Can passion alone sustain our teachers?

Abstract

I want my students to learn primarily for the sake of learning the subject, and not just to pass the exam,’ confides secondary school physics teacher Rodney Buġeja, who has 19 years of experience. It is easy to see that both teachers interviewed talked passionately about a morally fulfilling career. Asked about the main challenges of teaching, Year 3 primary school teacher Graziella Mercieca, serving for seven years in a state school, highlighted the ever-increasing demands. Demands were high when she started, and they have escalated considerably as the years went by. Malta’s very fast-paced changes in society have added new and complicated demands on teachers. What keeps them going?