Everyone seems to be worried about how students are coping with COVID, yet it is rare that the teachers are ever considered or asked how they feel or how they are coping. Therefore, I seized the opportunity to ask one of the most dedicated teachers in Guru Nanak Sikh Academy about themselves - allowing us to gain an insight on why teachers choose to teach in the first place.

Mr Sandeep Sandhu, a Computing teacher at GNSA, was interviewed about both his professional life and also what he likes to do to relax. The most important question being: why become a teacher? To this, he responded with, “For me, teaching allows me to give back to the community; being able to equip students with skills and knowledge to be ready for the ever expanding I.T world. It is so satisfying when they exceed expectations.  In my opinion, there is nothing as rewarding as that in the profession of teaching.” Clearly, the students of GNSA are very lucky to have a teacher who cares so much about not only them, but also the wider community.

When asked about the best part of his job he responded,” The best part of teaching is the satisfaction students achieve when making progress and achieving outcomes, it makes you proud as a teacher to see students apply knowledge from lessons and work towards achieving their goals.”

However, this does not come without struggles. When asked about the most challenging part of his job, he expressed how he feels” Everyday poses a different challenge in the career of teaching, it motivates us to do much better. Sometimes the most challenging part of our job is to ensure that all students are making progress and that we ensure every single student is getting the same support.”

Furthermore, Mr Sandhu’s passion for teaching is further expressed when he answers the questions of considering working elsewhere, and whether or not his favourite subject at school is different to what he teaches now:” I have not considered working anywhere apart from the education sector, it is a truly rewarding job and it has allowed me to make a difference in so many young lives. It has also developed me as an educator and helped me expand knowledge in my own subject area – as a teacher I am forever learning.” He then went further to say, “My favourite subject in school has always been I.T. Although I never considered a career in teaching at a young age, my passion for the subject has made me want to share my knowledge with others.”

Finally, when questioned about the fairness of teacher-assessed grades, he said, “I believe that giving teacher assessed grades are fair in regards to the evidence provided to support the set grades – you must always act on student merit and assessment data rather than bias as this is extremely important for a fair holistic view of awarded TAG grades.” Again, highlighting the compassion inside of every teacher.

Mr Sandhu’s responses are similar to many other teachers in the nation: they want to “give back to the community” and help students strive for success. Hence why it is important we respect and value them as much as possible.