In school education, teachers play a huge part in children's current and future lives, bringing dreams and inspiration into the lives of their students. Not just textbooks and classrooms determine teachers lives, they themselves also play a huge part in shaping the future generation to make them as best of a person that they can, based off who they are as a teacher, and how they present themselves to their students. To prove this point, I interviewed a few teachers to see how being a teacher really is to them, and how they want to make an impact on their students' lives.
Teaching in such a modern society brings its own set of challenges especially in schools. Some teachers have said that they voice their own opinion on today's society through their subject, which allows open communication with students, giving them an opportunity to express themselves and feel heard. Whereas other teachers have another view on teaching, focusing on the harsh reality of being overworked and underpaid, unable to focus on the views of their students while dealing with this unfair reality. But some teachers bring their thoughts away from this and focus in on finding satisfaction in contributing to the lives of disadvantaged children being brought up in our society, providing them a sense of belief that they can be whoever they want to be.
However, being a teacher also has a humorous side to it as well. From students who mistake Nelson Mandela for Denzel Washington to a student promising their teacher to name their future child after them, and to students believing that their teacher must be a millionaire because of the shoes they wear, these moments of laughter show that teaching isn't always so serious, and that teaching can also have a funny side to it as well as a serious side.
Reflecting on each teacher's journey, every teacher that was interviewed said they had no regrets of teaching, no matter what their view on the school environment was. However, when asked if their younger selves could have imagined themselves in their current positions, each responded with no. The changes of their life led them to a profession of secondary teaching that, while it was unexpected, has become a source of happiness and purpose in their daily lives, no matter where they move on to in life next, this will always be a huge chapter for them.
The life of a teacher, as revealed through these interviews, shows the life behind what we see in a regular classroom. Teachers work not just as people of knowledge, but some are their students' biggest supporters, and inspirations. Their impact on students grows through time, creating an impact that goes far beyond school years. As the ‘builders of tomorrow's success stories’ teachers stand as students walls, shaping the future of those who will carry their advice for many years to come.
