I've worked in the Further Education and Alternative Education sectors for the past 11 years, teaching mostly A-Level, BTEC and other accredited and non accredited courses to a vast range of people.
I've worked in various areas and have worked with primary school kids, young offenders, young people with mental health issues, people with disabilities and groups of adult learners up to the age of 92.
One thing that I have learned (amongst many things) is that what you can teach is what individuals are willing to learn.
Aspiration, ambition and self motivation goes a long, long way.
Now there is only so much I can do as a teacher to inspire people.
What I find a bit depressing is that sometimes it feels that as teachers we're the only ones who are trying to do that.
Parental and cultural influence is a much overlooked factor when it comes to academic or vocational performance.
