Author: Claire Bowers.
Every year on 5th October, World Teachers’ Day is celebrated across the world to commemorate the importance of the role that teachers play in our lives. This tradition came about in 1962 when Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the President of India, suggested that his birthday date be used to honour teachers across the nation. To mark the occasion, we break from our ‘day in the life’ series with a special focus on this year’s theme of ‘teachers’ voice.’ In this blog, Claire Bowers, a Senior Lecturer in Policing at UWE, reflects on her time in teaching. She considers the value and meaning that teachers bring to our lives, and contemplates the changes in police education and their implications for prospective student officers.
Claire originally trained as a teacher in 2007 and has taught in many different educational settings, varying from Post 16 and secondary education in schools, training and development in the Police and Children’s Services, to Higher Education. She specialises in psychology, safeguarding, vulnerability and youth justice.
Teaching is a privilege
Maya Angelou is quoted as saying “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Whilst the details of our Key Stage 2 history lessons or GCSE maths curriculum may have faded, most of us will always remember that teacher who believed in us, or inspired us to keep going, despite our fears.
Teaching is one of the oldest professions and one of the most profound. As a teacher you have the power to inspire and motivate. Teaching can ignite a passion that can shape a student’s lifelong interests and career paths, and it goes so much further than that. They help students build confidence, resilience and empathy, teaching life lessons that go far beyond the classroom. They act as role models and their character and behaviour can profoundly influence students’ values and aspirations. Being a teacher is such a privilege and there is no knowing the difference you have made. I have over 15 years of varied teaching experience and it brings me such pleasure to bump into an ex-student who is so excited to tell me about their progress in life and recalls a lesson or moment in our time together than had such an impact of them.
Radical changes in Police Education
In 2016, the College of Policing announced that new police officers in England and Wales would need to have a degree from 2020 onwards. This was in line with the ‘Policing Vision 2025’, which recognised policing as a graduate-level occupation and followed a consultation with more than 3,000 responses, of which a large majority of police officers supported accreditation for their professional skillset (BBC News, 2016). This radical change meant that aspiring officers were required to go back into the classroom. For many, this presented an exciting opportunity to earn whilst they learn and receive the recognition and certification that they deserve as professionals in an increasingly complex landscape. However, for some others, the idea of going back into education can be daunting.
The challenge of education
Research carried out by NHS England in 2023 found that 70.9% of children enjoy learning at school. This leaves a large number of individuals who do not have fond memories of education in childhood. The reasons for this are numerous and highly individual, but could include negative experiences, bullying and feelings of isolation or rejection, anxiety and academic struggles with learning and a sense of failure, as well as sensory overload. Research from the UCL Institute of Health Equity (Rickard, 2018) found that two out of five people with learning disabilities are not diagnosed in childhood. It is therefore no surprise that the requirement to return to study is not embraced by all.
Teachers encourage use to keep moving forward
Academia pushes everyone outside of their comfort zone at one time or another. Formal writing, meeting deadlines and submitting work for review can expose our vulnerabilities. Learning to receive feedback and reflect with humility can be difficult at times. A good teacher helps to allay concerns, helping to install self-belief and a growth mindset for those students who lack in confidence. They can help a student to see that there is growth in the discomfort. As Einstein says: “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” All it takes is for the individual to keep aspiring and moving forwards. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt: “believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Thankfully, most of us have felt the benefit of an educator’s belief in us and been spurred on as a result.
Teaching at UWE Bristol
UWE was recently judged as part of the Teaching Excellence Framework Review (TEF) to have “highly effective and embedded teaching, learning and assessment practices that support students’ learning, progression and attainment” (UWE Bristol, 2023). The Policing teaching team draws on a wide variety of policing and criminal justice backgrounds and utilises a range of different assessment approaches to enable learning. However, it is not just the teacher that makes the difference, the learning environment and its approach to supporting learning is crucial. The Policing Department at UWE has excellent facilities and offers an extensive package of support, from study skills to neurodiversity and disability screening to help all learners make the most of their academic potential. This is demonstrated by our recent TEF Gold ‘outstanding’ status awarded for ‘student experience.’
As teachers in higher education, we are so proud of our student officers’ achievements and are currently welcoming our 25th Cohort to the PCDA. So, if you are thinking about taking the leap and returning to study, go for it! UWE offers a wide range of different policing qualifications. What’s the worst that can happen? You might surprise yourself…
“Your fate has not been written until you pick up the pen.” – Dean Bokhari
References
BBC News (2016) All new police officers in England and Wales to have degrees. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38319283 [Accessed 01/10/24]
NHS England (2023) Mental Health of Children and Young People in England survey – wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey. Available from: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up/part-3-education-services-and-support#feelings-about-school [Accessed 01/10/24]
Rickard, W.R (2018) A Fair, Supportive Society: Summary Report [online] London: UCL Institute of Health Equity. Available from: https://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/a-fair-supportive-society-summary-report [Accessed 01/10/24]
UWE Bristol (2023) Teaching Excellence Framework: UWE Bristol provides an outstanding student experience. Available from: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwe-bristol-provides-outstanding-student-experience. [Accessed 01/10/24]
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer); Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer) & Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer).
If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact the team at Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk
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