If I only had a blog ...

It’s that time of year when we celebrate World Teachers’ Day. While there will be awards and acknowledgements given to some this 31 October, the vast majority of teachers will be happy to give themselves and each other a pat on the back, perhaps receive a card or a certificate from the students and maybe attend a special morning tea.

This year’s theme is about teachers who inspire. So, I want to use this ‘blog’ to say thank you to every teacher colleague who has inspired me since I began with the department in 1996 – from the Torres Strait to Brisbane South to South West Queensland to Logan to the Gold Coast to Redlands and everywhere in between. I’ve made an incomplete list of the reasons you’ve inspired me…

You love your work. You care for the kids and your actions show them that you do. You guard our profession and you work hard but you maintain respectful boundaries to ensure some semblance of work/life balance. You keep on learning and trying new things. You plan what to do when what you did didn’t quite work out. You shake your head in frustration but keep your sense of humour.

You swap playground duty with a colleague who just needs a break or who is coaching or tutoring or helping out students. You encourage kids to think bigger and achieve more than they ever thought possible. You believe that every child can experience success. You tell parents the good news and the bad news, and in doing so gain their respect and confidence. You grab the teaching moment. You survive Friday afternoons, fire drills and lockdowns.

You laugh. You whistle or sing as you move through the school. You tell jokes at just the right times. You are good company. You are a role model of the attributes of a life long learner, a compassionate person, the kind of person we need more of. You cry, laugh and cringe along with the ups and downs of your colleagues. You support each other through personal and professional trials and triumphs. 

You are clever and highly skilled at what you do. You are generous with your time and you share your work with others to benefit a much wider cohort than your own class. You remember the names of kids who’ve long ago grown up and left school. And sometimes you teach their kids! You start each year wanting to be a better teacher. You remember birthdays and both sad and happy milestones. You welcome newcomers and make them feel like they’ve always been a part of the staff.

You make those around you believe that they can be great and want to get better. You maintain a healthy scepticism while being open to change. You don’t think you already know it all. You have a desk that is ridiculously neat. Or you have a desk that looks like it may hold within it treasures from decades ago. You’re busy but you take the time to ask what you can do to help. You make us shed a tear and have a chuckle when you are no longer with us. 

You’ve chosen this profession, you’ve committed your working life to education and you should know that the system, the students, your colleagues and society are better for it. You are inspiring.

Thank you

Sam Pidgeon 
Honorary Vice-President

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 119 No 7, 3 October 2014, p17