As someone who’s interested in the ethical and moral dimensions of becoming a teacher, I want to offer you some advice that will build your resilience – and even your character – so that hopefully you will have a career you can sustain and one in which you can thrive.
Plato believed that by practising virtuous habits they become part of who you are. Such character-building virtues equip us not only to become better people, but I believe better teachers too. I think adopting Plato’s philosophy can be enormously helpful – especially in these early months when transforming our personas into “professionals” can be both an ethical and a moral challenge.
Plato advocated the exercise of “cardinal virtues” – like displaying courage, applying moderation to all things, exercising fairness and justice, acting wisely, being gentle, friendly and witty, as well as perhaps the most important of all – to uphold truthfulness, to oneself and others. It is not difficult to relate these to the ideal character of a teacher.
Start with the fundamentals
Your teaching health – let alone your mental health – relies on some basic truths:
Exercise: The act of moving in itself relieves stress. Walk to and from school if you can, or part of the way. Better still, get a bike. If you need to drive, take a 15-minute walk at lunchtime or go to the local park and eat your lunch there. Go somewhere you can stretch, meditate or do some yoga. Don’t leave all your exercise regime to the weekend or school holidays.
Nourish your body: Eat at meal times, with others if you can. Sit down to modest portions of fresh, nutritious food that you have prepared yourself. Chew your food properly. Avoid snacking on sweets, biscuits and cakes at breaktimes – this plays havoc with your blood sugars. If you must snack, eat unsalted nuts and seeds. Eating well will help you focus, improve your energy and your sleep patterns.
Train yourself to sleep: Don’t take your phone to or watch television in bed. Go to bed early and rise early. Start the day with a large glass of water as soon as you wake up. Take a bottle or flask of water with you to class to hydrate your voice-box. Avoid too much caffeine or alcohol, especially in the evening. If your mind is racing with things to do, keep a pen and paper (not your phone) at your bedside and make a quick note for the next day.
Be sociable and show affection: See friends and family regularly, do things together that make you laugh (even if it is retelling old stories about embarrassing childhood incidents), show affection, compliment others, give away hugs and small gifts. Play games, sports, hobbies and music with friends, family and colleagues – it instils creativity and energy.
Cardinal virtues: Practise Plato’s virtues and do things like express gratitude to the kids, your colleagues, your family and friends – this will develop relationships and make you feel good. Practise humility and kindness to others – be magnanimous, especially as a teacher – it is a gift children will recognise and respond to.
Then get your priorities right
Priorities: Identify and prioritise that which is essential to the work you need to do. Learn to negotiate the demands and needs of others – both pupils and colleagues. Where necessary, learn to say “no” (politely). Don’t view this as conflict – dealing with challenge and making difficult choices is the way to build your character and resilience. Make to-do lists based on what is “critical” distinct from what is “urgent” and what is “desirable”.
Watch and learn: Learn from “the masters” – the craftsmen and women around you who are highly skilled and experienced. Emulate how they conduct themselves, copy how they handle challenging behaviour, try to imitate their actions and style, especially in how they get the most out of pupils. As “an apprentice” your colleagues know you are there to learn.
Ask away: There are no stupid questions when you are an ECT, so quickly accept that asking questions is part of your new modus operandi. Not only will you become a better teacher by asking questions, but your colleagues will become better teachers by answering them.
Focus on the future: Try not to feel anxious about lessons you haven’t planned properly or guilty about children you have irritably snapped at. Think about the positive ways you will move forward. You will gradually improve by trying to practise “the good habits” of teaching and not “the bad ones” – as anyone who has learned a musical instrument will know, you don’t get better by repeating errors.
Learn by your mistakes: An adage we tell children, but new teachers should live by it too. The notion of “virtue ethics” is very helpful for new teachers because it focuses on the question: “Am I a good person trying to do the right thing?” – the answer to that is (or should be) yes! So, don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go well.
Keep your private life private: Draw personal and professional boundaries and keep to them. Plan your social life and protect it. Don’t get too familiar or intimate with pupils or parents – you are their teacher, not their friend. You are not expected to be a saint in your private life, but you are expected to be a role-model when you become a teacher.
Workload: You are not a teacher 24/7 – so do not allow planning, preparation and record-keeping to consume you. Plan a limited work schedule and keep to it. Go to bed early even if you have not finished your prep for the next day. Sometimes you will need to “wing it”. Don’t make a habit of it, of course – but better to start the day fresh with the energy to enthuse and inspire.
Reflect and read: Regularly take time to reflect and understand what went well and what you would like to improve. Note down your own particular challenges so that once you begin to overcome them, you will have the satisfaction of crossing them off your list.
Recognise success: However big or small take pride in your achievements. If you have time, write about them. Entering a profession means a commitment to develop professionally throughout your career, so read books about education that are thought-provoking and inspiring, not just ones that broaden your subject knowledge.
Build friendships: Teaching is a highly collegial profession and peer support is vital, especially during your ECT years – so build strong friendships and pool knowledge and skills with your fellow ECTs. Seek help to work through challenging situations together. Developing friendships at work supports and enhances your professional life.
Build your community: Become involved in the life of your school to experience the pleasures and rewards of being in a job at the heart of nurturing civic values in the local community.
Good luck!
You are entering a unique and rewarding profession. You will have an impact on the lives of young people and the community in which they live. That is an incredible privilege. Good Luck!
- Alan Newland spent 40 years as a teacher, lecturer, headteacher and advisor at the Department for Education and the General Teaching Council for England. He now writes and speaks on ethics and professional values in teaching and runs the social media network. Visit www.newteacherstalk.com or follow him @newteacherstalk. He is the author of Becoming a Teacher: The legal, ethical and moral implications of entering society’s most fundamental profession published by Crown House Publishing and priced £20. You can access a 20% discount by using the code “becoming20” at checkout. Visit www.crownhouse.co.uk/becoming-a-teacher