From struggling student to teacher: the role that teachers have - Orla's story

My struggles with food started when COVID struck in 2020 and I searched for control in my life so turned to food. Growing up, I always heard teachers and other students talking about diets, so it was no surprise that I turned to food to control when everything else was taken out of my control in 2020. I was 17 and in my first year of A Levels. Things gradually got worse as COVID spread and the lockdowns went on. I was eventually diagnosed with anorexia in the summer of 2021. At that time all mental health services were online, and I found it difficult to engage over a screen, so I continued to become more unwell and was eventually admitted to a unit in the autumn. I spent 9 months there and although it was incredibly difficult, I was surrounded by a brilliant team of healthcare professionals and their support enabled me to tackle my eating disorder and all the rules and rituals that came with it.

I was discharged in July 2022 and wasn’t sure what next to do next with my life, so I applied to university through clearing and accepted a place on a primary teacher training course. Moving to university allowed me to have a fresh start; a new identity away from anorexia and I felt like ‘me’ for the first time since becoming unwell.

Fast forward 2 years and I’m now two-thirds of the way through my degree, out of mental health services and most importantly I am now teaching the next generation to have a positive relationship with food. It can be tough at times as diet culture is so common in schools, but the way that teachers speak about food and body image is so influential on children, and I have found helping my students to have positive relationships with food to be incredibly healing for my recovery. I remember growing up hearing my teachers talk about diets, negative self-image and disordered behaviours, and the impact that this had on me was detrimental, so I am determined to speak up about the role that teachers play in shaping children’s relationships with food and body image.

Henry Adams, the famous American historian, stated: “A teacher affects eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops”. If you are a teacher or work with children, I urge you to think about the language you use around food and body image, as you never know how much this can impact others.