Merry Christmas - you made it! Definitely time for a beverage of your choice1. So, how was the last week for you? Did you have to keep students engaged up to today? Did you decorate your classroom? Give out Christmas cards to everyone in your tutor group2? Play carols during tutor time? Or maybe 'Fairytale... Continue Reading →
One week to go…
Yeah, it is, really. No, no come back.... One week of the longest term in the school year left. The Autumn term is usually fifteen weeks long, which is unfeasibly1 huge. For year 11 and 13, they are halfway through the year. Unbelievable. The summer term can also be as long, but let's face it,... Continue Reading →
Interesting questions
Full disclosure: this wasn't going to be this week's topic, but something happened yesterday. I am lucky enough to work with teachers to try and improve their practice, and work with small groups of students. Yesterday, a cool, enthusiastic teacher asked me a very important question whilst we were discussing ways to avoid burnout and... Continue Reading →
Post Mock Blues
By now the year 11 (and possibly year 13) mocks are over, or very nearly over and so our focus turns to more important things - namely, how the hell are we going to improve these results? This is a fundamental problem with teaching and I have no clue how to solve it. We need... Continue Reading →
OFSTED
Is there a word1 more likely to cause stress and panic amongst teachers than OFSTED? We get a phone call, up to 48 hours before arrival and then they're in, looking at everything and anything they want. Then they disapper, and providing everything is okay, they disappear for three years. They are switiching to a... Continue Reading →
Parents’ Evening
You are now most likely entering the time of year where everyone's favourite evening of the school calendar happens1. Yep, it's time for the first parents' evening of the year! People do though.... Parents evening should be a time for you to give feedback to parents as to how their child is getting on. Every... Continue Reading →
Half Term.
It's the holidays. What the fuck1 are you doing reading an education blog? Get outside, play with your kids, read a book, watch a film, do something else. Look! It's outside! Until next time.
You made it!
It's half term! One half term down, five to go. No, wait, come back, don't go cry in the corner... Have a beverage of your choice - you've earned it. When we reached this particular half term, my overriding feeling was relief. This one is always a monster. We go from the light evenings and... Continue Reading →
Inspirational?
A few years ago, there was an advertising campaign which had celebrities naming a teacher who had inspired them. I can't remember much about it1, apart from Bob Hoskins growling someone's name. There's also a video on YouTube of Ian Wright meeting his former teacher guaranteed to melt the heart of anyone except the biggest... Continue Reading →
Bad teachers?
Nope, not the Cameron Diaz film, which I admit I found pretty funny, although I am easily pleased1. The reason for all the lesson observations and performance management shenanigans is down to bad teachers. Nothing improves a blog like a random picture of Cameron Diaz2. In an earlier post I said that bad teachers are... Continue Reading →
David Watkins 