The secret is out, teaching is brilliant

AT some point in life, everyone has met a teacher.

Most likely, this happened when you were at school.

I’ve struggled to think of any other occupation, with the possible exception of a midwife, where every single person has come into contact with someone of that profession at least once in their lives. And not by choice.

The problem with this is that it makes the entire population educational experts. Go on, tell me things were better when you were at school.

Through this column, I will shed some light on what it is really is like to be a teacher.

You’ll have to forgive a little poetic licence. If there’s one thing a teacher loves, it is to add a bit of unnecessary drama.

After all, we are adrenaline crazed, thrill-junkies.

If we weren’t we wouldn’t bother getting up in the morning to parade ourselves in front of the teens and tweenies of the population in an attempt to educate them, only to be snarled at, groaned at and occasionally sworn at.

Or at least, that is what you would expect me to say about our glorious youth.

The truth is…shhh…keep this to yourselves, they aren’t really all that bad.

As a public, we enjoy that image of the uncontrollable, anti-authority, angstridden teen.

Equally we love to believe that all our tinky-tiny primary school children are cute and obedient. Neither of these stereotypes are true. Sorry.

One of my favourite party conversations goes like this: Stranger asks: “What do you do then?” I reply: “I’m a teacher.”

Stranger looks interested. “Oh, what age?” “Teenagers,” I respond.

Stranger looks at me with the same pity you use when looking at an RSPCA poster.

“That must be awful,” they murmur into their drink.

Using this to boost my hero status, I lie, “It is truly awful. Sometimes I wonder how I get through the days.”

On the other hand, I know primary colleagues of mine who went into teaching labouring under the same misconception as me, all little children are pliant.

Not long after embarking upon their teacher training, do they find that primary school children, on occasions, can be worse than any scene you might see on Britain’s Worst Towns.

Six-year-olds can be vile and violent, but they do sit on tiny chairs, which makes it better.

Teachers moan all the time. I know they do. I am surrounded by them every day.

But this is just a clever charade to cover up the one thing no one really wants you to know: Teaching is brilliant.

We get to spend seven hours a day with funny, intelligent, creative people not yet corrupted by the cynicism of adulthood.

So forget the “teachers get too much holiday” and “they go home at 3.30” arguments (neither of which are true, by the way).

Envy this: We love what we do and we work with the best people in the world.

It’s just sad that sometimes we forget to remember it.