#WorldTeachersDay

Today I’m talking about appreciation.

It’s World Teachers’ Day, which came as a surprise to be honest. I never know when any of these commemorative days are happening and almost always find out after the fact, so I’m quite pleased to have discovered today before it’s over.

The point of any of these days is, I believe, to show appreciation for whatever is being honoured. Instead of launching into a long verbal meander about the merits of teachers and their importance, I’m going to take a different tack.

Herewith are the greatest teachers I’ve had the pleasure of being taught by:

1.         My father. He is a genius with his hands and his ability to see something before it exists astonishes me. The greatest lessons he taught me were that firstly, if I was going to do something, I had better do it properly. The second lesson was that I could do anything I wanted in the whole world, as long as I was the best at it. I’m not claiming to be the best at what I do, but his lesson inspired me to be the best I could be at everything.

2.         My mother. Thanks to my mother, I was not stuffed full of pills and told to sit down and be quiet. She was always my champion when I wasn’t understood at school and she went to great lengths to develop my potential. She has taught me never to give up, never to settle when life says no to my dreams.

3.         My grandmother. She taught me, above everything else, that knowledge is a beautiful thing and that knowing more about our world is a wonderfully rewarding practice in itself.

4.         My Grade 9 English teacher, Mrs Chittenden, who got me interested in Shakespeare, who put up with reading my awful poetry and who would sit and listen to me talk when it felt like no one else in the world would. She taught me to value myself.

5.         My cousin, @clairegunnphoto, who gave up everything to pursue her dreams and who is now living that life. She taught me to follow my heart and she helped open my eyes to the world by sharing perspectives.

6.         My great friend and mentor, Nigel Bakker, who showed me how to be excellent at what I do and who helped shift the way I approach teaching. He continues to be a source of inspiration, guidance and a pillar of strength.

7.         My girlfriend, Jordan, who teaches me directly through the heart. She has an uncanny ability to see through all my nonsense, and to get to the real crux of what’s happening in my head. Her wisdom, patience and unbelievable compassion are an example to me every day.

8.         Finally, life itself continues to be my greatest teacher. With the many different experiences and moments it makes available to me, I am taught more and more and more and I hope the learning never stops. Well, until it has to, if you know what I mean.

I hope today is one of meaningful reflection for all of you. If you’re a teacher, I hope you are congratulated and thought about by those around you and that you take some time to consider the impact you have on others’ lives. Regardless of what you think, you are making an impact, and I hope you are aware of this in order for that impact to be the best one you can make.

If you’re not a teacher, then take some time to reflect on those who have taught you, whoever they may be. You would not be who or where you are today without them.

PS: Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that we can't add an apostrophe to a hashtag, thus making #WorldTeachersDay technically grammatically incorrect? Sorry, but you can't turn English teacher mode off! ;)