How does teaching affect your children?
As a 21-year-old with my days in school well and truly behind me, it is interesting to think about how my journey with education was influenced by my parents’ occupations.
I didn’t ponder on it much at the time. However, after some reflection, it is clear that my parents brought traces and trails of their schools back home each evening. I also realised my father’s favourite phrase, “is that quite clear”, frequented his classrooms just as much as it did at home. Hearing that question always managed to put a smile on my face during a French lesson!
This blog is a brief rundown of my self-analysis on my childhood, and the main things I think my young developing brain absorbed over the years.
Work Ethic
This was a combination of a conscious effort on the side of my parents, as well as me subconsciously learning from their habits. My parents were used to setting homework. They had great knowledge and interest in my work outside of school hours. This changed as I got older (luckily)! However, in my formative years, my parents made sure to use their teaching knowledge to aid me with homework when they had the time. In addition, seeing them planning assemblies and marking work at home showed through example that working hard was important.
Time
My parents had the common yet difficult task of juggling their careers and spending time with my brother and me. Throughout my upbringing, my mother and father both decided to spend periods unemployed to be present with us. My father even transitioned into primary learning at the school we attended. This was to be more involved with our lives and development. He helped with school plays and extra-curricular sports activities, which we both enjoyed greatly.
The Profession
I certainly developed a broader appreciation for my own teachers. My upbringing allowed me to get an insight into the extra planning and attention to detail that goes into each lesson, as well as the beautiful side; when teachers change students’ lives for the better. I’ve seen the positive impact that my parents have had on their students, with letters from previously struggling students outlining how their confidence and enjoyment at school completely changed down to their influence. This is why I think my parents love their jobs, and it’s also what inspired me to become a tutor.
I guess what I learnt from a young age was that teachers are humans too, which gave me a great appreciation for what they do and how they help us all. I wonder if there’s a way all students could be shown this, without having to endure their father singing French nursery rhymes to their whole year group!
