After World Teacher Day - Picking up the pieces.
- HIGHCROFT WRITING
- Oct 12, 2018
- 2 min read
It was #worldteachersday, and I know I’m late again, but it got me thinking.
This is the post where I point out that I’m not a teacher. It’s also that bit where I say, ‘I have many friends who are teachers.’ It’s shorthand for “I’ve heard the joys and I’ve heard horror stories.”
The hashtag made me reflect on the teachers in my life. The memorable, good and bad, and the experiences they orchestrated. I contemplated writing about them, and the relationship or connection I still have with some of them, but decided against writing about someone else’s story.
What struck me most was the comparison in my emotions of then, as a pupil, and my feelings now as a parent. It was stirring to see my feelings about teachers have changed. I am now more acutely aware of how a classroom environment affects the happiness and confidence of a child, and how quickly it can do it.
Like a ‘boss’ can affect the happiness of its employees, who then take that negativity home, a teacher will affect the happiness of a pupil and the supporting family. It is a relationship of power and vulnerability. That is some responsibility. They can inspire or extinguish a fire in any ‘pupil’ of any age. Unfortunately, there can be a sizeable personal cost in valuing an education.
I appreciate the great work that good teachers do. I still clearly remember those that inspired me. None of them were perfect. All had their personal issues, some their demons, but they were all the type that cared about the person first and the grade second. Naturally, their subjects were the ones I ended up performing the best in. Love will lay stronger foundations than fear.
So today, which isn’t #worldteacherday, I want to focus on the people who lost their heart in teaching, who stumbled on their personal journey, who are soul weary, who were damaged by a system that puts targets before hearts and minds. I want to put my heart out to the parents and carers who spend what time they do have with their child, every precious evening and weekend, trying to re-build their spirit, energy and confidence - picking up the pieces of an exhausted disenchanted, demoralised, soul and re-filling it with air and love. I see you, and have all the respect for you too. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this piece, please consider whether you would benefit from accessing relevant support.
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