Every child needs a champion

Yesterday I spent the day on some continuing professional development as a teacher. I love allocating time to new learning, not just as a teacher but as a human. I might have taught for nearly two decades (gosh!) but I am constantly striving to be a better teacher and a better person. In my opinion, its all connected. The more mindful I am of myself and my own well-being, the more mindful I am of my student’s well-being. I urge everyone to keep learning new skills, in or outside of your professional life. It’s all connected. You learn a skill in one area, it has a knock-on effect on other areas. Take the performing arts; by growing in confidence in your singing ability, you naturally grow in confidence in the rest of your life. Don’t have time for personal or professional development? Yeah, I get that. Time, or more specifically, the lack of time, is one of the biggest stresses of life. But I believe if you can carefully prepare your schedule in advance, this precious time can be carved out if you value it enough.

This leads me onto the main topic of today’s thought. By challenging and reflecting on my teaching skills yesterday, it opened up all kids of discussions for me. Namely, I believe being a teacher comes with great responsibility (Marvel moment!). Arguably for me, the most honourable aspect of being a teacher is the potential to inspire your students in their future pathways. Being the kind of mentor who gives a young person the confidence, encouragement and skills to go out in the world and make a difference to their lives. When I look back on the past teachers I had during my school life, there was only one teacher who truly inspired me and became my ‘champion’. He nurtured my enthusiasm, advanced my skill set through further study, gave me opportunities and to a large degree, set me up for my future career. He was my champion! I wholeheartedly believe that every child needs a champion. A positive role model who believes in them, encourages them and puts the wheels in motion for a bright future. It is also kindness that young people need. The kindness of one teacher (or one person other than their parents) to take an interest in them.

Anyone can be a champion to a child, but the potential impact if you are a teacher is so much greater. It’s easy to choose a child who is already succeeding in life to help champion, but the rewards of championing a child who no one else will, for whatever reason, are tenfold. Maybe they are labelled as ‘naughty’ or ‘dis-interested’ and most teachers will let this judgement cloud their willingness to nurture them. I love to imagine a world where every child is given their own fairy godmother in the form of a teacher champion. Imagine the results. As a teacher, I consider myself to being giving a gift every time I teach. I hope I will never take that for granted.