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 →
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 →
Performance Management (PM)
Ah, is there any other two word phrase designed to invoke a mixture of fear, disgust and feelings of inadequacy in a teacher than 'performance management'? The process involves looking at your performance (clues in the name!) over the past academic year. It is meant to look at the training you recieved, your job description,... Continue Reading →
David Watkins 