My Heroes
I could have written more on my heroes, except it was getting too long!
After publishing it I realised I'm not too fond of this poem. I think it's too long. I should have concised it. But I didn't want to change it. I just left it as it was.
They arrive at work at least 8am and some even earlier than that for a job that starts at 9am.A primary class teacher teaches all subjects.The classroom should be ready for at least the morning session.As a teacher, I make a final check of my classroom, yes, it’s all ready to go to inspire my children! There’s lots of chitter chatter amongst friends as they proceed into the classroom.But little Charlie doesn’t want to leave his mum.I take a beautiful book to Charlie about tractors, he loves tractors.Charlie has now left his mum and is in the book corner happily reading. The teacher doesn’t sit down when children are working.She walks around and usually helps a group of children who needs the most help.Then there are children who walk up to you and pull you by the arm and say ‘Miss, Miss’ and want me to mark their work.There’s a lone child in a corner who keeps sharpening his pencil who hasn’t done a stroke work! The teachers never have a proper break, there’s always someone looking for you.It could be one of your children is in trouble in the playground,Or there’s been an accident or fallen over needing the biggest plaster in the medical room!There are times we have to telephone the parents to get more information on the child’s medical needs. In the afternoon we do fun stuff like Art, History, Geography and Science.They are fun because I love those subjects and so do the children.On a good day we work outside ‘hands on’ collecting evidence, which are mostly worms!By the end of the day my clothes could be covered with paint if I’m not wearing an apron. After school the teacher has to stay with the class until all the children are being collected.Telephone the parents to inform that their child is still in school and ask them to make arrangements to pick them up.I normally stay till about 6pm, until the caretaker kicks me out to lock up the school.Do we get over time pay? Oh no! We do it for the love and care for the children. A teacher is not just a teacher who teaches subjects in the curriculum.The children have to be taught good manners, positive behaviour and caring and sharing stuff.We are their surrogate mothers, a nurse, a psychologist to be able to read between the lines.We are administrators when we write reports, lesson plans, and keep confidential records. We write these during the weekends or during our holidays.We put up displays and sometimes we paint old furniture too.We are carpenters and decorators and anything else you can think of!We don’t get paid for doing these extra jobs. Finally, we run after school clubs for which the school does not charge.The government has employed us at a cheap rate and not as a professional body.They know we do this job for the love and care we have for children.No two days are alike in teaching and never a dull moment. At the end of the year when the children move up to the next class, the achievements the children have made make us feel so proud and all the more reason to do the next year, and the next, and the next…..My heroes are the teachers who do above and beyond what is expected to do in their job.It’s a very worthy profession if you want to make a difference in the world and the wider community.They say that a good teacher is never forgotten by the students in their lifetime. THERE WON’T BE ANY PRIME MINISTERS, DOCTORS, LAWYERS, ACCOUNTANTS, COMPUTER ANALYSTS, GEOLOGISTS, NURSES, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, COOKS AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS IF WE WEREN’T AROUND!