Few jobs are as important to society as teaching.
In a world facing several pressing problems, it is today’s school pupils who will be tasked with solving them.
That makes a teacher’s job more crucial than ever.
But while it can feel relentless at times, it provides moments of joy which few other lines of work can offer.
Mrs Amy Forsyth is a Primary Two teacher at Kintore Primary School in Aberdeenshire. She described teaching as an “all day, every day” occupation.
While switching off can be the hardest part, it’s all worth it for the ‘aha’ moments, the smiles, and the sense of pride kids feel when they improve.
Fuelled by tea and breathers in the staff room, Mrs Forsyth spoke to the Press & Journal about the challenges and rewards of a very special profession.
NOT a 9am to 3pm job!
It’s a common misconception that a teacher’s day starts at 9am. However, long before the kids have even left home in the morning, Mrs Forsyth is preparing for the day ahead.
“I usually come in in plenty of time before the children arrive. That gives me time to start setting up the resources and activities we’ll need for the day,” she said.
“I’ll set the classroom up so that the first activity for the day is all ready to go. Usually we do lots of short, different activities, perhaps 15 minutes for each activity. So I’ll have four or five different activities set up in the morning, each with its own work station.”
Class preparation sorted, it’s then time to tackle the email inbox, with correspondence from parents, children, colleagues or anyone else who has got in touch since the previous day.
Presentations, videos and applications which will be needed for the day’s teaching also need to be loaded.
Finally, Mrs Forsyth writes down everything on the board so the children know what’s happening for the day.
High fives and ‘micro waves’
“Once I’ve got everything ready to start the day, I’ll make sure all the practical things are good to go, like ordering lunches, making sure there’s plenty coat hangers ready, the windows are all open so we’ve got good ventilation, hand sanitizer, those sorts of things.
“The children start at 9am so I’ll go out to greet them, making sure I speak to all of them, and checking that everyone’s here.
“One of the things that everyone does in the school is we greet the children with a morning greeting.
“It might be something like a non-contact high five, a dance, or some of mine like to do a ‘micro wave’ with one finger, which is really tricky for me to do!
“It’s just a nice positive way to interact with everybody as they come in and gauge how they’re feeling.”
Once the pupils are at their desks, it’s time for teaching to begin.
“Usually in the morning it will be literacy, for example a new phonic sound, new common words, reading, rhyming, sounding out and breaking down words.
“I man one of the work stations. I’m very fortunate to have some support in the classroom, so we have some stations led by adults and others led by the children themselves.
“We do try to incorporate a lot of play, so that the children learn best. Most of my time is spent working with the children either in small groups or one-on-one.”
Staff room debrief – crucial sounding board
Mid-morning and time for breaktime and a breather? Not quite, if you teach pupils in the younger years.
Not all Primary Two kids have learnt to zip up their jackets or tie their shoelaces, so this is something else Mrs Forsyth has to help them with before they go out to play.
“When the kids go out for their break it’s time for a cup of tea and a chat with the other teachers.
“I enjoy going to the staff room, everyone has a debrief on how their morning has gone.
“If your morning hasn’t gone quite as planned, colleagues are a good sounding board for ideas.”
After the morning break, it’s time for numeracy and maths, with a similar set-up involving small groups and work stations.
‘Don’t get bogged down by a wee mistake’
One element of a teacher’s job Mrs Forsyth says is crucial is pupil feedback.
“I find it important to check in with children regularly. If there’s something they don’t understand, we can go back and revisit it and nip it in the bud. It’s about trying not to get too bogged down by a wee mistake.”
Lunchtime is an important break in everyone’s day, but particularly a teacher’s.
“I’ll go into the staff room, have a cup of tea, have my lunch, and chat with the other teachers.
“It’s just nice to have that downtime with colleagues, because in the classroom it’s really quite fast paced. You do find that you’re constantly on the go, you don’t stop. So when you do get to lunch it’s a chance to just take a minute and breathe!”
Back in class, afternoons tend to be more varied than the morning. It can involve PE, drama, art or outdoor learning out in the school garden.
After the afternoon activities it’s packing up time – getting ready for home, reflecting on the day, and having a story.
Day over (for pupils) – pick out the positives
“At the end of each day we always try to look back on what we’ve done well, and I always try and end the day on a positive.
