
He may have lived four hundred years ago and spent most of his days striding around in doublet and hose, but Shakespeare was actually more modern than you might think. Thought his plays were about kings and queens and lovers and cross-dressing? Think again. In fact, he was writing about teachingâŠcheck out these amazing teaching quotes from the Bard himself…
âHow sharper than a serpentâs tooth it is to have a thankless child!â
This can’t not be a teaching quote! You stay up til 2am marking their books; you give up evenings and weekends for school trips and events; you spend hours of your free time decorating the classroom. And letâs not even mention the amount of your own money you invest in resources every term. Do the students care? Well, of course they do, but itâs rare that theyâll show gratitude. King Lear knew all about the arrogance of youth.
âTear-falling pity dwells not in this eye.â
Donât spin me another excuse about why you canât do your homework, or why youâre late, or why youâre not wearing the correct uniform. I. Donât. Care. Honestly, when youâre a teacher, itâs easy to see how Richard III became so pitiless.
âAllâs well that ends well.â
To Shakespeare, it was a snappy title. To teachers, itâs a maxim to live by. You may have to sweat blood, cry tears of frustration in the store cupboard and tear your hair out on a daily basis, but as long as they pass that GCSE, itâs all worth it.
âFriends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your ears.â
Or, as teachers would probably put it: âFor goodnessâ sake, 9B, will you please listen!â But Mark Antony in Julius Caesar had a more poetic turn of phrase.
âThis is very midsummer madness.â
Sometimes, classes just go wild. They become feral. Often, itâs down to the weather: high winds can make students run amok. One colleague used to swear a full moon sent a class doolally. Whatever the reason, like Olivia in Twelfth Night, you sometimes just have to accept that a class has embraced the midsummer madness.
âNothing will come of nothing.â
Weâve all had one: a student who steadfastly refuses to write anything during a lesson. And then acts surprised when they get told at parentsâ evening that theyâre not doing well. King Lear had it right â if you donât put in the effort, then you donât reap the rewards.
âThere is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.â
Hamlet knew what he was talking about; this sentiment strikes at the heart of teaching. It’s the epitome of teaching quotes. You have to think positive. You have to believe that somehow, this class will get through their GCSEs. That you will finish that pile of marking. Itâs the only way to stay sane.
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