Zeal

My classroom (Room 30) in 2008

During my teaching career, I never missed a day because of illness or other health matters - well, not for thirty six years anyway. It was only in the last two years that I missed a few days because of two short  hospitalisations. I could hardly say to the doctors, "Let's delay this till the school holidays".

I enjoyed robust good health and if a cold or flu symptoms came along I just battled through. Days off were for the weak. And as for dental appointments - they happened exclusively during my holidays.

For the last twenty years of my career I was the Head of English, leading a team of ten English specialists. Teachers came and teachers went. I was the only consistent figure, holding it all together and in many ways leading by example.

One time, a temporary post was filled by Nigel - an itinerant teacher from Leeds. Another member of my team - Emma - related this conversation to me. Nigel had asked her, "What's the score with sickies here?". Emma had replied, "Sickies? We never take them unless we're genuinely ill. Neil never misses a day." She told me that Nigel had been surprised. It seemed he was used to working in English departments where staff regularly took days off. Perhaps they had sickie rotas or something. 

Looking back, I realises that I was as zealous as a missionary - bringing English to the English. What could be more important than helping our nation's youth to gain good qualifications in English?  A good grade could be the stepping stone to a better future. Besides, English was civilising and personally enriching. It was not just about the grades.

I marked pupils' assignments deep into countless nights. I thought it was all so important. After all, I could not name any job that was more important. Teaching English mattered more than making money or working for a profit-focused business.

Now, years later, and with the benefit of hindsight, it does not seem so vitally important after all. There are many other jobs that are more important or equally as important if indeed importance is ever a useful measure.

Society is like a jigsaw and we need all the pieces to make it whole. They all have their places - the road sweeper, the airline pilot, the hotel cleaner, the tech entrepreneur, the farmer, the hospital nurse, the miner, the singer songwriter,  the car mechanic, the physicist, the shop assistant, the factory assembly line operative, the soldier, the stay-at-home mum, the banker, the baker, the candlestick maker  and yes the English teacher too.

We all belong to this human ant colony and during our working lives we perform interconnected roles, dependent upon each other.  Vocational zeal should be tempered by that simple truth.