TEACHING as a profession involves a lot of records. They are role models to learners as they are expected to exercise a high level of accuracy in their conducts or operations. One of the areas where teachers’ accuracy can be seen is in record keeping.

Learners, especially young ones have some behaviors or tendencies which make it necessary for teachers to keep records to prevent them from challenging teachers in a wrong way. One of the behaviour is denying faults. 

Most young learners consider a failure or a conduct which is not acceptable as a disgrace. Therefore they resort to refusing the charges as a way of being safe. One teacher was telling me a case whereby the learner claimed that he had submitted a certain document while it was not so. It was after conversation with the parent that it was established that the document was left at home by the learner. The matter became a challenge as the teacher took the documents without registering those who submitted. The assumption was that learners are loyal.

Some teachers,  due to  heavy workload do business  as usual by trusting learners  that  they may be faithful not to tell lies when they are asked certain questions. This tendency brings a challenge when there is no reference point to determine the matter. As there is no any records the teacher must become the victim as they are leaders of learners. They are expected to undo some doubts based on grounds.

School administration should make sure that teachers are equipped with enough stationery to keep records of all important matters. Failure  to keep records  devalue the teaching profession as learners learn from teachers  on how  they organize academic and other  classroom or school matters. It will become difficult for teachers to tell learners to keep records while they do not keep records properly.

Keeping records avoids a lot of questions and hence saves time as records speak for themselves. Explaining detailed accounts to everyone who will be in need of those accounts will cause body exhaustion to the teacher. Efficiency in workplaces is improved when there is facility that enables individuals to acquire information on their own. Instead of the parent asking the teacher on progress of their children they may demand their academic files.

Any school is characterized by a timetable which eliminates a possibility of postponement of some activities. Failure to follow the time table due to addressing matters of learners which can be solved by providing records will cause a lot of disturbance to the teaching arrangement making it difficult to achieve some targeted goals. 

Teaching effectively at school is by following the timetable and nothing else. Teachers should do their best to make sure the time table is not interfered unnecessarily by keeping records which are useful in the following ways.

One of the reasons why teachers should be good record keepers is showing academic progress. Academic progress cannot be shown without using records. Any discussion between the teacher and parents must base on statistics. Speaking without statistics from records may lead to misunderstanding. When records are well kept there is no need to talk much as the reality from the records suggests which course of action should be taken.

Another reason for teachers to keep records is maintaining credibility as a teacher. There are attributes which the society expects the teacher to possess so that they can be accepted. Teachers are taken as role models in the academic arena. Their behavior and ways of operations should encourage learners that they may become what the teacher emphasizes. 

Learners have a lot of dreams and expectations to become good academicians. To defend their status learners will need to be able to account for their conducts. To be efficient in accounting for some matters there must be good record keeping. Learners who are future academicians must learn record keeping from their teachers.

Also record keeping helps teachers to avoid unnecessary compensation. It is a common behavior of most learners to claim that they have submitted something while it is not so. If the teacher has not kept records of what they have given or received from learners they may find themselves liable to compensate for something wrongly. Paying a certain sum of money unnecessarily may cause stress to the teacher and hence a decrease in efficiency in teaching.

Again record keeping helps the teacher to make evaluation on the trend of teaching and learning process. There is no improvement in the teaching and learning process if there is no evaluation. Some weaknesses, possibilities and realities are revealed through evaluation and they help to improve the teaching and learning process.

Teaching profession requires strength in dealing with stakeholders because it demands provision of information which must be accurate. Keeping records enables provision of reliable information which does not entertain unnecessary disputes. The teacher as a leader needs to have records to be in a position to provide advice when it is needed. Teaching is keeping records.