Author Archives: Alexandra McDermid

what inspired me?

What do you imagine when you hear the term a good teacher? for me its simple i imagine someone with a passion for learning who puts their heart and soul into the job.  This was my experience when i was 9 years old a new teacher Mr Henry joined my school. This teacher was newly qualified and different to any teacher that had taught me before, he was less concerned with textbooks and more concerned with building confidence and personalities within the classroom.  This message has always resonated with me as of course academia is important but even more so the type of person we become as a result. This made me see that the type of teacher i want to be is a memorable one but for all the right reasons, the type of teacher children feel that they can put their trust and in turn that their teacher believes in them as the start of all learning begins in self confidence.

I returned to my primary school for a year of work experience and my mentor was the very same teacher who had inspired me all those years ago. This was such a big deal to me because he was the very same fun, passionate and caring teacher i remembered him to be when i was a pupil. It inspired me to realise that the passion he had started with had not dulled if anything it had only increased over the years and to see his pupils looking up to him in the very same way myself and my classmates had done, i can almost certainly say there will be a number of future teachers in that class.

Moreover, during my time in Cardross Primary i developed strong relationships with the children and seeing their personal growth week after week made it all feel so worth it. Particularly children who struggled in certain areas who began to grow and improve with a bit of targeted help and attention in the right areas. I could go in at 9am feeling tired and i can honestly say by the time i left at 3pm i would without a doubt feel happier and motivated after spending the day with the children in the classroom.

I would regard teaching as one of the most important professions it may not be as glamorous as degrees such as medicine or accountancy and receive the same impressed attitude when you reveal what you are studying. However, who teaches all students the basics at the beginning? who is there to help them to develop into kind, caring and decent human beings? who is there not only for academic support but to help and support them in all aspects of growing up? the simple answer to that is teachers.