revistaieee7

Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 7 / 2016
and professional guidance to students, the intellectual, emotional, social and moral
development of students; promotion, organisation and participation in complementary
activities run by the centre; coordination of any educational, management and
counselling activities that might be entrusted to the instructor, participation in the
centre’s general activity and in internal and external assessment plans; research, experimentation
and the continuous improvement of education processes. 100 Most of these
functions are not unusual for a military instructor, and it would therefore be a serious
mistake to assume that his work begins and ends in the classroom, where he teaches
certain subjects to his students.
Teaching is an active and complex process that requires the teacher’s full-time dedication
and engagement in numerous tasks directly related to his work, such as the
preparation of classes, notes and exams; completing reports, correcting tests, assessing
and assigning grades to students, directing academic assignments, participating in interdepartmental
meetings, giving tutorials to students, meetings with other teachers,
tutors and staff from the Education Guidance Office, writing reports, providing specific
services (service professor), attending and taking part in academic activities and
events (talks, seminars) and extra-curricular ones (visits, secondments, etc.). And very
often all of this has to be carried out alongside other non-academic duties or positions,
which means that many military instructors find it extremely difficult to perform their
teaching duties and tasks in an appropriate manner because they simply do not have
enough time.
The only possible solution to these difficulties is to strictly apply the full-time engagement
criteria for military instructors, especially those who oversee education and
training centres for officers and NCOs.
The vocational aspect of military education
Traditionally it was believed that teaching was an art form or a vocation; a “profession
that is in many respects an art”, a “profession-craft-vocation”. 101 From this
viewpoint, teaching is seen more as an art than a technical or scientific activity, 102 and the
vocation to teach is an essential aspect of the person holding the position of teacher. 103
100 Organic Law 2/2006 on Education, op. cit., p. 17183.
101 LÓPEZ CALVA, Martín: “«Mi rival es mi propio corazón...» El docente universitario y sus
exigencias de transformación”, Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Educativos, XXXIII (2), 2003,
pp. 59-60.
102 LIEBERMAN, Ann and MILLER, Lynne: Staff development for education on the ‘90s: New
Demands, New Realities, New Perspectives (2nd. Edition), New York, Teachers College Press, 1991.
103 HANSEN, David T.: The call to teach. New York: Teachers college press/Columbia University,
1995.
330
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