Sense of responsibility, kindness, empathy and attention – these are only a few of the features which make a teacher who they are.
Teachers act as bridges between the past and the present, they aim at helping pupils develop their minds and their critical thinking to face life events of any kind.
We will now get to know a little more about this job thanks to a brief chat with M. T. , a primary school teacher who chose not to reveal their identity due to privacy reasons.
Why did you choose to teach in primary school?
Because of the spontaneity and honesty kids show at that age. (In Italy: from the age of 6 to 10)
What is the best part of your job?
The uninterrupted direct contact with world and life discovery.
Who can be a teacher?
Anybody who considers kids as people and respects their characteristics as individuals. Anybody who nurtures their curiosity and their search for knowledge. Anybody who does not humiliate them, but sees their failures as attempts in a learning process.
Would you advise young people to choose this career?
Yes, I always do so, provided that these young people are humble. This job helps you understand that you cannot know everything, you always need to carry on studying and learning different things to be a good teacher and guide kids, instead of harming them.
Which is the biggest responsibility for a teacher?
I would say… not laying the basis for kids to be unhappy individuals in the future.
Tell us about an episode that moved you during your long career.
I remember a boy from a class I had many years ago, who would walk for miles from the countryside, both in good and bad weather, to go to school and meet his classmates.
It is one of those episodes which helped me understand why teaching is so satisfying to me.
What does culture mean to you?
Open-mindedness.