The Teacher is Alive, More Alive Than Ever Before

One of the controversial topics concerning Iranian teachers and schools in the 21st century has been the “death of school and teacher”! This idea, which is based on real and available evidence, has drawn the attention of researchers from different disciplines. It is grounded on the results of Iranian pupils’ performance in national and international exams. In this regard, pupils’ performance on school exams and university entrance exams as well as their performance on international tests such as TIMSS and PIRLS have been referred to and cited as the main pieces of evidence supporting the abovementioned hypothesis. In addition, researchers refer to their first-hand experiences and research findings to lend further evidence to the above hypothesis. Even if the evidence presented by the exponents of the hypothesis is accepted, this type of thinking and theorization can still be called a misconception of evidence or bad theorization. To clarify the point, one should take into consideration that what shapes pupils’ performance is not just learning. What matters more than learning and knowing is individuals’ willingness to learn and acquire knowledge, which depends on several social and cultural factors. Whether pupils are willing to tap into their ability in test situations requires further attention and research. However, it is undeniably true that Iranian pupils are neither pleased with nor interested in what is going on inour schools. Ironically, the same pupils have demonstrated in similar situations that they have the necessary ability to get things done.