In appreciation of teachers

Having recently completed my final fulltime career appointment as a school leader, and being suddenly confined to restricted living due to lockdown, I have had an unexpected opportunity to reflect on a lifetime in schools and to wonder what was it all about? ‘Life is short’ was something I used to hear venerable older people say long ago, it seems, when I was young, and it seemed strangely surreal then. But not now! A career has passed in a flash. 

During the course of a school career, deeper reflection on the meaning and consequence of that career is often side-lined by the immediate and pressing concerns of everyday life in schools, as we become embroiled in their inherent ceaseless momentum. 

In an attempt to give a bit of a fillip to all those involved in the life of schools today and tomorrow, in these pandemic-related trying circumstances, I urge teachers to take a moment to consider how immensely important you have been, you are, and you will be, in the lives of so many people, and this importance is often long-lasting and, in some cases, life-defining. 

For example, in my own case, primarily as a Primary and Middle School teacher, manager and leader over 30+ years  … 

School 1: 300 students per year for 7 years 

School 2: 250 students per year for 11 years 

School 3: 400 students per year for 4 years 

School 4: 400 students per year for 2 years 

School 5: 300 students per year for 3 years 

School 6: 600 students per year for 4 years 

School 7: 200 students per year for 2 years 

School 8: 12 students per year for 1.5 years 

(Student numbers are averages) 

Of course, these students were not all new every year; there was much overlap. Some I knew and worked with for just a year, others for many years. Nonetheless, the numbers give an inkling of the significant numbers of students who will be influenced and impacted upon by a teacher, manager, or school leader in the course of their career.  

There were hundreds of faculty too, class teachers and specialist teachers, from countries, nationalities, and cultures far and wide. Many, many  administration staff, cleaners, kitchen staff, security guards, bus drivers and chaperones too were part of the rich tapestry of everyday life and interactions in school. 

Thousands of parents crowd my memory too – at parent-teacher meetings, at admissions meetings, at concerts, sports days, graduations, at moments of crisis and moments of celebration, when students were 4 and when they were 18. And many extended family members whom I briefly encountered in one role or another, often grandparents, whose interest and wisdom was regularly a tonic!  

I like to think that my impact and influence was positive and uplifting, or at the very least, benign. And not just in matters academic, but also in encouraging students to play and enjoy music, for instance, to participate in and enjoy a wide variety of sports, to try drama, to think and debate, to recognise and appreciate difference, to respect tradition and yet to look for innovation, to seek to contribute, and so much more. 

So, today or this weekend, as a teacher, manager, or leader, take a while to be still, and think about the enormous contribution you have made, are making, and will make to the lives of so many people, young and older. You have an incalculable role to play in the positive educational development of so many people, an opportunity not given to very many. Yes, there are days when it is tough, and you wonder where is this all going. But, even in days like that, know that you are a member of the profession of the eternal optimist – you have the opportunity, dare I say, the imperative, to see the potential in young people, and you are in pole position to do something about it. So, teachers, managers, and leaders, take a bow, and know that you are appreciated and that your endeavour is profoundly meaningful for so many people, in so many ways and at so many levels, today and for many days to come.