Welcome to 2023! A new year marks the birth of new beginnings. With every new year comes newer opportunities, possibilities to achieve, and simultaneously it allows a period of reflection and acknowledgement from the previous year. A new year also signifies new resolutions! Where challenges are seemingly increasing and consistently changing, Future Education's company director and former ex-teacher David Attwell shares his thoughts. With the aim to help guide teachers by analysing what to anticipate within the next few months, we’re sure educators as always, will make 2023 a success. We like to refer to them as our resolutions for teachers!
1. Utilise your gut instinct and teacher intuition – The end of 2022 presented problems that many families will continue to face in 2023. School will become a safe haven for children, being a place where they can be warm, reduce pressure from families and for some a place where they can get a free school meal.
2. Prioritise connection over curriculum – A bit of a controversial one! There may be a larger number of students than before who might be suffering hardships at home and it may become harder to spot while it continues to happen. Children may be concerned about their parents or not want to take their troubles to their parents. Schools will act as a secure zone where children can forget about their woes or troubles at home and at the same time, it becomes a welcoming space where they can confide in someone they can trust. After all, for some, teachers are the first adult role model outside of the family unit.
3. Keep moving forward – The upcoming term will mark the first spring/summer term free from COVID constraints. The disruption of schooling, which has gone on for too long, makes it more crucial than ever to foster a sense of coherence with the past and to look forward with hope to the future. We are no longer stuck in an ever-changing world. According to research, helping students set a plan of action will motivate children to be active in their learning. Goal setting can make a positive impact.
4. Recognise the impact you have as a teacher - According to the Department for Education’s whitepaper: if achieved, the wider benefits of pupils in 2030 meeting the Key Stage 2 and GCSE ambitions are estimated to be worth at least £30 billion each for the economy. Teachers have had such a large impact on the future of the UK’s development and economy and this shows how important a teacher's job is. Right now teachers are helping kids to do better, be better, and keep growing. It may be easy to lose sight of the future impact of helping children however it is crucial to identify the effect they will have in order to help children develop into well rounded members of society.
5. Continue being resilient - With the pandemic giving rise to numerous challenges, creating adaptable educators causing them to think on their feet, it has also shown the resilience of our teacher workforce. Quickly utilising tech, they made sure children could continue to access online lessons and found new ways to be creative and engage students. Although this doesn’t replace the impact of face-to-face learning, it has paved the way for tech to be utilised more and expand education beyond the constraints of the classroom (even if some teachers would confess to not being tech savvy!) Technology is developing rapidly in today’s world and to continue with that resilience and harness these skills will help in shaping leaders and future thinkers of tomorrow.
With information travelling swiftly and as economies begin to change and adapt, teachers and educators continue to be the backbone of the society. The upcoming year could see an increase in demand of educators, specifically teaching assistants and international teachers. You as educators, are more important to the outcomes of those in your care and the future of our nation than ever before. In a time where challenges will come for the younger generation. I know you will continue to be the positive difference for our youth and push for what is right for them.
