IF the quotes of history are to be believed, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once said: “A good teacher is like a candle, it consumes itself to light the way for others.” The former president of Turkey, famed for his progressive reforms, died in 1938, but his opinion of educators resonates now as strongly as ever. Since the Government’s decision to close the country’s schools, teachers have gone above and beyond to ensure educational standards are upheld - even if that means to their own detriment. Downing Street’s last-minute U-turn earlier this month, influenced by the rising intensity of the coronavirus pandemic, has seen students and teachers alike swap classrooms for living rooms, and whiteboards for laptop screens.
IF the quotes of history are to be believed, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once said: “A good teacher is like a candle, it consumes itself to light the way for others.” The former president of Turkey, famed for his progressive reforms, died in 1938, but his opinion of educators resonates now as strongly as ever. Since the Government’s decision to close the country’s schools, teachers have gone above and beyond to ensure educational standards are upheld - even if that means to their own detriment. Downing Street’s last-minute U-turn earlier this month, influenced by the rising intensity of the coronavirus pandemic, has seen students and teachers alike swap classrooms for living rooms, and whiteboards for laptop screens.