“I’ll pick something out that a group or the whole class has done really well, or worked very hard at, or something new they’ve learned.
“They always put their best effort into things, so I like to make sure they know that I’m proud of them. I want them to go home feeling like they’ve achieved something that day.”
And just as the teacher is at school long before the children arrive, they’re also there after the kids have gone home and are already thinking about what’s for dinner.
“After the kids have gone home, I have another cup of tea and five minutes’ downtime, and just catch my breath.
“Then I reflect on the day: how things have gone for myself, how things have gone for the children.
“If there’s anything in particular someone has found challenging, I’ll be thinking of ways I can support them or what we need to revisit. And if somebody’s found something really easy, I’ll be thinking how I can push them so they’re not just coasting.
“And I’ll already be thinking about plans for the next day. There will also often be meetings with colleagues, parents or outside professionals. Before going home, I’ll check my emails.”
‘It doesn’t ever really stop’
One of the biggest challenges for a teacher is trying not to take the job home with them.
Mrs Forsyth admits she is as guilty of this as the next teacher.
“Although I’ve gone home, work won’t always stop there. Sometimes of an evening, once my little boy’s in bed, I’ll look at resources I could be using, or quite often on social media other teachers share things which have worked well in their classrooms, so I’ll be thinking about whether that might fit in with something I’ve got planned for our class.
“I’m often looking for inspiration for what’s coming up next, topics and lessons. It doesn’t ever really stop.”
It all sounds a bit all-consuming. Is it worth it?
A resounding ‘Yes’, according to Mrs Forsyth. In fact, teachers across the north and north-east told the Press & Journal recently of all the moments that made teaching during a difficult 2021 worthwhile.
The ‘aha’ moment
Mrs Forsyth said there were moments of joy – and pride – throughout every day which would be hard to find in any other job.
One of these she described as the ‘aha’ moment.
“One of the highlights of teaching for me has always been when a kid has an ‘aha’ moment.
“When something has clicked and they’ve finally ‘got’ something they’ve been struggling with. You see the lightbulb moment.
“They just get this surge of joy and pride in what they’ve achieved, and it’s just the most wonderful thing to see.
“I’m sure parents who have maybe seen that at home will know what I mean. You’re just fit to burst when you see it.”
‘It makes you feel all warm and tingly’
She added: “Another high point for me is if we have someone who’s been feeling a bit down in the dumps or finding things a bit hard, either in their learning or socially, when you see that things are getting better for them – they’re smiling more or giggling more. That makes you feel all warm and tingly.
“It’s just one of the really nice parts of the job, when you see these happy moments for the kids.
“I also love it when they’ve come up with something new, created something, it could be a picture or they might have built something. And they’re so excited to show you what they’ve done, you can see the pride on their little faces. It’s something I love to see – it’s wonderful, it really is.”
As with all jobs, and indeed life in general, there are tough times when the key is simply not to be too hard on yourself.
When it doesn’t go to plan
“If I have a pupil who is finding something a bit challenging, and I’ve tried all the ideas I can think of and I feel like I’m still not helping them, that can be difficult. But I know that I have really good colleagues and a support network around me who are always there to chip in with ideas.
“Some days, you don’t have a great day. Things don’t go to plan. It can be hard not to overanalyze and blame yourself.
“With some things, you can plan it to the very second, and it just doesn’t go the way you want it to.
“You just have to try not to blame yourself, write it off, and try again in a different way, making sure the children get the best of you from then on.”
‘We do really care, we take kids’ worries home with us’
Most of us can remember that special teacher who inspired us during our own school days.
The chances are, that teacher fulfilled the most important criteria to do one of the most challenging jobs around – a genuine passion for helping children.
“I think people don’t always realise that a teacher’s day is not just 9am to 3pm.
“As well as all the preparation, you never stop thinking about work. We’re always looking for new ideas and inspiration to improve and learning new things to use in our teaching.
“You have to adapt as a teacher, to what works best for the kids at that moment in time. It can change throughout the year, term, week or even day. You’re always adapting and always learning.
“It’s more than just a job. I think I can speak for most teachers when I say it’s something we’re really passionate about. We want to invest our time in making sure we do the best thing for the children.
“We do really care. We take home the worries of ‘oh, so-and-so wasn’t feeling right today’.
“It’s all day, every day.”
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