Role Models
Young people are impressionable and need role models around them to set a good example. Unfortunately, more often than not, their role models are sportsmen and superheroes.
But teachers can be excellent role models for children too. Especially in primary school, children need people who they can emulate in their values, attitudes, and actions.
Teachers can be role models for their students in many ways. People admire their role models and aspire to be like them, which is why teachers can be excellent role models for children. People may also look to their role models for advice and guidance, especially for children needing extra support. For some children, teachers may become some of the most influential people in their lives. Teachers also help their students through an essential stage of development.
Think about the positive ways that you can present yourself as a role model. You’re not just hired to pass on information and knowledge: the best teachers are people students aspire to be like.
Here are some tips on how a teacher can be an excellent role model:
- Motivate your students and promote positivity
- Be approachable
- Lead by example
- Be a mentor for children by listening, supporting, and giving reliable, neutral, and objective advice.
- Encourage your students to be ambitious and have dreams or aspirations
- Encourage the idea of fairness, equality, and equal opportunities for all in the classroom
Guidance
Teachers aren’t just there to help children improve academically. They also help children to grow in their personal lives.
Being a teacher is like having five jobs in one: you’re a teacher, mentor, therapist, and friend. When you spend hours a day with the same kids, you’re bound to get to know what they do outside of school too.
Teaching your students about science and maths is all good, but you also have an excellent purpose of guiding them through life. So it’s essential to remember that you can help them to thrive as people, not pupils.
Inspiration
We all had an uninteresting teacher who just read out of a textbook. But conversely, the best teachers go above and beyond to inspire children through learning.
Primary school is where many kids get an idea of how they want to spend their lives. Learning about the human body won’t just help them pass their SATs exams: it could also convince them to become doctors or scientists.
Teachers are essential in inspiring young people and showing them the value of their learning.
Shape The Future
Teachers have a unique position as they hold the future. They can mold and shape the values and attitudes of the next generation to create a fairer and more equal society.
By being a role model and inspiring your students, you’re setting up a vision for what you want the future to look like. Plant the seeds now, and a better world can grow.
New Ways Of Seeing
Many factors determine how children see the world: their family, cultural background, and class status. As teachers, it’s your role to open up their minds and help them to look beyond what they already know.
Being a teacher isn’t about upholding the status quo. Instead, it’s about showing children new ways of seeing, be it looking at a debate from a new perspective or offering them a culture they aren’t familiar with.
Bring Learning To Life
If all teachers did was pass on information, technology would make their jobs obsolete. But there’s a reason why robots aren’t taking over the profession.
Teachers are instrumental in bringing learning to life. In addition, teachers are essential in grounding learning in the real world by providing relatable examples and finding creative ways to teach the curriculum.
The Future Of Work
Getting a job is not the only reason children spend 18 years in education. Learning shouldn’t just be about completing an end goal, like good exam results or a shiny new job. It’s about how you guide students through the world.
Likewise, securing jobs for all your students is not your job. But you do play an essential role in preparing them for work. As they move from their early years to primary and secondary school, teachers play a huge role in preparing students for the ‘real’ world outside of the school bubble.
From exploring job opportunities to opening their eyes to the careers they can excel at, teachers are integral in building up their students to succeed.
