00:00If you think about a young person's life, it's such a formative time.
00:04They're going through from childhood and primary school to the tricky adolescence to being a young adult.
00:09And obviously we have our parents and our guardians at home, but the other major adult influence are our teachers.
00:16Even years down the line, when we meet our teacher, we still think, oh, miss or sir, even though we're proper grown adults.
00:22So they have that positive, lasting influence on our lives.
00:25Teachers don't just teach subjects. They shape who we are.
00:30The encouragement, support and inspiration they provide can leave a mark that lasts a lifetime,
00:35influencing everything from our confidence to the choices we make later in life.
00:40One or two, they're honourable mentions. Mrs Lang in primary school, Scottish fiery, almost like Alex Ferguson football-esque manager teacher.
00:47Mr Christie, the dependable maths teacher in secondary school.
00:50But wait for this, in secondary, you think Mr Seagull is a good name for a teacher?
00:54I had a teacher called Mr Workmaster. That's right, Mr Workmaster.
00:58He was from Manchester, had, you know, like Queen, Brian May, S curly hair, smell of bacon sandwiches, coffee and maybe cigarette smoke sometimes.
01:07But he loved maths. He was such an inspirational form teacher and maths teacher.
01:12And he's probably the reason why I've become a maths teacher myself, because he had so much passion for the subject.
01:17And you could sense that he was like, maybe, maybe, not always like professionally organised,
01:22but he loved the subject so much that it came across to all his students.
01:26It's no surprise that so many adults can still recall the name of the teacher who made a real difference to them.
01:32These educators are often unsung heroes, quietly supporting young people through challenges
01:36and helping them unlock their potential in ways that exams and grades alone can't measure.
01:41I think teachers now play a much bigger role. And partly this is because society is much more complex.
01:47Again, as a child, I would go home, switch on telly and that's it, I'm away from the world.
01:52Whereas now young people have their phones with them.
01:54So there's all these other influences, some positive, some not so positive.
01:58So as teachers, we have to try and be that guidance and steer them through this really tricky world.
02:04Technology can be harmful as well.
02:05So as educators, our role is to give young people the skill so they feel they can navigate this modern world.
02:11As we recognise the dedication of teachers across the country, attention now turns to the admissions process,
02:17where regional differences mean that not all families have an equal shot at securing a place at their preferred school.
02:24It's an issue that affects thousands of children every year and one that goes beyond the classroom walls.
