He wanted to be an engineer. Teaching became his life’s work

Art teacher George Cox never planned on becoming a teacher. When he was younger, he had his sights set on engineering. 

“I wanted to be an engineer ‘cause I like designing things, building things,” he says.

Now, about 30 years later, he is reflecting on a career that has taken him through classrooms, countless students and plenty of lessons of his own.

At the Inspirational Fine Arts Gallery, upstairs at Sugar Cane Mall, he recalls that curiosity came to him early in life. And stayed. He remembers taking apart some of his father’s belongings, including a television. 

Putting everything back together was not necessarily part of the plan.

“[My father] says to me, you know, ‘I’m going to drive away somewhere and when I come back my television is going to be working’.”

When he returned, there were “some parts left over” and “some screws left over”, but, according to him, the television still worked.

That same curiosity eventually led him towards art.

After leaving school, Cox was directed towards the Barbados Community College.

“I chose the subjects I thought I was good at, which [were] English, history, and art. And I wound up mostly in art.”

His first teaching experience was a part-time assignment at St Leonard’s.

“It was a beautiful school. The staff was very nice. In general, you know, you always have these little clashes and everything, but the staff was together.”

But as a young teacher, he did not have a mentor to guide him through the early stages of his career.

Instead, he drew inspiration from teachers who had influenced him, particularly Mr Jones, whom he described as a major influence on his teaching style.

“I used my last experiences with Mr Jones, who was my mentor for a very, very long time, and well, a couple other teachers,” Cox says. “You come together, you pull out the best qualities, and that’s what you work with.”

For Cox, teaching is not simply about delivering information. He believes teachers must understand that every student has a different personality and may respond differently to the person standing in front of the classroom. 

“It really is a very, very personal situation,” he says, acknowledging that philosophy also shapes the way he views art. 

Cox believes art should have a much stronger place in the early education system because it encourages children to think independently rather than simply memorising information.

“This is a subject of philosophy,” he says. “It’s a subject where we ask our kids to think for themselves.”

Art, along with subjects such as English, theatre and music, gives students an opportunity to explore their own thoughts and ideas, he argues.

“It’s all about thinking,” Cox says. “They get to figure out how the world works in terms of 3D space, how to visualise that.”

But after decades in the classroom, Cox has also seen major changes in the way students learn. One of the biggest differences, he believes, is the influence of technology and social media. While he acknowledges that access to computers can be beneficial, Cox says students are increasingly exposed to platforms designed to keep their attention.

“Most of my kids know how to use TikTok and Instagram and stuff like that,” he says. “But if you ask them to use it in a practical way in terms of how to make money from it, how to use it to get relevant information for themselves…. They pick the lowest hanging fruit. Gossip, scandalous images or images of themselves.”

He believes that constant exposure to social media can also affect students’ ability to think independently.

“Now I have a situation where a lot of my kids are having problems coming up with their own thoughts.”

And while Cox has spent decades shaping young minds, he is still learning himself.

His advice to other teachers is simple.

“Be patient,” he says. “It is what it is. It’s a life job.”

But for those considering entering the profession, he offers a rather unconventional warning.

“Don’t do it,” he jokes before explaining why teaching can become difficult to leave.

“This area is very, very, very personal, and it’s addictive as well, where you get to meet all these different personalities, and these kids are amazing,” he says.

For Cox, the most rewarding part of the profession is seeing what former students become.

He recalls one former student who now has children of his own and whose life he believes he influenced.

“I sometimes look back, and I say to myself, did I really teach this person?” Cox says. “And apparently I’ve had a very serious impact on his life and I feel very good about that.”

That impact, he says, is part of what makes the long and sometimes frustrating journey worthwhile.

Cox described his teaching style in four words: “Patience, genuineness, communication” and “forgiveness”.

Forgiveness is not only about forgiving students when they make mistakes, but also recognising that teachers themselves are not perfect.

“You have to forgive yourself ‘cause sometimes you’re not perfect,” he says. “So you will make mistakes, and you have to forgive your kids ‘cause they’re kids.”

After roughly three decades in and around the classroom, Cox may not have ended up building the structures he once imagined as an aspiring engineer, but he has spent years helping students build something else: the confidence to think, create and find their own direction.

(LE)