has students who surpass him or her; therefore a good teacher produces more teachers.

However, for all those wonderful things to happen, teachers must be given the necessary materials and support they needed.

And she said this was not an individual effort, but a collective one among teachers, parents, school officials, Government officials, and other members of the community, "for there are far too many crippling impediments standing in the way of teacher effectiveness''.

She said the more supportive parents are, the more effective teachers can be.

However, she said what was one parent's idea of support is not necessarily that of another, noting it is common for only 25 percent of parents to attend parent-teacher meetings.

To combat this problem, she said workshops should be held for parents to be informed about what role they can play and how they can support a school.

Despite all the enthusiasm and commitment of teachers, their plate was always full and they were constantly being given additional responsibilities.

"Consequently, many teachers are tired, stressed out, or burnt out, thus limiting teacher effectiveness,'' she said.

"Ideally, teachers would love to enhance themselves and become better leaders; however, all too often, when the opportunity presents itself, they opt not to because they simply don't have the energy to participate...

"Lastly, classes need to be smaller, especially heterogeneous groupings.

Class sizes of 25 plus students at the middle and senior school level are a hindrance to teacher effectiveness.

"Teaching is a great profession, however, there is a need for more teacher quality. And this cannot be achieved in isolation.'' Reeshemah Swan