Award-winning actor Dame Helen Mirren has revealed her career nearly went in a different direction after attending teacher training instead of drama school. In an interview with presenter Mehreen Baig organised to celebrate Thank a Teacher Day on Thursday, May 26, Dame Helen disclosed her own personal experience of teaching as part of her widespread praise for school and college staff.
The pair even read out a selection of thank you messages sent in from across the country from communities praising their teachers. The messages were sent through the Thank a Teacher campaign, which offers parents, children, and the wider public the opportunity to send a free thank you card to a school or teacher of their choice.
On National Thank a Teacher Day, the country will come together to celebrate the incredible educators and support staff who make up the country’s schools.
Dame Helen will join David Walliams, Dame Joanna Lumley, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Biddulph, Emilia Fox and other high-profile names calling on the country to come together and pay tribute to every member of staff who makes our schools so special.
Dame Helen Mirren said: "As someone who had an extraordinary teacher, I am very pleased to support the National Thank a Teacher Campaign. My own journey began with a great English teacher – Mrs Welding. She revealed to me the power of literature and recognised my need to live in that world of imagination and poetry. She alone was the person who encouraged me to be an actor. When I met her in later life, I thanked her and she said “I was just doing my job”. Mrs Welding died in 2014 at the age of 102 and I will be forever grateful for her encouragement. I know many people have benefited from an inspirational teacher. Let’s thank those great teachers who inspire.”
