When I was 21 and doing a student placement year as part of my degree, I had an experience of leadership that told me: “Leaders want ideas”. I had to write a project about my placement as part of my degree. I researched and wrote a detailed document all about the company. My first great bossContinueContinue reading “Leaders Want Ideas”
Tag Archives: teachers
How To Make A Meeting Effective With One Simple Behaviour
Meetings can be useful. I know, I know – sometimes they are the bane of people’s lives. Not only in schools, but in many jobs. They can feel like: wasted time repeated thinking done to keep up appearances (..of ‘listening to staff’ etc. BUT there is one behaviour that can make an immediate difference asContinueContinue reading “How To Make A Meeting Effective With One Simple Behaviour”
How To Find Your Talents (And Do More With Them)
You’re amazing at things. Teachers do so much in so little time when in other careers it would be shocking to do the same thing. Before I became a teacher, I worked for a media planning agency. We would have time to prepare for a pitch or meeting. It would feel pressured, but there wouldContinueContinue reading “How To Find Your Talents (And Do More With Them)”
Work/ Life Balance Is An Illusion
Our chosen career is tiring. It can be filled with pointless tasks (updating a scheme of work?) that can seem to have no relevance to the classroom experience. But I have heard colleagues (and teachers more widely) talk about work/ life balance. I used to think it was a laudable aim. Not any more. ForgetContinueContinue reading “Work/ Life Balance Is An Illusion”
Three Ways To Create Respect In Schools
Respect is foundational for schools. It’s something I’ve heard my colleagues and senior leaders around me talk about freqently. Although…as I think about it…I’ve heard more colleagues mentioning how rude an individual pupil was in their lesson. Or how rude a member of senior management was when they asked for something. Is it respectful toContinueContinue reading “Three Ways To Create Respect In Schools”
How To Think ‘Whole-School’
Schools are unique institutions. As if you didn’t know. They run on teachers’ teamwork, goodwill, collaboration, understanding, commitment, energy…etc. etc. insert cliche It’s possible to work in school with young people facing seriously challenging circumstances (I mean like…abusive homes, poverty, social deprivation…the whole thing) and as a teacher feel utterly fulfilled and inspired. It’s also possibleContinueContinue reading “How To Think ‘Whole-School’”
Why improving weaknesses is a waste of energy
Your approach to developing middle leaders in school is focused on the wrong thing. Just because a particular leadership tactic or classroom management technique worked for you – doesn’t mean it will work for every teacher. No – I’m not saying there aren’t valid techniques and tactics. I’m saying that focusing on improving weaknesses isContinueContinue reading “Why improving weaknesses is a waste of energy”
‘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?”
James D'Souza 