At lunch today, with a group of colleagues, we were discussing the impact of teaching on our mental health. Unanimously the verdict came in: devastating. Yet, I think that, without exception, we all love teaching. With so much pressure, regular observations, extreme workloads, is it possible for us to protect ourselves and our mental health […]
Being The Teachers We Were Made To Be…
For the first few years of my teaching career I kept a keen eye on all the teachers around me and tried to be like them. I saw what they taught, I saw how they behaviour managed, I followed the way they marked. In sum, I copied them. In everything. And that’s not a bad […]
Smashing Teaching Shakespeare!
For some of us this is the bread and butter of English teaching, for others it’s the albatross around our necks. Either way, it’s one of the most challenging tasks we, as English teachers, undertake. Ensuring that our students understand the characters, plot and themes can be tricky enough without having to teach them another […]
First Day Backitis…
It doesn’t matter how much one enjoys teaching, the first day back is a real grind. Many of us find that we’re there, wide awake, at 3am thinking about all of the jobs waiting for us at our desks or in our classrooms. Even once we’re at school, it isn’t always plain sailing. Take today, […]
The Quiet Before The Storm…
Whilst firmly settled in the luxury of a massive sofa, enjoying all that the holiday has to offer in terms of time, coffee and calm, I thought that now might be the best time to think about behaviour management. Not so much how to manage behaviour but the principles behind it. The what and […]
Loving the Life of Leisure
There’s something quite discombobulating about the holidays when you’re a teacher, isn’t there? A strange degree of calm or a lack of noise. There’s no one there shouting, “Miss! Miss! Miss!” or “Sir! Sir! Sir!” as many times as possible within three minutes because, heavens to Betsy, you’re actually helping someone else or even DOING […]
‘I Love To Laugh’
Although I spend my time striving to be the best possible teacher that I can be, I don’t always succeed. Perhaps this could get me down, and at times it has and does, but I think it’s best to avoid personal criticism. Education is always moving forwards and that’s the direction we’re best going in. […]
Naughty but Nice…
I don’t know about you but my favourite classes are often those with an overabundance of personality. The naughty but nice… Like Jelly Babies! The ones where, years later, you’ll bump into them in town with their small children in tow and they’ll jump to greet you before swiftly apologising for all the hassle they […]
Mark Smart, Not Hard…
With students in the middle of exam season and at the end of their tether with exam stress, our marking workload is currently at its peak. How can we survive the next few weeks when, if you’re like me, you’ve got thousands of last minute essays coming in from year elevens and year thirteens at […]
Sunday Sadness & Monday Malaise
However much teaching holds your heart, Sunday evening is a real downer, isn’t it? And Monday morning isn’t much better. When in a classroom with the students, door closed and lesson started, I’m in my element but, at home where the pace is slower, there’s a part of me that can’t face finding the time […]