About three and a half years ago I made the life altering decision to leave my old job as a Technical Consultant and spend a sabbatical year with my then new born son, Matthew. One year became two and changing stinky diapers, rocking and singing him to sleep, drying tears of sorrow and laughing with him while he was discovering the world around him became my every day routine.
It always felt like quite the stretch to me to think of myself as a teacher. My mum teaches children with special needs in Germany and my wife has been an international school teacher for eight years now. I never imagined myself to join them in their profession. Little did I realise that I was actually already a teacher, while being a parent. It is very strange to avoid something for a long time, because you think it might not be the right thing for you, then realise that it was just that what was missing all along. When it was time to go back to work, it felt like the natural next step for me to move into teaching.
My training last year was strenuous, at times over-whelming but nevertheless a truly gratifying experience. It was a great time of learning and discovery, but also a time of sacrifice and commitment. Thinking back, I remember how many times I wasn’t able to think straight being overwhelmed by all these new impressions, ideas and inspirations. It was all worth it and I feel blessed that I work in a nursery where hard work is acknowledged and appreciated.
Excitement is probably an apt word to describe what I felt when my first year as a teacher began last summer. Setting up my room, getting to know the pupils and supporting them along their learning journey has been truly rewarding this year. When I now get to work in the morning, I reflect on how far my children have come in the time that my team and I have cared for them. I am extremely proud of all my pupils, and of how they have grown in confidence and are now increasingly able to take risks and choose their own activities and resources. I am especially pleased with their interactions with their peers and teachers alike. However, the best part of my day is when children show me how proud they are of their own learning, when they take ownership of their learning and successes and when they realise that making mistakes is part of learning and enables them to move forward. This to me means that I have successfully created a safe, stimulating and engaging learning environment where my pupils feel safe and respected to make mistakes and learn from them.
As a lifelong learner, I consider myself to be on a continuous learning journey. I am always looking to improve what I do and as much as I promote learning amongst the pupils, I also learn a lot from them. The most important qualities I have acquired from them is their sense of curiosity, wonder and enthusiasm for the world around them, which I believe fades as we turn into adults.
I think what makes me enjoy teaching so much is that as a life-long learner, I don’t actually think it is important what you learn, what tasks you take on, but how you learn and how you take on things that you feel uncertain about in life. It can be very challenging as a grown-up to learn something from scratch. Upon reflection, it made me realise how some of my children must feel like when they see themselves taking on a new challenge and reacting with “But I don’t know”. New things will keep coming in to your life and the ability to handle new situations is an important skill to have. Having a go, taking risks and most importantly learning from your mistakes and not being afraid to make them is the most valuable lesson that we can teach children to support them to become problem solvers.
I remember my interviews with Ms. Vanessa and her asking me which one of the values I consider the most important. The answer wasn’t and still isn’t an easy one. I know for her it is integrity as she sees it as the core of all the other values. In my training year and in my first year of teaching, I have since started seeing it as somewhat of a stock exchange. I believe we would do well when we within ourselves find the value that has the lowest stock price at the minute and invest in that one. Be courageous, when you haven’t tried something new for a long time. Take responsibility, when you haven’t looked after yourself or others recently. Be kind to someone, when you think someone needs to hear a compliment and show respect in the little things like saying “Thank you” and “Good Morning”. At the heart needs to be integrity as the moral compass to help you navigate.
