Sir, - I am a teacher and, contrary to the popular image, I am not a constant whinger. I love my job. The holidays are great, the pay is better than some get and not as good as others. Any worker could say that. The contact with the students keeps me fresh and interested in what our younger generation are up to - believe me, even at 27 it's possible to feel old in their company.
In return, I hope I am passing on - in as painless a fashion as possible - all the knowledge I have to give.
Upon graduation, I was given two pieces of advice: don't be prepared to feel fully confident until you are five years in the job, and don't smile at the students.
I am now entering my sixth year in the job. My confidence and competence has increased greatly. Thankfully, I'm not afraid to admit to my students if I'm wrong about something or if I don't know. I look it up and get back to them, so we learn together.
As for not smiling, that is next to impossible. I enjoy working and interacting with my students. Smiling is part of that. Naturally, a certain level of discipline is needed, but it helps if students feel relaxed in your company and can relate to you as a person. As a result, they're not afraid to ask questions and the learning continues. In that setting, it's amazing how effective a "dirty look" or short sharp comment can be when problems do arise, as no-one wants to upset the balance.
I only have one whinge, when once a year I lose all desire to smile. Easter may bring holidays and chocolate, but with those pleasures comes the backlash to the teachers' conferences. Headlines saying "Teachers want. . ." or "Teachers demand. . ." don't help. Everyone outside the profession thinks we all feel the same way and are all "in on it". To be honest, many of us hear about these demands for the first time on the news, like everyone else.
As a result, I dread when people ask me what I do for a living, because as soon as I tell them the usual comments are made and you can be sure they include terms like "pack of whingers", "part-time workers", "paid too much" and so on.
If I'm lucky, as the years progress I will become to my students what my best teachers were to me. I don't want to become cynical or start to visualise each student as a potential deviant. I want to enjoy every moment of it and that goes for the odd wee whinge now and then, just like anybody else.
So please, as this school year ends and we prepare for the following one, don't paint us all with the same brush, and don't moan at us. We know we're lucky. - Yours, etc.
D. McCormack, Navan, Co Meath.