THE PRIMARY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS’ UNDERSTANDING OF
THE CONCEPT OF THE JIWA EDUCATOR
Sazali
Yusoff (Ph.D)
Ahmad
Sukari Mohamad (Ph.D)
Siti
Rohani Mohd Zain (Ph.D)
Abdul
Razak Othman (Ph.D)
Every teacher
should possess an attribute of the jiwa educator
corresponds to the aspiration stipulated in the National Philosophy of
Education and mission statement of Teacher Education Institute in Malaysia.
This is to ensure the sustainability of a more excellent education. Studies
have shown that a teacher who is responsible and facilitates learning process
with her mind and soul has greater impact on student learning compared to
someone who merely teaches for monetary purpose. Based on experiences as a
teacher and an administrator in primary schools, this article attempts to
explore deeper the understanding of the concept and practices of the jiwa educator among school
administrators. Semi-structured and structured interviews were carried out to
school headmasters and senior assistants in Penang to elicit responses related
to understanding and practices of the jiwa
educator. The result shows that the school headmasters were positive
towards the concept of jiwa educator.
The practices of the jiwa educator
can be observed from the perspectives of professional skills and distinctive
personality characteristics such as competent in teaching methodology and
content knowledge, levels of commitment and consistency in performing tasks and
duties, being conscientious, willingness to sacrifice, communicate caring towards
students, be a role model of positive
behaviors, ability to guide and effectively instill good manners in students. This study also highlights the
importance of spiritual values as a fundamental basis for the development of
the jiwa educator.
Key words: jiwa
educator, primary school administrator, spiritual values
