Oxthink

One of the most satisfying aspects of being a teacher must be to recognise that within the mass of averageness passing through the classroom, every so often a child with real talent for a subject or activity will emerge.

For me, the identification and nurturing of such special talents – whether it is academic, creative, musical or sporting – is one of the fundamental priorities and responsibilities of an education system.

Teachers should be our nation’s talent spotters.

Good teachers, good schools should be endeavouring to find not only what engages a child but also that to which a child has a particular aptitude for. And, once identified, schools should feed that desire and ability as much as possible.

Too often, children are put through the educational system as if they are products on a factory packing line. Their individuality and specialness can get missed or lost.

Too many teachers and schools don’t try to break into their children’s minds. They have the curriculum; they have their lesson plan; they have their pre-set assessment tests.

For the child, it can be rigid, unresponsive and even neglectful.

Too often, teachers are under pressure to ensure all their pupils reach a minimum standard of ability and, as a consequence, they have to commit more of their time to the weaker, less able children. It means there is a danger that they can overlook or forsake the more able.

Too often, teaching becomes more about solving problems rather than about realising opportunities.

The effect on talented children is that they can become frustrated and distant; unstimulated and troublesome; wasted and lost.

Good teachers, good schools don’t let this happen. They feel a responsibility towards all their children and that responsibility includes getting the best out of each of them.

The nature of talent is that it can all too easily be wasted, that it can pass us by. If it is discovered too late it doesn’t get the attention it warrants and can be smothered by other demands that are placed on a child. The earlier it can be identified then, properly developed, the more likely it is that its potential can be maximised.

Some children may find their talents at home through the guidance and encouragement of their parents, but many won’t have the opportunities available to them or they won’t necessarily have the range of options open to them that an educational system can provide. Teachers, with their training, experience and resources, are the key to the identification of young talent.

Of course, it’s not always easy, it’s not always possible.

Sometimes talent may be exceptional and easily recognised but generally, most children don’t have anything that stands out. There may be no great talent there. But, there will always be interests. Every child has something that will excite them; that they will want to know more about, that they will want to get involved in. It may not be mainstream; it may be rather idiosyncratic, but there will be something.

Teaching is not a job but a mission. The best teachers are those that go into the profession with the desire and zeal to inspire and develop children. The best teachers are there to make a difference. The best teachers are those that want to be remembered by their children for being a positive influence.