Teaching has become corporate… …perhaps it’s the creation of academies; maybe private schools feeling they have to separate themselves; possibly the (relentless) scrutiny state schools experience… Whatever it is, Human Resources (HR) is now its own function in schools. I’m not sure it used to be. Along with HR establishing itself, so has the appraisalContinueContinue reading “How to always be ready for appraisals (in schools)”
Category Archives: teaching
‘Take an interest, not the register’
Being a form tutor is an underrated role in a school. ‘The tutor is the glue that holds together the academic and the pastoral.’ I made that up this week because it articulates an intuition I always knew. The challenge of being a tutor includes conundrums such as: How do I build a relationship withContinueContinue reading “‘Take an interest, not the register’”
Is being a teacher taking over your life?
Teaching is a profession that can become all-consuming. Which is fine if you’re ok with that. This post is different. As a teacher, perhaps you’ve had experiences where you: …have so much to do (lesson planning, marking, replying to emails, responding to parents) that you just don’t know where to start …feel your stress levels riseContinueContinue reading “Is being a teacher taking over your life?”
Are your lesson objectives about your teaching or their learning?
When I started teaching my attention was all on me and what I was doing. Understandably I was nervous. It would start before I even got in the classroom. From crafting elegant, amazing PowerPoints through to setting intricate timings for activities. As I improved my lesson planning, I came to rely on well-written lesson objectives.ContinueContinue reading “Are your lesson objectives about your teaching or their learning?”
How to demonstrate leadership in your school…when you’re not in a leadership position
Consider this: leadership has little to do with position. Yes it might be much easier when you’re a Head of Department or Deputy Head, but leadership is not position, title, or personal qualities. Two definitions of leadership I like say the same thing in different ways. The interesting part is that they were written decades apart.ContinueContinue reading “How to demonstrate leadership in your school…when you’re not in a leadership position”
Change a school’s culture with this small action
In the day-to-day experience of teaching, only the easy-to-implement strategies will work. There is just too much happening at any given time for big wholesale changes to stick. I’ve sat in too many uninspiring training sessions; listened to too much ineffective INSET; struggled through too many opaque policy updates – give me something simple thatContinueContinue reading “Change a school’s culture with this small action”
Are you solution-oriented in your school?
Cynicism is easy. Especially as a teacher. There I said it. As teachers, we can tend towards a cynicism that seems unrivalled compared to other professions. Being negative about parents, exam boards, exam grades, the press, textbooks, our colleagues, senior management, and pupils themselves are common conversations in staff rooms. I like to think teachersContinueContinue reading “Are you solution-oriented in your school?”
What does it mean to listen?
Too often we think we’re listening when we’re not. We might be: waiting to put our own point across, thinking about what we want to say, or checking our emails (I was running a meeting when a senior manager did this on his phone…yes really!) Here’s a simple action to start practising listening effectively. TheContinueContinue reading “What does it mean to listen?”
Disruption To The Educational System
Yes my writing is illegible… I’m a teacher. This is a fact I mostly say with pride. I was inspired by the adverts when I was 25 (I’m 39 at the time of writing) to change careers. More frequently now though, I find myself wondering what I would be doing if I’d stayed in myContinueContinue reading “Disruption To The Educational System”
Teaching – Part Two: Testing, 'Standards are Falling' and Career Progression in Teaching
This is a long post (edit July 26 2024 and old…I’ve come a long way)…and as I’m of the internet-blogging-opinionated generation, I’m aware that reading loooooong paragraphs is less palatable online than it would be on a book (wait ’til I write a book!) So, I’ve broken up this post into the areas that haveContinueContinue reading “Teaching – Part Two: Testing, 'Standards are Falling' and Career Progression in Teaching”
James D'Souza 