After 16 years as a teacher, I'm taking a break. Here's what I've learned.

Andreas Brekke is stepping away from his teaching career after 16 years, sharing profound insights gained from his time in the classroom. He concludes that the role of an educator is less about maintaining control and more about cultivating trust, a realization that has shifted his perspective significantly since he began teaching in 2010.

Initially, Brekke believed students were more robust than they are and that assessment could be purely schematic. Now, with his own children older than his former students, he sees their vulnerability more clearly. He learned that trust is precious and belongs to the student, sometimes requiring a teacher to be disloyal to the system if it conflicts with the student's best interest. "In the choice between loyalty to the system and trust in the student, choose trust in the student," he advises.

Brekke stresses the importance of honesty regarding a teacher's limitations. "The school can contribute to good development, but can rarely fix everything that is skewed," he states. He advises educators to be transparent about what they can and cannot do, to be flexible, and to report issues to leadership when necessary. He also highlights that many students find school difficult, and some have entered a system they should have been spared from, deserving respect and better alternatives.

Reflecting on his certainty after years of experience, Brekke encourages teachers to challenge students, teach them to think critically, and recognize their individuality. He advocates for patience with student impatience but urges teachers to be impatient with injustice. Ultimately, he suggests that in the choice between being a teacher and being a human, choosing the latter is often more appropriate and easier, acknowledging the inherent difficulty of being both a student and a teenager.