It’s been a school year that started on extremely wobbly foundations – think of a jenga tower missing a few blocks, perched atop a base of soft sand. By October half term, the sand had washed away and the jenga tower collapsed in a heap. I was not in a good way. Initially then, IContinue reading “Stepping Up”
Tag Archives: primary education
All the things I didn’t say
It’s been a long time since I’ve opened up my blog, especially with a view to writing something! Things are always so busy, and there are always so many demands on my time that writing in order to share it always lands at the very bottom of my priorities list. Still, there is a sizeableContinue reading “All the things I didn’t say”
My first WomenEd
I’ll be honest, I did question why I’d sacrificed my Saturday lie-in, as I got on a train at 8.11am yesterday. (For those thinking ‘Surely you’ll just have Sunday though?’ you’d be wrong, I was up early again for figure skating this morning!) I’m not very good at new things, or rather, I don’t feelContinue reading “My first WomenEd”
Why I won’t be adding to my series revisiting my NQT year
Apologies for the clickbaity title! My very first blog, published on April 1st 2020, was as good a beginning to a blog by a teacher as I could have come up with. September was a fluffy, upbeat, optimistic account of that first month in the classroom, reflecting how I felt about it at the timeContinue reading “Why I won’t be adding to my series revisiting my NQT year”
NQT/ECT Advice #4
How to prepare for a supply teacher I studied at university for three years to become a teacher, (‘become a teacher’ on paper at least, I wouldn’t say I’m there yet!) and not once did this topic come up in taught sessions, lectures or even in conversation – we just never thought about it! ButContinue reading “NQT/ECT Advice #4”
Student Teacher Tips – English
English is my favourite core subject to teach: as a student, I loved my uni sessions and found it so exciting to apply what I’d learned to placement experiences, alongside my own long-standing passion for the subject. However, I was as student with others who felt completely oppositely to me: they loved maths for itsContinue reading “Student Teacher Tips – English”
December
It’s such a long time since I’ve written one of these blog posts, revisiting my NQT year with an eye to finding something useful to share! When I flicked through my diaries to find what I wrote in December, I wasn’t sure how any of it could become something useful to an up-and-coming NQT. ThoughContinue reading “December”
Empowering the Quiet Ones
When ’empowerment’ emerged as a theme for the #DailyWritingChallenge, I thought long and hard about it. I feel as though I have been empowered by this blog, sharing pieces of myself with every entry I post and making connections with new people who have been affected by the things I have written. But this time,Continue reading “Empowering the Quiet Ones”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Stillness
I have craved stillness all week. A classroom is not the best setting when temperatures are rising, and the movement required of teaching Year Ones, even in a bubble, is not the most comfortable thing in the world when outdoor temperatures are high. But the real stillness I’ve wanted has been mental rather than physical:Continue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Stillness”
NQT/ECT Advice #1
What can I do over the summer to get ready? This was requested by @Miss_Grimmer on Twitter, and it’s actually been quite nice to reflect on what I did last summer, what I didn’t do and what I maybe should have done! I hope there’s something useful in here for soon-to-be NQT’s thinking about theContinue reading “NQT/ECT Advice #1”
October
This is the second in my series of NQT Year blogs, looking back and reflecting on each month. Now, October, where I tried to keep afloat, sometimes with success and other times with less than that… “[My headteacher] told me today that I’m smiling again.” Tuesday, 1st October 2019 As the leaves began to change,Continue reading “October”
September
All good stories have a solid starting point, don’t they? My NQT story began in September 2019, and thanks to my meticulous journaling habit, I can piece together a fairly accurate account of my first month as a teacher. Maybe it will be useful to someone just embarking on their NQT journey (provided, of course,Continue reading “September”
One Quiet Teacher 