If you enjoy listening to Coldplay and analysing lyrics as I do, you probably listened to the song ‘Fix You’. At the beginning, they say:
“When you try your best, but you don’t succeed. When you get what you want, but not what you need. When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep.” (COLDPLAY, 2005)
By using paradoxes, they create a sense of unease and internal conflict. Even though the song was written to help Gwyneth Paltrow get through her grief, a very sad moment, it ends as a message of encouragement.
“Lights will guide you home. And ignite your bones. And I will try to fix you” (COLDPLAY, 2005)
This is what I hope to bring with this post. A bit of encouragement.
Being a teacher is an act of bravery and bravery should be rewarded. Paradoxically, however, as Jeremy Harmer (2015, p. 120) says,
“At the beginning of a teaching career, most teachers are excited and enthusiastic. […] For most people at the beginning of their careers, these challenges are extremely exciting and totally absorbing. But they can be quite daunting, too, and, as the years go by, the pressure can become quite intense”
It is said that in 15 years, there will not be teachers to teach basic-level education in our country. According to Afonso Celso Teixeira, secretary-general of the Union of Teachers in Rio de Janeiro, Sinpro-Rio,
The problem isn’t just the low salaries, something that has become naturalized by Brazilian society. Teachers typically work from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. In many cases, they extend their workday until 10 pm. And that’s just in the classroom. It’s an exhausting routine. They demand that teachers develop activities, reinforcement lessons, tests, and a whole series of other things to feed the digital platforms of these institutions. They even require the creation of content for social media. Exploitation has gained a new dimension (SERAFINI, 2024, my translation).
Is there light at the end of the tunnel for us who decided to work with education? According to Harmer (2015, p. 212), a light that may guide us home is CPD (continuous professional development).
Perhaps the most effective answer to these feelings of disengagement is to be involved in a continual cycle of professional development. In this view, initial teacher training is just the start of a lifelong process of constant challenge and renewal, and if we want to remain engaged and ‘fresh’, we need to be constantly refreshed by things we do ourselves, by working with (and talking to) others, and through other activities.
So, will any CPD initiative get educators to re-engage with their will to persist? According to Richardson and Díaz Maggioli, CPD should initiatives should be:
- Impactful: These programs build on teachers’ strengths to identify areas for improvement, ultimately enhancing student learning.
- Needs-based: Effective CPD addresses the everyday challenges faced by both teachers and students.
- Sustained: For CPD to have a real impact, it needs to be a long-term process.
- Peer-collaborative: Regular support and feedback from colleagues and experts are essential components of a CPD program.
- In-practice: CPD should move away from isolated, short-term events.
Apart from acknowledging bravery from the ones who persist by providing appropriate working conditions so they do not give up, it is essential to provide CPD initiatives. According to the same authors (2018, p. 16),
Teacher learning is simply too important to be left to teachers’ goodwill, time and resources. It is the institution’s responsibility to provide the necessary resources and support for teachers to engage in impactful CPD programmes, not just to keep up-to-date with the latest developments, but to ensure that each learner achieves the best possible outcomes
If we as human beings cannot satisfy our basic needs, especially after working in harsh conditions as teaching tends to offer, it is quite probable that quitting will not just be an option, but a necessity. Just like Rutger Bregman (2017) says in a TED Talk,
I believe in a future where the point of education is not to prepare you for another useless job but for a life well-lived. I believe in a future where an existence without poverty is not a privilege but a right we all deserve.
Coming back to Coldplay, if you are not a fan or have never been to any of their concerts, ‘Fix You’ is never taken out of the setlist as a way of Chris Martin telling that he will always be a light to guide Gwyneth through tough times. Remember that there will always be something or someone that will guide you home.
References:
BREGMAN, R. Poverty isn’t a lack of character; it’s a lack of cash. TED2017, April 2017. Available from: https://www.ted.com/talks/rutger_bregman_poverty_isn_t_a_lack_of_character_it_s_a_lack_of_cash/transcript.
COLDPLAY. Fix You. In: COLDPLAY. X&Y. [S.l.]: Parlophone, 2005. Track 4.
HARMER, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. 5th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited, 2015.
RICHARDSON, S. and DÍAZ MAGGIOLIi, G. (2018). Effective professional development: Principles and best practice. Part of the Cambridge Papers in ELT series. [pdf] Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available on: https://www.cambridge.org/cn/files/7515/7488/8530/CambridgePapersinELT_Teacher_Development_2018.pdf
SERAFINI, Mariana. Apagão de professores. Carta Capital. 2024. Available on: https://www.cartacapital.com.br/politica/apagao-de-professores/
Jonas Ishikawa é um eterno aprendiz que atua na área da educação há mais de 8 anos. Já foi professor de inglês e hoje atua como formador de professores.
