Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Adults often ask young people that question. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher – apart from a brief period at around six years old when I wanted to be a ballerina. I soon realised the unlikelihood of that.
So, I fulfilled my dream and went to Goldsmiths’ College, University of London to become a teacher.
Ninety minutes each way from Hendon Central every day for three years. During the practical training weeks, the journeys were even longer – my teaching placements were in primary schools in Whitechapel, Wanstead and on Deptford High Street.
What really influenced me and shaped me as a classroom practitioner were the teachers I met along the way. First, Mrs Samuillah, the maths tutor at Goldsmiths, who taught me to not be afraid of maths. She showed me how to teach maths so that the concepts were crystal clear and so that the subject was absorbing and fun.
Second, Sister Anne, the headteacher of the Catholic school in Whitechapel where I did my final placement. She was an inspirational leader, caring passionately for each and every child, teacher and trainee in her school, and ensuring that all of us were the very best we could be.
Several decades later, I am now in a position at the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) of taking people on their own educational journeys. LSJS is the place to study a part-time BA in Jewish education, and a one- year postgraduate programme leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) if you think you might want to be a teacher or work with young people.
And we certainly need teachers. The National Foundation for Educational Research reported that this year, teacher supply in the UK is in a critical state, risking the quality of education that children and young people receive. Teacher recruitment remains below targeted levels at primary schools and far below targeted levels at secondary schools.
Our Jewish schools are no exception. The Department for Education reported in June that in this school year, 2023-4, the total UK teaching workforce grew only by 259 teachers. The new DfE workforce figures has revealed that between 2010 and 2022, 40,438 qualified teachers left the state sector within a year of starting. Daniel Kebode, general secretary of the National Education Union has called the situation “disastrous” and pleaded with the new government to prioritise recruitment and retention of teachers.
Teaching isn’t easy, but the opportunity to inspire a generation, and to pass on your love of learning to children and young people, is a wonderful opportunity. As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks told us, teachers are the people who really shape our lives.
When I graduated as a teacher, there were typically between 40 and 50 applicants for every teaching job. That’s very hard to imagine these days, when schools are crying out for good applicants, and when schools are lucky to have one good candidate for a vacancy.
We need to find ways to attract and retain teachers. For example, a group of us, through the Jewish Leadership Council’s education collaboration group, are currently exploring the possibility of a teachers’ benefits scheme, whereby teachers in our schools would be eligible for reduced fees for nurseries and day care, for synagogue fees, for the costs of sending your child to summer camp, for shopping outlets, and more.
This cannot happen without community philanthropic investment, and on its own, this initiative won’t solve all the recruitment and retention challenges. But it is a serious start.
The Jewish community needs to elevate teaching in school to the highly valued profession it should be. So, when young people are asked “what do you want to do when you grow up?” “A teacher!” is their resounding answer of choice.
Dr Miller is director of degrees and teacher training at LSJS
