Hi Headache Fixer!

What a great topic to chew on my school holiday. For context, I have been working at my current school for about 7 years.

I think there are different peaks of mastery. Just like how mountaineers set off to climb various mountainous peaks. So just because I recognise that there are plenty of things I got to brush up on doesn’t mean that I can’t consider myself a master. xP

Mastery, to me, is the feeling that I have attained high proficiency in regard to my domain knowledge (the science and art of teaching English) and exude a sense of having come into my own. In my first year at my current school, a colleague remarked how I always seemed to “wobble like a penguin” - that’s how unsure of myself I was. These days, I feel like I know what I’m doing with my students. I can explain and defend my pedagogical decisions like a pro.

So I would consider myself an Emerging Master. I read the criteria of being a Master put forth by other Stackers and find that I fulfill some of the attributes. People do come to me for advice; parents are willing to pay me to tutor their children; I get invited to get presentations. However, as I mentioned earlier, since it is only in recent years that I feel confident about my skills, I have yet to polish them. After all, teaching is chemistry between the teacher and his students - and what may work for one class will backfire in another. I haven’t gained so many data points that I can conclusively say that my methods work effectively in ALL classes. That’s the Mount Everest of teaching for me.

I think it helps that in my country, those considered to be experts in teaching are still ranked: Master Teacher > Lead Teacher > Senior Teacher. I’m working towards being a Senior Teacher, so I have no qualms calling myself a Master haha.

Lastly, I do believe that Masters are like the third bricklayer in this parable. have a grand purpose and keep to it, day in day out.