Extras from the mind of a Head Seamstress...

Why become a teacher?

The classroom is a familiar environment we have all spent some 12 years or so in one but to come back to one on the other side is an experience not to be taken on by the light hearted.
We have all had our favourite teachers and our never to be forgotten, the bad and the spectacular. We carry with us the complements and the self-esteem crunches. Their words lift us up to create our best and the ones that haunt us in our moments of doubts. We each bring with us all our experiences as we take centre stage and “teach”.
I don’t feel like I choose teaching I feel like it choose me, so here I am and for the last 4 years I have been taking a crash course in teaching through assisting in Pre-school to year 12 and then teaching in high school.
It has been an interesting process to come in as a practicing Costume Designer and to bring the knowledge of my craft into a classroom environment becoming a textile teacher.

I am pleased to say for the most part I had good teachers and some great especially in high school.
It’s interesting to reflect back on who you remember and why. Unfortunately I think one remembers the extremes moments the most whether they be good or bad. The ones that believe in you stick out, the ones that said, “If you believe in yourself you can do it” and the ones that complimented, and encouraged.
Coming into teaching takes you back to your own teachers and helps you reflect on what kind of teacher you want to be. Of course I want to be one of those teachers that inspired me and made a difference in my life. Now standing on the other-side of that is a daunting prospect. How can I become all that to every student all the time?
Harry Potter
JK Rowling has kindly laid out some of the stereotypes of teachers to help us decide which type we want to be.
Maybe the truth is that we need to be each one of these teachers according to the circumstances we find ourself in. there are moments we need to lay down the rules (Snape) and the moment when you need to be wise (Dumbledore) and moments of nursing, caring and patching up the wounds (Madame Pomfrey).

Not only as a teacher do you need to be an expert in:

• group management

• teenagers(or children)
• classroom management
• lesson structure
• group dynamic
• student outcomes(just to state a few)
we also need to be:
• tough skinned
• versatile
• quick on your feet
• have a sense of humour
• caring
• calm
• passionate
and above all want to foster well rounded, passionate, hopeful human beings for the next generation.