As the summer term ends, it is refreshing to take some time to reflect on the events and issues of this academic year.

I have worked in a total of five different schools over the course of the year, relatively few for a supply teacher, all with their differences and own ways of doing things.

There have been many issues affecting my choice of how, when and where I work and even more affecting the education system as a whole.

Yet one thing has remained constant, the very reason why I and my colleagues do the job we do: the pupils.

Regardless of what government, both local and central, dictates, forgetting funding issues, Sats, AS-levels etc, the thing that is absolutely central to education is young people.

I will not begin to count the number of pupils I have taught this year.

From the age of three to 16 I have met youngsters from a wide selection of London's diverse community and every one has mattered, has brought special talents and challenges to the classrooms I taught in.

Every teacher I know has at least one success story from the past year January 03 article October 02 article

Some have been more challenging than others; I currently teach 11 to 16 year olds with a range of special educational needs.

However, it is a rewarding job and I am constantly inspired to make as much of a difference as I can.

The government may wrangle with funding and testing, but in spite of this, there are still young people moving through the education system who are intelligent, articulate, literate and numerate because - regardless of the dictates and restrictions of the curriculum - teachers will do their utmost to empower, enable and educate young people in their care.

This term I am back at a school I worked in a year ago in Hackney, east London.

It is a school in challenging circumstances, there are a lot of problems to be faced on a daily basis.

But there are some amazing things going on in some of the classrooms and there are some truly inspirational teachers making them happen.

This is not a well-funded, high-achieving school.

This is a school where one target for next year is to raise the pass level at GCSE to 25% grades A* to C.

This is a school where posts are being deleted in several departments and where they have failed to recruit for posts which have been vacant since September and covered by a string of supply teachers.

My own post will end at the end of term, as I work only 3 days per week.

"The reason why we do it - children"

In a strong English department, where from September there will be just one full-time member of staff exclusively supporting students with special educational needs, they cannot afford an extra part-time teacher.

But in spite of this, I still believe that it is important for everyone - teachers, parents, school pupils and the media - to remember the foremost issue in education today - young people are being educated.

They are gaining qualifications, going to college and university, getting jobs and becoming active members of society.

There is a lot of doom and gloom in the media representations of the education system.

Of course the funding issues are important. I would wish for more certainty in my career, as would my colleagues who are, as I write this, hunting for next term's post or seriously reconsidering their career path.

But the fact remains that there are still young people in schools and there are still teachers who will hang on to the bitter end to provide their charges with the best quality education they can.

While everyone remains negative about the issues in education, teacher morale falls.

In order to teach well, its essential to believe in yourself and your profession, and despite all the negativity, I for one do still believe that, as long as there are good, dedicated and motivated teachers, there will be a strength in the education system that no funding reduction can change.

Of course put more money into education, but take some of the pressure off as well.

It wouldn't feel half as bad to be in one of the worst-paid professions in the country if we didn't constantly feel that we had to justify every penny of our earnings.

I'm all for accountability, but having to defend every decision and every minute of teaching is demoralising and counter-productive.

Trust

So to end on a positive note. While it is undeniable there are negative aspects of teaching and it is clear that there needs to be a change for the better, the most straightforward change is that of attitude.

Teachers need to allow themselves to be good teachers, parents need to trust in their children's schools and teachers, and the government and the media need to give teachers a chance to teach.

It's what we are good at.

To my colleagues I say: "Be proud of your achievements this year and learn from your experiences.

"Don't let the negativity that is reported in the media or the whinging in the staffroom be a true reflection of your career.