Everyone can teach, not everyone should be teachers ...

We can all teach - it is in the nature of our species. Long before we uttered uniform grunts and perfected cave paintings our children have learned from adults and we try and convey what we either know or can do via gestures/utterances, strange shapes and images as well as some very visual demonstration.

This is normal. If you have not taught anybody at least one thing in your entire life - then there may be some other issues at play that you should explore.

But - because we all can teach, does not mean that we are all professional teachers. Having clocked up many thousands of hours in different classrooms conveying clever stuff at many different levels. The art of conveying a complex concept to a collection of apes is entirely different than trying to share a single notion to an individual ape.

Yet - politicians and many other self appointed experts, most of whom I have never seen enter a classroom make daily decisions on what teachers must teach and how they should do this. Often hiding behind groups of 'experts', (quotations intended); whom when you scratch away at their credentials seldom have the acquired experience of the chalk face.

Teaching is found by many and discovered by some - those who manage to stick out the first three to five years are worth their while. They are already discovering the nuanced art of managing groups of apes and coaching them into something coherent.

There are many facets to teaching - too many for a short article. Never measure teaching on your own experience of school that is a foggy lens that will prejudice your actions - be it good, bad or indifferent.

Next time you meet a teacher - ask them how it went this week and where did the pennies drop? 

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