Who or what do you teach?
A Tweet popped up in my feed this weekend that upset me:
“After 20 years I’ve decided to give teaching away. I still like the actual teaching, maths especially. However, it’s more like a counsellor role for me these days. There’s so much sadness in the kids I teach. So much they shouldn’t have to live with. I’m done”
It upset me on many levels, not the least the reality that the profession has lost another great teacher to despondency and disillusionment.
The?Tweet upset me for our children. The author is right. There is so much sadness in the eyes of kids these days. There is so much that they shouldn’t have to deal with. They really can't learn while they are dealing with the pain of domestic violence, emotion or physical abuse, lack of food, confusion with their identity...
But, as I reflected on the sense of despair the author felt, I was also left wondering whether he or she realises the impact of their decision will have on their students.
The same weekend another Tweet caught my eye. This time it was authored by recently retired principal Allan Shaw. He had retweeted Briony Scott’s Tweet in which she shared an article titled, “A moment that changed me.”
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Allan Tweeted,
What a contrast between those two Tweets in my feed this weekend. One of despondency and the other of gratitude. One despairing that their time is taken up by 'counselling' and the other recalling the impact that genuine care had.
The world is a tough place. There is great sadness, hurt and disappointment everywhere. COVID has made the feelings of despondency all the more real. But ultimately, if you are a teacher, or considering becoming a teacher you must ask yourself this question, “Am I am teacher of [mathematics] or I am a teacher of children?”
Spend a moment reflecting on your time at school as a child. What or who do you remember and why? If you had the opportunity to thank one of your teachers what would it be for? I am willing to bet the first thing that comes to your mind isn’t a sense of gratitude for learning calculus or to read, but rather, for the inspiration that was passed onto you, for the care that was extended, and for the words of encouragement you received when you were at your lowest.
Be a teacher of children, the maker of people.
Principal - Richard Johnson Anglican College
3 年A great reflection of “the why” and “the who” we teach! Not what. Thanks Paul. I am a teacher because of the joy and passion displayed by the teachers that taught me while they taught. They made a difference in me that I wanted to pay forward.
Creating Schools Where Students and Teachers Want To Be
3 年Rather than pulling drowning people out of the river, let's go upstream and see what is pushing them in.
Guest Enrichment Presenter at Various Cruise Lines
3 年Paul Browning I read your post and to be honest I can't remember any of my teachers names and only one made an impact on me and that was my Applied Mechanics teacher. He gave me time and recognition of my efforts and wheeled a mean leather strap. I fortunately left school the year after the Scottish Education System introduced calculus and those students who followed me have my sympathy. It's not education but societal changes that are causing the issues that are making teachers lives difficult. The disintegration of the rights of passage (both for boys and girls) that formed various societies cement can be blamed for the breakdown in respect for each other and that lack of respect flows through to the classroom and the whole school system. Your teacher who resigned probably got totally frustrated by the lack of respect shown to him by all points of his schools society from students, staff and more so parents who treat the school as a service to educate their children where they are unable to do so. There should be a child rearing 101 for parents of the children at each school where they can learn that if they want their children to progress and learn they need to both earn and give the respect of their childs teacher.
Senior Chemistry teacher and SRC Coordinator at Al-Faisal College
3 年Unfortunately teachers are overworked, underpaid and often undervalued. They shouldn’t be expected to be selfless matyrs. Great teachers need to feel valued and be given leadership opportunities. Unless these issues are addressed, the serious teacher shortage currently facing our schools will only get worse.
Deputy Head of Campus- Junior at Prince of Peace Lutheran College
3 年Being an educator is one of the greatest callings that one can have. I’ve been teaching for 18 years and I never take a day for granted. You never know the profound impact that you can make on a child’s life. Each child that comes into your classroom has a unique story and it’s a blessing to be able to support them.