At my most idealistic, I feel that education can be a great way to challenge the status quo. That’s what I truly believe and part of why I have stayed. As a class teacher I challenge my students to question things – even things that I have taught them. As a school leader, I routinely ask those I work with in all […]
“Having it all means having the same work and family choices that men do. It doesn’t mean having everything you want. No one has that.” – Anne Marie Slaughter. * While I understand the sentiment of the above quote and am sympathetic to people who agree, for me it’s based on a false premise – […]
I don’t really like group work. It’s just not for me. I’ve been on two (pretty good) courses recently where I had to work in a group to come up with ideas and then execute a task. Let me clarify: I’m fine working with people, happy to be part of a team- as a member […]
I’d like to introduce you to to some hypothetical friends of mine Olly Jade Ali Verity Dwayne Now I’ll tell a brief snippet about each One has been a single parent since the age of 21 One is a management consultant who lives in Surrey One has a criminal record One works in PR and […]
Recently a friend handed in her notice with no job to go to. One of my closest friends did something similar two years ago. Both had recently been promoted at a new school. A few years ago I was signed off work having had a breakdown and made the decision that I would never work […]
A few weeks ago I was invited to speak to an assembled group of educators, artists and youth workers with a passion for education and effecting change in their communities and wider society. My talk was around the theme “Is mainstream success a desirable thing?.” It was tailored to the specific audience but had wide […]
“Your job cannot contain the sum total of who you are and what you want to make” We have three children; in August they will be five, two and two. We were so smug in our evening routine that got them off to bed fairly early and gave us space to spend time together – […]
I attended a conference event recently which had the most diverse range of speakers of any event that I can remember attending. What made it especially interesting was that it was aimed at a mainstream audience and was not specifically marketed for a particular minority or gender. It was also located outside of the obvious […]
This week I’ve come across the educational biographies of two influential thinkers in the educational world. One, Laura McInerney has just been appointed to the board of the Teacher Development Trust, a promising organisation committed to ensuring high quality professional development for teachers. The other, Sir Ken Robinson, was recently interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s […]
Perception is an interesting thing. Some time ago I undertook a 360 degree diagnostic as part of a course that I’m on. I assessed myself against the criteria and asked a variety of my colleagues to do the same, anonymously and online. I received feedback from people I line managed, others more senior than me, […]