what teaching has taught me & Why I’m happy to work in business & education

Johnny sits down, Jane stops talking, Sam please stay focussed I want to see you achieve your best, Matthew respects the learning of others and be quiet when others are talking. 'Ok students, by the end of today's lesson you need to show me how you can...' The catchphrases of a teacher.

If you’re not spitting out the language proforma of education departments and the whole school approach to classroom teaching your managing 6 to 7 students of your class of 25 (if you're lucky) in the first 5 minutes of your lesson. You have also come to master the difference between all departmental acronyms as well as those that define the needs of your students, ODD, ADD, ADHD, SLI, HLI, ASD to name a few. Amongst the chaos of an ever-changing, hectic, and socially criticized work-life teaching still is pretty great. Today, on World Teacher's Day I'm going to speak about my 'silent career' and how it continues to inspire me on a daily basis.

First and foremost I've got to say, I've read a few articles on why being a teacher is great and why people should get into teaching. I'm going to be blunt here- if you are a teacher and you've never thought of quitting at least once, what kind of teacher are you? Perhaps that seems like the oddest statement to make on such a positive day where we celebrate teachers but let me explain. Teaching is a career that constantly questions you, forces you to reflect not just on your career but everything. It makes you acutely aware of the impact education has on society; your role and responsibility as a member of society to affect change. If you don't question at some point in time your effectiveness, whether you do really have an impact or not or the 9 to 5 job temptation when you’re busting your buttocks off spending 26hours marking a lot of Year 11 English assessments than I want to know your secret. Bottom line is, education takes your time, effort, dedication and as a friend said to me yesterday 'is a passion career; not everyone can do it.' So what has provided me with a passion to continue to teach over the past 8 years?

1. Those tough kids really are the greatest.

Students from tough backgrounds show gratitude magnificently. There is nothing more saddening than knowing some of your students' lives but there is also nothing more empowering than these students testing you, learning your boundaries, and still coming back years later to say how much they valued you. In my experience, these students can teach privileged kids a lot about life. 

2. 'I hate you...'

Over the past 8 years I have had several students say words like 'I hate you', 'I'm going to make you cry by the end of the day' and worse, but ironically it is always these students that turn around and say 'I'm going to miss you so much, can I give you a hug?' at the end of a year or in the case of a primary school student... 2 days later. My favorite memory would have to be one where I reprimanded a boy for misbehaving and then he went and brought me strawberry tartlets to school the following day because he remembered I liked them and then said, 'I'm sorry I behaved like that yesterday, you deserve these for what you had to go through, I know you said you liked them once. I won't accept you rejecting them, health nut or not'. Put simply, these students don't hate you but rather they are saying in a weird way...

3. The 2 hour-long chats.

Being a predominantly secondary school teacher I have had several secondary school students come up to me in shopping centers, on the street, etc in the company of friends or partners years after I have taught them and tell me about their successes, genuinely ask how I am going and to thank me again. They don't consider time, they literally just enjoy a good chat, it’s a really lovely feeling.

4. 'You were my favorite teacher'.

This is probably the most controversial one for me. When a student says this it always feels amazing but I'm always puzzled, how the heck did I earn that? I was just strict, became relaxed, and joked about when you understood what I expected?! Either way, it’s one way you know you are doing something right. 

5. 'I don't want anyone else to teach us'

Can you get a better reference from anyone? It's always nice hearing this. It’s even better if they freely tell you why. Keeps you spurred on during the marking stages, helps you feel valued as a person and a professional.

6. 'Miss I finally got it! You should see my results.'

I love, love, love when students finally master a skill and they can see their own success for themselves, especially when they understand the implication of being able to apply that skill to many situations. It's so pleasing because not only do you feel like you have done your job well but most importantly you have fired off a spark in their own heart to achieve success and care about their education. For some students, it might be the first time they have experienced it so it could be a change for a generation. WOW right?!

7. The random surprises

My most humbling experience as a teacher is when I have been randomly contacted by a student (or parent) through school or long after they have left school to inform me about the impact that has been made on them. At the end of my 4th year of teaching, I was lucky enough to have a book dedicated to me from a student I once taught English to, that was absolutely unbelievable. 

8. The counselor chronicles

As a teacher, you are a decoder, psychologist, parent, counselor, security guard, language specialist, and teacher. One of the most taxing but funny roles is that of a counselor. It's always lovely to know students feel comfortable to confide in you but admittedly its also a little bit funny when they tell you stories about boyfriends they had for 2 days they are devastated about, how they feel about another girl having almost the same prom dress like them or what they will do because their best mate likes the same person. It doesn't mean it isn't important but it does keep you young.

9. The behavior scout

This applies to primary school more so than secondary since primary schools are set up with behavior monitors whose responsibility is to keep an eye on the class if the teacher's back is turned and so forth. Usually however when you have a behavior monitor you end up with several behavior scouts and these make for hilarious stories. From a 7year old Briton...

'Miss somebody said the S word and I am grossly offended'.

'Ok, so do you know who said that rude word? It is important that you know for sure because it's really inappropriate to accuse people of things they didn't do.'

'No way Miss I don't know but I'm grossly offended and I think something should be done about it.' 

10. I'll teach you.

Students volunteering to teach (they call it 'help') other students is a beautiful thing to see. It really showcases the depth of appreciation they have for education which lets you see a glimmer of how they will value it and their kids will value it in years to come.

 11. A child's imagination

As an English teacher, you get to witness a lot of creative writing and I've got to say geez there are some talented writers out there. As a writer myself, I am really blown away with the ability of children, some as young as 7, who are writing highly imaginative, engaging texts that place you right in the center of their stories. As adults, we lose this imagination unless we cultivate it, so it is lovely to be constantly immersed in a range of imaginative minds. Furthermore, having experience in primary and secondary schools I have also had the pleasure of the explorative mind of a primary schooler. It is truly magnificent, anything literally is possible; they are so hungry for learning and to come to understand how the world works. They are amazed by the human body and they can intertwine their knowledge and their imagination in mere seconds which makes for lots of fun! One of my favorite memories...

'Oh no Miss I just ate the orange's seed!'

'Oh dear, you know what is going to happen now?'

'What Miss, what?'

'Well, that orange of yours is going to grow inside your intestines and make another really, really big orange.'

The student grabs her stomach as if she's pregnant, 'Ohhh but I can't have an orange Miss!'

12. A full 360- the best thing ever.

The hardest, most difficult time is when you can see a student who has chosen a particular path that is beneath them; the behavior, the lack of effort, the people they choose to hang around, how they respond to you- they appear to have given up but you can still see hope for them. There is absolutely no blueprint for figuring out how to get this kind of student to turn a full 360, sometimes its nonchalance, sometimes it’s not giving up the fight but one thing is for sure when it happens it is glorious! To date, I have only had 2 really serious cases of the full 360 and every time I think of those students I'm brought to tears about how amazing things have turned out for them. It probably has absolutely nothing to do with me but it is such a pleasure to witness such strong-willed characters decide to hedge bets on themselves and break the molds they've been stuck in. There is literally nothing better than that. 

To all the teachers, I hope you find ways to constantly top up your positivity towards your career. Our jobs are one that is bruised and battered by the media, some parents, and people who ultimately don't fully understand what we do at times but there is no doubt that we do impact the lives of others. We may not know the effect of our work on those we teach until years later but there will always be silver linings. When your tired, sick of marking papers, dreaming of data, or feeling like a glass of wine at midday remember all the good we get to witness on a daily basis.

Happy World Teacher's Day....till next time.