When it comes to connecting with children, teachers are the experts. It's important to place value on teachers and all they are doing to stay connected to students and to keep them engaged with learning.
A few years ago, I was on a plane when the pilot asked if there was a teacher on board. The call was for a teacher to assist a boy with Down Syndrome to get back into his seat as the plane was descending. As a teacher, I proudly stood up to assist and the story went viral. It was a proud teacher moment for me, but also for all teachers. I was able to speak globally on behalf of all teachers through NPR and other media channels, encouraging them to feel proud of our profession and empowered to celebrate and embrace the expertise of teachers.
At the time that the event on the plane occurred, the thing that stuck with me was how surprised the other passengers were with the way I interacted with Shamran, the young boy with Down Syndrome. After the plane landed, a young woman approached me. She and her husband were sitting behind Shamran. While Shamran was on the floor, her husband had been asked to help because he had recently graduated as a medical doctor, but he didn’t know how to help. She thanked me and said that her husband had learnt so much in a short time, listening to the way that I as a teacher had interacted with Shamran. She went on to say that they had both thought it was clear that the connection that was made with him was why he could get off the floor and made him feel safe to move back to his seat, all the while staying with him as he became less anxious about the situation. And so, I replied this is what teachers do every day. They connect with their students by speaking and most importantly, by listening to them and understanding their differing needs, bridging the gap to assist students of all backgrounds to achieve learning growth.
I say all this to remind you that you are a teacher — you are amazing, and you can do anything! Begin the year with meaningful, valuable work that positively impacts your learners every day. Even the simplest gestures of support and encouragement give students the security they need to continue learning. Without you, students wouldn’t gain academic understanding, or the basic skills needed to survive in this ever-changing world.
Since then, I have spoken directly to many teachers that feel overwhelmed as they work to ensure that their students are learning. Yet, they find ways to ensure that their students are safe and always nurtured. They prioritize and continuously evaluate their students' needs to provide them with supported learning.
Teachers are highly skilled professionals that have learned how to do their jobs effectively. We start our professional training at university (or equivalent) and continue to learn and develop on the job and through ongoing professional development. We must never underestimate the strength and skill of teaching. Though it may be overwhelming at times, teaching is a vital profession. Teaching is hard, because it matters. As my master’s and Ph.D. Supervisor and good friend Professor John Hattie believes, every student deserves success not by chance, but by design.
Together, let’s remember all that we do as teachers and continue to make our students feel supported as they begin a new school year.
Sophie Specjal, Ph.D., is an expert in communication, language, and a global thought leader for K-12 education, with over 20 years of experience as a teacher, leader, researcher, and consultant. Since 2019, she has partnered with Big Ideas Learning as a contributing author, presenter, blog writer, learning designer and research collaborator. Sophie is the host of the Talking Teaching Podcast, with the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne, where she shares lively and informative conversations with extraordinary people across the globe on topics such as teaching and learning, educational research, and innovation. Visit Dr. Sophie Specjal's LinkedIn profile to learn more.
About Us: Founded in 2008, by renowned math textbook author, Dr. Ron Larson, Big Ideas Learning is a leading publisher of content-rich educational programs. Our programs provide a cohesive, coherent, and rigorous mathematics curriculum to empower teachers and support student learning from kindergarten through high school. We have over 35 years of experience focusing exclusively on mathematics in the classroom.