Really, I have many jobs. But in this case, I am talking about my two jobs inside my one job as learning facilitator. I like to call myself a learning facilitator rather than a teacher or a professor because I can't make people learn (that would be teacher). Professor would imply that I am professing the truth. Well, I don't know if anyone knows the truth in science - I am sure I don't. So, I am going to stick with learning facilitator (LF).
In my official role as a LF, my institution has actually assigned two jobs:
- Help students learn (my words, not theirs)
- Evaluate students' understanding (some would call this grading)
Students sometimes confuse grades with learning and learning with grades. I know you know this. Wouldn't it be awesome if the evaluation portion of the course was handled by someone else? Then I would clearly be on the side of the students. It would be clear that I am just helping them prepare for the exam (which I am not in control of).
I guess if there were two sections of a course, I could LF one and evaluate the other.
Isn't it funny how we resist applying the results of research? There's been a vast amount of work done on quality processes since Deming, and yet despite the very visible improvements made in someone else's field we all have reasons why they don't apply in ours.
One of the most basic principles is that process monitors need to be independent of the process to get good results. We apply this (with variable enthusiasm) in various peer review practices, but education? Not so much.
You are a teacher. Period.
Well, I don't know if anyone knows the truth in science - I am sure I don't. So, I am going to stick with learning facilitator (LF).
I would keep to teacher - if your pupils hear you calling yourself a "learning facilitator", I doubt you will hear the last of it. Also there is a reason why these buzz words come and go, yet as far as I know Teachers have been teachers for as long as they have existed, probably since Aristotle.