Making Teaching Aspirational - Part II

Teachers and School Leaders,

Have you ever considered that while not many people grow up dreaming of being a teacher, education arguably attracts the most diverse pool of talent? We see doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, and fresh graduates all entering the field. Despite this, intellectual engagement in education is often minimal and, when present, lacks depth. As key stakeholders, have you thought about your role in making teaching aspirational, despite the limited agency you may have within the system? Have you yearned for things to function differently? Have you tried being the catalyst for that change?

Having been in education for over a decade, I strongly believe that if every teacher and school leader unequivocally advocated for their profession, like true spokespeople, the system would be compelled to notice and reward the comprehensive effort that goes into reaching every child.

I have often wondered, mostly in frustration, what would make teaching a legitimate long-term career option. Historically, I have focused only on what those in power could do. However, reflecting on my own teaching days, I realize there's much we, as educators, can do to make our profession more exciting and rewarding. Here are a few strategies that I believe could help move the needle:

1. Act Like the Nation-Builder You Are: Believe that teaching is not for the faint-hearted. If you are in it, it’s not just an alternate career path. If you believe you are building the nation, say it, own it, act it!
2. Create an Environment for Continuous Learning and Growth: For yourself and others. Seek and enroll in learning opportunities that expand your worldview and build skills. Mentor newer teachers, observe their classes, and share your thoughts. Learn from them and share learning opportunities.
3. Challenge the Status Quo: Question archaic practices that persist out of convenience. Hold spaces for fellow practitioners to challenge practices and beliefs. Ask why you teach what you teach and why you teach it the way you do. Explore different methods and question their importance. Engage in broader conversations about the purpose and goals of education.
4. Dream: Dream about changes in education and dream aloud. Find others who share your vision and work together to turn these dreams into reality.
5. Engage with the World: Connect the learning environment with the community, city, country, and world. Form opinions, share them, and engage in discussions.
6. Form Academic Communities: Your learning about your content area should go beyond textbooks. It needs to be research-based, scientific, theoretical, and practical. Read, share, question, challenge, engage, and motivate.
7. Assert Your Agency and Autonomy: Agency, autonomy, and courage are crucial. You can't build these qualities in your students without embodying them yourself. Active participation in democracy starts with understanding and practicing it in your classroom.
8. Hold Everyone to High Expectations: Set high standards for yourself, your colleagues, and your students.
9. Innovate: Don’t let teaching become muscle memory. Plan lessons not just because you have to, but because you want to innovate and engage a new generation of learners.
10. Journal: Reflection is as sacred as practice. A reflective teacher can plan, innovate, and engage learners like no other.

I find it disheartening to witness a rich reservoir of talent go largely untapped in schools. By adopting some of these strategies, I hope we can start to change that and attempt to make teaching a truly aspirational profession.

As a teacher or a school leader, what do you do to make teaching exciting for your fellow teachers/school leaders?