A Tale of Two Teachers

Anecdotal evidence of what guarantees longevity in the teaching profession until well past retirement age.

Teacher 1, Primary School Teacher 71yo

I opened up my conversation with Teacher 1 with the fact that to sustain the capacity to teach over decades there has to be a purpose, a love, a joy, as well as the confirmed professional expertise to execute all that the job itself demands of you. This professional is, at the age of 71, a well-resourced relief teacher across several schools in her local region. She loves to work with children particularly in the year levels from Prep to Year 2.

Teacher 1 immediately shared how when at kindergarten at the age of 4, she had drawn a picture of herself as a teacher, confirming what this dual set of articles intimates, namely that some of us are ‘born teachers’ and will ‘die as teachers’; that there is often present from an early age a sense of vocational purpose for many committed long term teachers.

This teacher shared how part of her love of teaching is associated with observing children mastering skills they will need throughout life, as well as nurturing a love of learning, something she herself clearly demonstrates, having produced a PhD thesis in her 50’s and 60’s. She speaks warmly of the ‘joy of igniting a flame’ within a person that goes well beyond the exclusive emphasis on skills mastery and is based on truly valuing education and learning.

Her PhD was founded on inspiring Prep age children into a love of literacy and expressing through written language. Using puppets or other forms of drama education, she inspires children to engage warmly with written language expression, many of them becoming avid writers as they progress through the many aspects of literacy presented through the puppet shows.

From age 67 onwards, Teacher 1 moved to relief teaching so she could continue to inspire through what inspires her (drama-based literacy) and yet also have the flexibility of honouring her own body’s needs, working when she is feeling vital and resting when her body calls for it.

She is not gripped at all by the mindset of relief teachers being ‘lesser’ in any way but continues to offer her unique set of inspirational learning opportunities to every class she works with. She brings the passion and the depths of herself that have been transformed into sound pedagogical practice.

No need to stop teaching if you are inspired to express your own lifelong passion in a way that ignites the same passion in others on a daily basis!

Teacher 2 High School teacher, Senior English   80yo

At 80 years of age, Teacher 2 permanently works a 4 day week as a teacher of Senior English. In conversation with her, I presented the possibility that her colleagues would surely see her as the ‘Grand Dame’ of English teaching. She agreed that there is definitely an element of this.  What a heart-warming celebration of the potential longevity for all of us who are moving up the ageing ladder within the teaching profession! We do not have to be ‘over the hill,’ but can be the esteemed Grand Dames.

As the conversation turned to what has sustained her professional longevity, this teacher referred to an eclectic mix of factors.

She very much enjoys the intellectual stimulation and the busy-ness of teaching – the way in which her role requires constantly engaging with new ideas and texts. She shared that this has kept her going through some periodic personal travails. This teacher likes the variety of teaching, including the ever renewing curriculum.

In spite of the moves towards streamlined unit planning and collaborative marking of assessments, Teacher 2 continues to claim certain aspects of her unique style and a measure of relative autonomy.

Most significantly, this teacher loves working with young people and feels that the interaction keeps her vital and youthful, rather than succumbing to the stereotypes of aging.

This sense of connection with her students inspires her to dig deep for inspiration. With this, she is constantly amazed by the ideas and concepts that come to her.  She attributes her ever expanding capacity to see multiple layers of significance in texts as being inspired by some unseen collective wisdom that is greater than what she could offer on her own.

This professional referred several times to how she takes the content of literary texts and makes it applicable to current, relevant trends in the lives of young people. Students are very engaged by this approach as it brings philosophical considerations of their own lives.

She spoke of how the wisdom and maturity that come with age brought a resolute commitment to teaching and a sense of wanting to give back.

Teacher 2 adores the collegiality she experiences with her fellow teachers and openly admits that she could not continue to operate in her current role without this teamwork and the people-centred management within her school. She appreciates having been assigned a more sedentary teaching role as befits her life status and openly avows that the regular salary is of equal importance at the age of 80 as it has been throughout the earlier parts of her life.

This Grand Dame of teaching truly enjoys many aspects of the profession from the pragmatic through to the inspirational.

In Conclusion

Based on what these two remarkable teachers have shared, there are indeed significant common indicators that guarantee longevity in the teaching profession.

Certainly, a passion for one’s subject and a very personalised intimacy with it, in a way that forms the nourishing foundation that can be offered to students of all ages.

Both teachers referred to their own love of learning, a trait that can then be shared with others. They equally valued greatly the quality and depth of connection with the students.

Could these be the foundational keys for discerning who will or will not be in the profession for the long haul? How can we support all teachers to follow their passion alongside the many other demands that the role requires?

I leave that for others to investigate and for all of us to observe and to be inspired.