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: teacher
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”
One Drop in the Ocean
It’s been a while since I put pen to paper (99% of my blogs start with paper drafts, or at least rough handwritten notes) and, much like every other time I’ve left a hiatus of note between posts, a lot has changed. Usually, my idea of change is ‘just’ the internal sort, and I’m usedContinue reading “One Drop in the Ocean”
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”
#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”
#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 farContinue reading “#DailyWriting Challenge – Roots”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Compassion
Compassion is seeing a need for help, and helping; it is being thoughtful and kind; it is wanting to help, out of one’s own goodness. Teaching is a compassionate career. There’s no two ways about it: we devote our working lives to improving others, but if you spend any length of time in any school,Continue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Compassion”
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”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Harmony
Harmony – noun – the state of being in agreement or concord There has been a lot of negativity about teachers this week. Some of it is aimed directly at us: poisoned arrows of accusation that we’re not working hard enough;that we haven’t worked while schools are closed; that we think ourselves ‘special’. The worstContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Harmony”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Curiosity
Curiosity. Noun. The desire to learn or know about anything; Inquisitiveness. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/curiosity?s=t Curiosity is the value that immediately sprang to mind as I chatted to one of my pupils this morning (over the phone, observing and respecting all social distancing and professional boundaries, I feel obligated to add!) They told me excitedly about all theContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Curiosity”
November
While this is an addition to my NQT series, it is equally an entry for the #DailyWritingChallenge, under the heading of ‘perseverance.’ November was a long, hard slog for me: not a month I will forget in a hurry for sure. I moved out of my parents’ house, for that first taste of independence andContinue reading “November”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Trust
There have been better days than today, and I am sure that better days are coming. Today, not even a run was enough to clear my head, so I guess that leaves me waiting it out. I have to trust that it will get better. How is it even possible to feel burnt out byContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Trust”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Purpose
When I was in the classroom every day, I think I knew my purpose. I was a teacher, with all the unpackable purpose of that job title that I had worked for so long to earn. Being an NQT though, I was still very much finding my feet and still in a permanent state ofContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Purpose”
#DailyWritingChallenge – Growth
There is a daily writing challenge gaining traction in the #edutwitter community, and this is my first step into it. 500 words maximum, on the given topic – today, it’s Growth. Considering I’m in a profession that’s all about encouraging growth in others and constantly finding growth in oneself, plus I’ve done a hell ofContinue reading “#DailyWritingChallenge – Growth”
Who Am I?
Being a teacher is something I dreamed of, something I worked hard for, something I knew would be difficult but that I persevered for regardless.
I never expected my first year to be like this.
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 