A Phone Call With A Not So Old Teacher
During our talk, it is hard to remember Zameer Hussain is still only 25 years of age.
Already a head of department, with a published book and having featured on panels and travelled abroad to give lectures, it has been an interesting few years for the Religious Studies teacher.
It could have been all so different; however, he tells me he wanted to go into dentistry but found A Level Chemistry and Maths too big a jump. He had decided on Law but on results day basically said “I don’t want to do Law anymore” and embarked on a philosophy degree having enjoyed the subject and done well at it.
After completing his degree, Zameer returned to his former secondary school in Redbridge becoming head of his department after just one year. This was a real surprise “as it got towards the end of the year, this is maybe May, June time. I was asked to interview for the job of Head of Department. And again, I thought “this can’t be the case for me because I’ve been in this job for a year”. But I went for it, and they liked my interview” as he recalls.
Since being promoted, he has never looked back. He informs me “I genuinely believe I have the best job in the world”. As far as he believes, teaching is as much about learning yourself as it is about making others learn: “When I’m a teacher, I consider myself a student. I learn something every moment in every single lesson. Again, maybe I think the subject that I teach is unique in that aspect as well.” This is something I could testify to. He notes Religious Studies is about personal issues, and his lessons were about life and death and what is right and wrong.
He himself testifies the subject is important due to this. “I just think that it’s a unique subject” he says this is because “it deals with very personal things. Because every single human being holds a world view, whether you know it or not. And I think by academically and critically studying people’s world views” people can “understand why people do things and believe in things. Whether those things are good or bad, we can still understand why people do them.”
I then ask about the saying “those who cannot do, teach”. He laughs and tells me: “I did have that view to be honest and it’s quite a common view. The issue is I think you need to experience being a teacher to understand how hard a job it is.” Luckily for him, he decided he wanted to be a teacher and this for him makes the difference. He clearly enjoys his job and I can still remember seeing a big smile on his face every lesson.
Perhaps the most notable events in Zameer’s short teaching career are his soon-to-be published book for teaching Shia Islam, his faith, and being invited to various panels and events, including being a guest lecturer in Norway.
He originally began writing a book in January 2016, but shelved the project the following May. Then the government introduced new changes to the GSCE syllabus for the subject: “Now, I’m one of the very few voices in the RE world, who is a Shia Muslim. Social media has helped there, were I’ve become quite known for this. As I became a teacher, I became a go to person for Shia Islam. Lots of people have contacted me and asked me questions about how to teach something or explain the concepts.” Because of this, a Shia Muslim Foundation asked him to read a book an academic had written and make it suitable for teachers and all the exam boards. He spent his entire Christmas break working on it and after being checked by a wide range of scholars it is set for publication very soon. Zameer tells me he is proud; “It’s pretty cool because I’ve always liked writing and to hold a book in my hand with my name on it, it’s pretty cool” and that he hopes his book will help people.
“I am always shocked when I’m asked to do these things because people forget I’m only a teacher in my fourth year.” He admits after I ask about his panel experiences. He has shared platforms with several respected academics throughout the religious education world: “And just to be in their presence is an honour and to speak with them is big. So yeah, it’s always scary but I’ve always been welcomed with good words and kindness so it is an honour for me.”
As for his trip to Norway: ”They were kind enough to fly me out and pay for everything, gave me accommodation and I spent three days there.” Having hosted Norwegian teachers before, he went abroad this time, visiting schools and giving guest lectures. He informs me: “This is not something I’d have dreamed of, being invited to another country to speak about my job and my religion. So yeah, it was a brilliant experience and I’d do it again.” He hopes that the exposure to a different culture and different teaching style will help him grow as a teacher.
Lastly, we discuss the future. Zameer is adamant he will stay in education in some form: “I go to work happy, I leave to go home, happy. Always there are tough days and you have days that are very difficult. As a total package, I have the most rewarding job in the world. I genuinely feel I am making a difference in life.” He can visually see his successes, “I’m proud to say I’ve got ex-pupils who are flourishing and to be just a minute part of that gives me pride and it makes me wake up every day”, he tells me as long as he keeps on helping people in this way, he will stay in teaching for as long as possible.