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 its … Continue reading Student Teacher Tips – English
primary teacher
My Presence is Not Like Yours
In defence of the Quiet Teacher I’ve written about being introverted before (I am not ideal) and about supporting introverted and shy pupils (Empowering the Quiet Ones.) It shouldn’t feel like such a niche topic to write about: according to introvert guru Susan Cain, 30 to 50% of people show introverted traits and would likely … Continue reading My Presence is Not Like Yours
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. Though … Continue 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
Are Treadmills Over-rated?
I'm in a weird in-between stage in my life, and I don't know if I like it. Actually, I think my family would attest to me not liking it very much, considering how much I've moaned about it lately! All my life, my next step has been predetermined and secure. I have always known what … Continue reading Are Treadmills Over-rated?
#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 Advice #3
What do I do in my first week? This was requested on Twitter by @miss_jwoodcock - I hope there's something helpful in among all this! I think this is the blog I would have most wanted to read myself, as an NQT-to-be. There was so much running through my head, and despite all my placement … Continue reading NQT Advice #3
#DailyWritingChallenge – Happiness
I struggled writing this! Not because I'm not happy, but because there's a lot of things that can make me sit back and say "Yeah, I'm happy." And for someone with a chronic anxiety disorder, it's pretty great to be able to do that! When I sat with my blog notebook today, this is what … Continue reading #DailyWritingChallenge – Happiness
#DailyWriting Challenge – Roots
I'm currently reading Becoming by Michelle Obama; after lusting after this book, life got in the way and I ended up putting it down for an extended period, more than once. But there really is no excuse not to read, in lockdown! Though that makes it sound like a chore, and this book is far … Continue reading #DailyWriting Challenge – Roots
NQT Advice #2
On Rejection... I wrote this in the wake of what initially felt like the end of the world: being unsuccessful in interviewing for a further maternity cover at my school, that would have allowed me to stay for another year. I was crushed because I've loved working at that school, with wonderful children and fantastic … Continue reading NQT Advice #2
