As most people know, I have not been a teacher all of my life, indeed, I got into it only fairly recently. My first teaching was about 7-8 yrs ago when I was working with Caritas in Olomouc with a Day Centre (for people with 'mental health' issues). I taught for once a week. Then I began to teach a small group (2-3 people) in Velka Bystrice...and so the snowball began to roll until I ended up in a full-time job (which I love) at the Slovanske Gymnazium.
I'm now into my 5th year of teaching - something that I never imagined that I'd be doing!! - and I've been thinking about which teachers have inspired me...a difficult question.
- Mr Clarke - when I was about 14-15 we were introduced to Mr Clarke in our English lessons at Castle Vale Comprehensive School in Birmingham. I remember that he got me interested in reading, writing, and thinking about life. I'm almost convinced that he was the only teacher who shared somethings about his 'private life', and he also gave us some advice about relationships. I enjoyed his lessons, but was sometimes afraid (as I was very shy then!) that he would get me to speak!
- Mrs Barnett - she was the wife of our strict headmaster, but she was the opposite to him! An elderly teacher, but she was kind & gracious - she was the first to tell me that I could write a good story :-) Indeed, under her tuition, I won a book in a competition!
But then there are some 'fictional characters' which have proved equally inspiring!
- John Keating (as played by Robin Williams) in Dead Poet's Society - a tremendous film & an inspirational character. Whenever I see this film, I can draw something from it & I guess that though I'll not be a 'Keating', I'll be myself...I shall suck the marrow out of life! :-)
- Mark Thackery (as played by Sidney Poitier) in To Sir With Love - I can relate a lot to this character...an engineer who ends up as a teacher (because he can't find anything else) & who becomes a success at it because he realises that the students need to be taught about life, and not what's in the textbooks. I never got a degree, finished studying when I was 16, and did all sorts of jobs...but eventually became drawn to working with needy people...and here I am, now over 50, and discovering that God has prepared me for this job...at this time! Amazing!
Of course, there were also some bad role models that served to warn me what I should not be like, but I prefer to focus on that which was good & which has helped me both to discover my (latent) gift, and hopefully to develop it. I really do believe that I could be even better :-)
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