Head of Junior School
As we move into some well-deserved holidays, it has been time to reflect for students on the first half of the year and celebrate their growth. At Assembly on Tuesday, I shared my reflections about teachers and encouraged the children to take a moment out of their day before they leave on Friday to simply say thank you and recognise the incredible job our teachers do.
Being a teacher is incredible, awesome, rewarding.
(Yes, and tiring. Especially after a lunch time playground duty on a Friday afternoon).
Teachers are special. Teachers challenge themselves and extend their knowledge every day; wanting to unleash and empower the potential within their students and colleagues.
Teachers are the ones who open the minds of the young ones to the world. They impart knowledge and show them what matters the most. Teachers have a lot of students to take care of, and they all look the same in the eyes of a teacher, whereas, the same teacher can appeal to each student differently. They make an impact on their lives and change them for the good.
The influence a teacher has on their students is huge! No matter what, a student always looks up to the teacher for help and guidance. Teachers are like second parents. Teachers have a fair share in the moulding of a child from the time the child is around 4 to 5 years old. So, it is important that children have good teachers who could make them intellectually, emotionally and morally sound and strong.
No good teacher looks for their own success and endeavour; they always have their students’ present and future in mind.
A teacher is looked upon as a guide, a mentor, a friend and often selfless putting their class before themselves. The influence of a teacher extends beyond the classroom. The best teachers tell their students where to look but don’t tell them what to see. Teachers let their light shine bright even on the darkest roads so that the students do not lose track of their destination.
Before school and after school, teachers are here, preparing lessons, organising resources, thinking of creative ways to engage students in learning. They coach, look after co-curricular clubs, turn up at events outside of school hours like the disco on Friday night. Even on school holidays, they are planning lessons, making and finding resources, talking to each other about the upcoming term, planning ahead for Camps and OLE Week activities, school productions and other events, coming into school to set up their rooms – making sure photocopying is done and nothing is left to the last minute. Yes, they do have some time for rest and relaxation but for teachers to do well, they can’t not do anything over the holidays, they have to be ready to hit the ground running on the first day of school.
Over the past few weeks, teachers have been focussed on marking and allocating grades for reports, writing reports and uploading information and checking that all looks right. This takes hours but is an important job for teachers.
“Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges”. They pave the way and let the children choose their own paths to become the best version of themselves in the future.
I finished my address with the following words, “Before you go on holidays, take a moment to say thank you to your teachers for all that they do for you. Yes, it is their job but here at Oxley they go the extra mile, they are always putting you first and sometimes we just expect that of them and a little thank you goes a long way.
Happy holidays to you all, stay safe and return to us ready to hit the ground running, just like your teachers will”.
We are looking forward to seeing you all in Term 3 and if you haven’t locked in your Matilda Junior tickets, please do so – it will be an amazing show!
Miss Jane Campion
Head of Junior School