Reclaiming the essence of teaching to drive continuous improvement

In recent years, various international organizations, such as UNESCO, have emphasized the need to address the shortage of teachers and deeply transform the profession. Their proposal outlines a clear roadmap: more attractive recruitment policies, support for new teachers, effective leadership, technological innovation, and a commitment to lifelong learning. All of this aims to build a new social contract that places teachers at the center of change and as a driver of sustainable development.

However, those of us who live the day-to-day reality of teaching know that, in many countries, this roadmap is already active, at least in its design and political discourse, but its practical results are far from expected. More and more teachers feel demotivated and overwhelmed in a dynamic that prioritizes administrative procedures over what truly matters: supporting students.

One of the main current problems is the extreme bureaucratization of teaching work. Forms, reports, memos, projects, management platforms... The energy that should be focused on preparing lessons, addressing students' individual needs, or innovating with teaching methods is diverted toward administrative tasks that drain and distance teachers from their original vocation. It is not the lack of will from professionals, but a system that has forgotten that teaching happens through human interaction, not through documenting processes.

Additionally, there is a lack of a solid strategy to involve families as true allies in the learning process. Providing families with strategies to support their children would be a far more valuable investment for the future than some of the bureaucratic projects that currently saturate the system.

Another unavoidable factor is teachers' salaries. Historically, it has been believed that vocation partly compensates for the lack of adequate financial remuneration. But in the current context, where demands are greater and emotional pressure much more intense, that idea is no longer sustainable. Vocation, far from being eternal, needs conditions to sustain it: time, social respect, professional autonomy, and, of course, fair compensation that recognizes the value of educating future generations.

Many teachers feel that educational policy absorbs them more than their own vocation. Decisions are made in offices far from the classroom reality, based more on political agendas or educational trends than on the true needs of students and those who support them daily. Every reform, every change, adds new layers of complexity and frustration, when what is needed is simplification to better reach those who need us most: our students.

In response to these current challenges, we propose a strategy based on five essential pillars: simplifying bureaucracy to prioritize pedagogical action; increasing quality time dedicated to individualized support and teamwork; strengthening the alliance with families through accessible training programs; dignifying the teaching profession by improving working conditions and recovering social recognition; and returning autonomy to education professionals so they can innovate and grow based on their passions and contexts.

As a new approach, we propose the creation of the figure of the educational advisor: a specialized professional who will accompany a small number of schools, using external evaluations as tools for improvement, not control, and working closely with teaching teams to drive pedagogical transformation processes.

Teaching is about looking into a child's eyes and helping them grow. All of this requires time and presence, not overloaded schedules or stifling control.

To build solid education, it's not enough to trust: we must also demand. We need teachers who carry out their work with genuine vocation and maximum involvement. If we ask for commitment and excellence, it is essential to dignify their work with better conditions, fair compensation, and the social recognition they deserve.

The future of education cannot be built from distrust of the professionals who uphold schools every day. We need to recover trust and vocation.

When a teacher burns out, a child loses their guide, a community becomes disoriented, and the future drifts aimlessly.