Nathalie Martin
Did you know that last month that the UK celebrated National Teacher Day on the 8th of May? Or the fact that Friday the 22nd of June is Thank a Teacher Day? No, me either.
And that is a problem. These are only the top 5 reasons why teachers deserve a reward for National Teacher Day!
Forgetting for a second the amount of time and effort that goes into creating lessons plans, as well as the amount of understanding required to be able to present the idea’s. Can you imagine yourself simply attempting to control twenty kids/teenagers for the whole day?
Teachers must spend hour after hour walking a fine line between being fair yet stern to keep kids from disrupting their class. Too fair and you threaten the class getting out of control, too stern and you risk the kids not trusting or listening to your lesson plans. Talk about stressful!
But those lesson plans are just following the text book, or some online resource, right? For a very tiny minority, this could possible be true. But for most teachers, they are genuinely dedicated to helping each kid reach their potential in both the classroom and life.
They take great pride in creating engaging and rememberable lessons for all their students. Which is not an easy task in itself, as a group of twenty plus children are going to have many different interests and learning styles!
If you are still not convinced, consider the fact that some academies in England have started to tie student exam performance to pay. Then you not only realise that teachers can not coast but also see the impact of politics on the occupation.
School, local and national governing bodies, all play politics over pay and school improvements, as they 'try' to better the school system. These attempts often cause increased workloads for teachers as these initiatives require more data to prove their success. All the while teachers are expected to keep the same level of attention to lesson planning.
When was the last time that you did something at your workplace without being paid for it? When did you go the extra mile without expecting something in return?
Between volunteering after school and their own time to help a struggling student or getting involved in extracurricular activities, many teachers put the best interests of their students ahead of their own. They watch out for their students, pick up on warning signs, while also providing help and their own money to ensure that their students are safe, fed and have the tools they need to study.
“Those who can’t, teach.”
Never has there been a more unfair statement. The amount of skills and knowledge needed to be a good teacher is underestimated or looked down upon.
Not only do they fully understand the subjects that they teach, they also possess the ability to tap into a knowledge of child development, emotional and behavioural sciences in order to apply these on a moment by moment basis as situations unfold in the classroom. Talk about mentally tiring.
Instead, the saying should be more “Those who can, do”!
Teachers are special human beings who are only finding their occupation getting made more and more difficult. So in addition to the lovely bunch of flowers, delicious box of chocolates, perfect personalised teacher tote bag or generous restaurant voucher, how about you take the time to take that special teacher aside and tell them how thankful you are for all they do. After all, that is probably the reward they will treasure the most.
Teachers are a bedrock of society, like the emergency services and medical staff, yet they do not seem to get half as much attention or praise! Critics are blinded by the amount of holiday and the early finishes that comes with the occupation, without stopping to think what the role entails. So why not show some appreciation for those who are educating the next generation!
"Nathalie Martin is a young woman from Brighton who has a strong interest in education, family, shopping and childcare after growing up as a part of a large family on the South Coast. When she's no...
