The word teacher is a weighted term.
Inevitably, when I tell people that I am a teacher, their minds surf through the line of teachers that they have had in their lives. Some settle on the good. Some settle on the bad.
Add to that the experiences that their children are having in school and again the surf through the line begins. As their mind is surfing, I am waiting to see their reaction, to see where they have settled.
So the suggestion to rename ourselves or re-identify as coaches may not be a bad suggestion:
And, as coaches, we’re available to them in new ways. Students can communicate instantly with adults on their support teams, asking questions they might be to shy to raise in person. Teachers and students communicate in live chat rooms to ask questions before a test or during a seminar.
Students are on a level playing field.
In a world where teachers recall scandal after scandal, maybe it’s time to re-market ourselves as coaches in life and learning.