Who is Lindsay Sealy?
I am simple. I love Grey’s Anatomy, books, chicken and virgin mojitos. I’m a mermaid; the beach is self-care and a wanderer. I like to leave people better than I met them.
What does a typical day for Mrs. Sealy involve?
A typical day involves me trying to catch a couple more minutes of sleep before getting ready for school, devotion with the hubs, actually getting ready, participating in teacher’s worship, student worship, then it’s class time, lunch, more class time, beach exercise if it’s a Tuesday or Thursday, home for dinner and unwinding.
Why did you choose to become a Teacher?
I didn’t actually choose to become a Teacher, I was called by God. I have a MSc in Forensic Psychology and after almost a year of job hunting, I felt really downhearted one Friday in October. I remember crying telling God that I give up and that He will send me where I need to go and I simply let go. On Sunday I went driving around with some girlfriends and we stopped by a beach that had really big grains of sand. I held the sand in my hand and thought that this was me, just waiting for my turn to become a pearl. That same night around 7 pm, my father calls me and said that the Principal of the school called earlier and asked me to call her back urgently. I promptly did and I was asked if I would be able to sub for a Teacher for the rest of the term. The teacher came back but another teacher was retiring and I was again asked if I could teach for the remaining 2 terms in the school year. It has been 3 years since that call and I haven’t worked anywhere since.
If you weren’t a Teacher, what career would you have pursued?
I would want to pursue a career in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (if God wills).
What advice would you give someone who is interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?
You have to love the children. Teachers spend more time with some of the children than their actual parents/ guardians. You do sooooo much more than teach. On a given day you’re a nurse, a mummy, a friend, a counselor.
What is one common myth about the Teaching profession that you would like to clarify?
Teachers work from 8:30-3:00. Anyone who lives with a teacher or is friends with a teacher will definitely laugh at this. There is prep for the term/ week/ day and the correcting of work usually done after 3 pm. We worry about our children, so by extension our families worry with us. There are nights when I dream about my children and ways to help them understand something that they may be struggling with.
What keeps you motivated?
My motivation comes from the fact that my children see me as EVERYTHING to them. It’s a weirdly comforting yet disconcerting feeling to be the one that can make or break someone’s life.
We’re curious, what are your two (2) guilty pleasures?
Birth vlogs and coloured pens. 🙈