As you know, I’m a teacher. Before I had you two I taught in a primary school for many years and loved it. I’ve since moved on to being an education consultant but once a teacher, always a teacher. It is a job that is an absolute privilege to have and although I enjoy what I am doing now, I often miss it deeply. The feeling of being entrusted to motivate and inspire a new generation is an amazing one. The feeling when a child suddenly understands something new because of your words and actions is hard to describe.
Members of your family on your dad’s side are nearly all teachers. Despite your dad’s best efforts to buck the trend he married a teacher and even though he tried his best to go into a totally different area of work, he now works in schools. Some might even think that you are genetically programmed to go into teaching. So, you might think that there is an expectation that you should be a teacher. In a way you would be right.
One thing I’m never going to ask you to do, despite my love of the world of education, is to get a teaching qualification. You need to do whatever it is that interests you and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning. In an ideal world that would be a well paid job which makes a positive difference to others. The most important thing though is that whatever you do makes you happy. It is not my right to decide what your career will be. It is your life and it is up to you to find something that you are brilliant at. Keep searching until you find your dream vocation – it is out there waiting for you.
When you have finished reading this post, I want you to watch the video I have linked at the end. There are three very important lessons in it that I want you to listen to. It is a brilliant speech and I agree with every word. It covers some of the stuff that I’ve just mentioned about careers.
Anyway, as I said in the title of this post I do want you to be teacher though. Wait – you think I have just contradicted myself don’t you? Well I haven’t. You see, you don’t need a teaching qualification to be a teacher. In fact many of the best lessons I’ve learnt have come from people without a teaching qualification. You will be a teacher if you inspire those around you, if you motivate others, if you give people a boost when they need it. Share your knowledge widely but without arrogance, and give advice to others – but understand that it is up to them if they follow it. If they don’t follow it then, no problem, you have done your bit. And let’s face it, none of us are perfect so your advice might not be right anyway.
In fact, if I question what I really believe, I don’t think it is possible for you not to be a teacher. Every single person has a lesson for others. Some people are positive influences in people’s lives. Other people teach us how not to act, because we see the damage they are doing around them. I don’t think it is possible for anyone to exist without giving others valuable lessons.
So I do expect you to be a teacher and hope that you will be a good one. But whether you get a piece of paper with that title on is totally up to you.