(1) Teacher – Pupil Relationships: How important are they?

Image from tes.com If my school was defined by it’s socio-economic context, it would be destined for poor results, dreadful behaviour and high staff turnover. On the contrary, it is none of these things. The children are polite, kind and they enjoy school (of course there are always a few exceptions). Many members of staff…

The Everyday Metaphors of Teaching: ‘Guide on the Side’

In my last post, building on Maxwell’s (2015) work, I outlined the inevitability of metaphor in our discourse as teachers and how understanding this in our profession can help us shed light on what our metaphors exaggerate but also hide. I posed two questions: With what metaphors in mind are we to teach? What evidence…

3 things I wish I knew about teaching as an NQT.

My last blog post about being an NQT - at least for the foreseeable future - is on teaching specifically. I've learnt so much the hard way over the past two years and the three things I want to share have become close allies for me moving forward in my career. Expect failure - and…

3 things I wish I knew about behaviour as an NQT.

I arrived as a male in a primary school context naturally assuming I would have a handle on my pupils' behaviour. After the first ten minutes, I realised I was completely and utterly wrong. I could write here all the little tips and tricks that you might have picked up from other more experienced teachers.…

5 things I wish I knew about wellbeing as an NQT.

I thought i'd begin my blog by reflecting on my NQT year. Instead of revelling in what went wrong and telling you how arduous it was, I thought it would be good to consider some practical things that I wish I knew when I started. Let's begin with wellbeing. Illness will happen. Snotty noses, grubby…