Slow and steady wins the race

It’s still true and it always will be

Each week (well, most weeks), I write about teaching from my 3G perspective - growth, giggles and gratitude.

This week’s post came from a lightbulb moment while reflecting on my current situation. If you’re stuck in a rut or not sure where you’re going next in life, be patient - and give this a read. My aim is to show you that your time will come and you will achieve everything you deserve.

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I first considered teaching aged 19. My brother was practising for his 11+ (an exam designed to identify the academically-inclined and give them places at grammar schools with other academically-inclined individuals). He was struggling with some of the concepts in his practise papers so I helped him out and, in the end, he passed.

It was such a thrills knowing I’d made a difference there. That was decided - I’ll be a teacher.

On some sound advice, I decided not to go straight from university to teaching and instead spend time doing other things.

I lived in Newcastle for a year, my first life outside of my hometown, on a placement with an event management company. They made me miserable and paid me a fraction of what they’d promised while other elements of life similarly failed to deliver. Still, I stuck it out when I could have run home. I learned there how cruel life can be and it made me appreciate how beautiful it can be in contrast. This also proved to me that I can be independent and can work hard - I had another job to keep me going.

When I returned home, I worked as a window cleaner for nearly two years - one of my favourite jobs. That taught me that the people I work with should be a serious consideration for any job in the future - the right ones can really enrich your day and guide you in so many ways.

I then went into car sales, where I learned I hate cars. I also learned the power of memorable people. I might not, on paper, have done well there but I felt like I left a mark on some that has stuck with them, something many remarked on and something that made me feel incredibly valued.

After that, I worked for the local newspaper where I learned that newspapers are ok the way out - fast - and that no one should be expected to deliver (at least, not in their early days of responsibility) without significant guidance. I also learned what bad leaders look like and, by now, I’d started to realise what good ones look like too.

This was followed by some travel abroad. I worked on blueberry farms where I learned how tasty blueberries could be and how nobody - NOBODY - can be an elite at something without putting in some time to learn their craft. Honestly, the tiny Pacific Islander ladies used to rock up all quiet and innocuous and they’d pick us under the table. There was nothing I could do to even match half their picking total, whatever I tried.

The next job I had was in a pub/restaurant where I learned how horrifically cruel people can be and also got the chance - as duty manager - to test some of my theoretical leadership principles, a couple of which worked brilliantly and still do (and some did not).

In Australia, I then worked as a window cleaner again where I realised how important honesty is and in telesales where I learned my biggest lesson of all - how important it is to find a sense of belonging, to find something that, if you’re going to do it every day, MUST match your existing strengths.

In all of this, I learned my favourite thing of all - the lesson learned the hard way teaches you the most.

From there, aged 28, I returned home to train as a teacher.

9 years after first deciding I would.

This journey has shaped my values and defines my role as a teacher. I now take to long hours with ease; I savour the beautiful moments when the arise and can (mostly) stomach the tricky ones; I try to be as honest as I can, even if it is to my detriment; I have become more patient in trying to master what I do; and I understand what makes good leaders - those that make people feel safe and valued, those that inspiring cooperation, those that balance love and discipline appropriately. Those that will listen to their team, be the first to take risks and the last to take rewards.

I’m not going to come out and say I’m exceptional as a teacher because of this, but I’m also not going to be irritatingly humble - I am good at my job and I absolutely love doing it. These experiences are a huge part of what makes me better at it.

If you’re considering being a teacher, I expect you’ll be more well-rounded than I was at 19 (I was an idiot). But you would probably benefit from spending time elsewhere for a while too and I would encourage you to see what else the world has to offer first.

I spent 9 years elsewhere and became a better teacher for it. Patience taught me so much that I would have missed out on.

And, then, last October, I decided to start a copywriting side-hustle. Within a couple of months, I’d got my first (tiny) bits of work and even felt that had taken a long time, starting to get frustrated at my “slow progress”.

What on EARTH was I thinking?

If I’d gone straight into teaching when I finished my degree, would I be as good at it? Would I be able to share the lessons I’ve learned? Would I have the benefit of my experiences? Or would there be significant gaps in my practice and my character?

I wouldn’t be half the teacher I am without those 9 years of life.

And I’m not half the copywriter I’ll be in a few years time either.

I have some of the skills in need: I understand the hard work running a business will take, and I’m willing to do it; I possess a firm grasp of written English; I know how I want to approach sales situations (having spent years being told to approach them in a way I didn’t like) and I know that I can work with more passion and purpose in supporting small, local businesses than I can working for large companies. I won’t make as much but I don’t care about being rich, I want to be happy and this project is about creating new opportunities for myself to live a better life - there’d be no point spoiling that by giving myself work I don’t enjoy.

But I have so many gaps when it comes to copywriting principles. I still don’t know what it fully takes to run a business. And I still don’t know enough people to get my foot in the door.

I need to take my time.

It may take 9 years to have what I need to do this, but - having done that journey once - I like to think I can speed it up. Besides, I have some of what I need to be successful.

But I must remember to be patient.

The right time for many things will come. Today, I just need to open as many doors as I can and learn what there is to be learned.

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