By Christine Swan
It is very unusual that I write a blog post about my day job, but this is an exception. I think it also has relevance in wider life – both our own and that of the people that we interact with.
I write this post as the new academic year is fast approaching and I was recalling the end of term, two years ago. This may seem strange but we had an engaging staff development session about personal identity which aroused my interest and has stayed with me ever since. We all project a public persona and curate what we choose to share with the public. As much as we make a choice about what we reveal, we similarly choose what to conceal. Sometimes this is because we fear a negative impact, for example, on our career progression or friendships. For example, you could tell your line manager that you find their meetings boring, but this is unlikely to land well, even if honesty is a desirable trait for your job role.
I always ask prospective trainee teachers what aspects of their personality they believe will make them an effective teacher. The responses are quite revealing and, I suspect, draw from the applicants’ expectations based on their own experiences of being a pupil. As yet, nobody has responded with: “Well I’m not 100% certain what makes a teacher effective.” Most responses emphasise patience, kindness, being personable, and developing positive relationships. In reality, it is very difficult to visualise teaching unless you have had the experience of actually doing it.
Exploring the characteristics of a teacher
I also ask what characteristics applicants feel that they need to develop further to become an effective teacher. The answers are often slower in coming and usually require thinking time. This is especially challenging if you have not previously worked in the field of education. How do you know that you have got what it takes, when you are not actually sure what “it” looks like? Moreover, how do you get what you need to have what it takes?
These questions start the ball rolling to put the magnifying glass on the theme of self-identity. In the staff development session that I attended, the presenter provided some interesting case studies that were also quite shocking. One student had shared that they were a refugee who had experienced a traumatic journey to reach the sanctuary of the UK. Thinking about the current political climate, I can begin to empathise with their feelings of isolation and not belonging. I say “begin to”, but how can I possibly know? The simple answer is that I cannot even begin to comprehend as this student’s lived experience is so different from mine.
Can you walk a mile in another person’s shoes? What exactly does it feel like? Unless we have a shared experience, we only see what the individual has chosen to reveal. During the session, some colleagues revealed their own past experiences, including shocking examples of thoughtlessly worded comments that had hurt the recipient’s feelings, to out and out racism, prejudice and misogyny. When others talk, we need to listen not only with our ears, but also with our minds.
This session made me rethink my opening gambits for September. I need my trainee teachers to understand who they are, and to begin to really listen to the experiences of others, to open their minds to begin to understand the thirty young people in front of them in the classroom. Teaching can be joyful, frustrating, fulfilling, annoying, amusing, exasperating, and enriching – all of these things. On a number of occasions, I’ve had to go into a classroom and hide personal pain, pinning on a smile and just immersing myself in teaching. The show must go on no matter what, and we need to present a consistent face to our pupils. Is this developing resilience, or refining our emotional experiences in the classroom?
I intended my trainee teachers to begin the year by writing a mini-biography. The first half would be public, consisting of what they know about themselves and are happy to reveal to others. The second half would be private. During the course of the year, they may choose to reveal more about themselves but, they will also learn things that they didn’t know about themselves, as they become a teacher. Our practice evolves and develops as our experience grows, and everything we do is impacted upon by our life experiences.
After I lost my daughter, I became more attuned to the painful experiences of others. If they revealed to me that they were going through a bad time, I felt that I wanted to help in some way. How do you handle people who are walking that tightrope of coping, and carrying on, while falling off the edge, is a real possibility? A colleague at a different university changed their personal tutoring regime as a thoughtful reaction to my experience. I warned close colleagues not to be too sympathetic towards me while I was at work because I knew the dam would break and the flood of emotions come pouring out. I’m not for one minute suggesting that that is a bad thing, I just wanted to keep a lid on things during the day.
I believe that understanding who we are is key to unlocking our potential. Knowing, and acknowledging our story, is part of the life puzzle that makes us human. It’s also a starting point from which we can feel our impact on others and their impact on us. Like Vygotsky, I believe that teaching and learning are social activities. We cannot force children to learn if they are not in the correct state of mind. We can understand how memory works but it is impossible to “force” somebody to remember. Just because the teacher understands a concept, it does not follow that a pupil automatically will. Some trainee teachers begin by talking a great deal in lessons, but this doesn’t mean that pupils are listening. They soon realise that teaching isn’t a monologue, it’s a conversation.
I was training teachers before I joined my current place of work. I find the process fascinating. The personal growth that trainee teachers undergo in just one year of a postgraduate course, is considerable. Learning to listen to pupils, letting them know that they matter and their voices are being heard, but also maintaining a professional persona and boundaries, are skills to master.
I am certain that this year will teach those embarking on this journey so much about themselves. Through developing others, we develop ourselves.
Awful Rigours and Wretched Pay 