Once a Teacher Always a Teacher

In my last blog post I discussed how students will google you.  What they see on there is their teacher; the person who stands in front of the class a figure of authority.  They are not capable of seeing you as anything else.  This thought reminds me of a lecturer on my very first day of my Grad Dip Ed, who said, “welcome to teaching, now that you are here, you will never not be a teacher”.

At the time I did not fully comprehend exactly what she meant by that.  But, it quickly dawned on me during my first placement.  As a 22 year old, I was teaching 18 year olds.  They mixed in the same places I did, and it is was on one occasion late at night in bar that I was met with the sobering reality. I was with a group of mates, enjoying my evening when one of my Year 12 students came up and said “Hi, Mr Harding, having fun?”. Nothing sobers you up more quickly than being called your dad in public!  Who is this Mr Harding fellow that he speaks of. Oh, me!  It was this moment, and in a vision of clarity that it dawned on me what the lecturer had meant; once a teacher, always a teacher.  Of course, my mates laughed, and said you cant get away.  Looking over I saw most of my class together having their night, knowing in that instant that class was going to be interesting on Monday.

There will be times where you run into students, and parents, in the most inconvenient places and times.  That quick run down the shops in your trackies and uggies can suddenly turn into an encounter with school families.  Sometimes, this can awkwardly turn into a pseudo Parent-Teacher meeting.  Unfortunately some parents also struggle to acknowledge that you need off time.  Just last week a parent wanted a meeting with me, and demanded that I call her after 7pm.  Of course, I tactfully declined but it does highlight my point.

In a bygone era, when I went to school, it was known that some of the younger teachers went drinking with the senior students on the weekend.  These teachers were considered “legends” but only by the students that they went out with.  The rest of the cohort and student population saw teachers who exhibited favoritism and bias, and this clearly translated into the classroom.  The favored students did little in class, and were permitted to, whilst the rest had no respect for the teachers.  Although this would not happen today, it does beg the question, how does the student knowledge of you outside the class translate into your class?

Now please do not misunderstand for a second that I am suggesting that teachers isolate themselves from the world.  Rather, it is a realisation that to our students (and some parents) we are not actually people who exist outside of our job description.  With that comes some responsibility to our profession, to our school and most importantly, ourselves.   We need to understand that it is harder to have credibility with students and families if they have seen you compromised.  We need to recognise that, like celebrities, we are held on a pedestal and examined for the person we are.   Therefore, the challenge lies; what do you want your perception to be?

So enjoy yourself,  have fun, go out, be you,  but also be mindful that once a teacher, always a teacher.