I miss Robert Palmer. I love his music; from Vinegar Joe onwards I loved his voice and style. I am listening to one of his albums as I write this and thinking about school as ever.
I often tell people that our school team is settled and we know each other well. We have worked hard on our shared journey with the young people and families, with associated professionals and with each other to try and make our school right for our young people. It is a journey, not a destination and sometimes we take all sorts of detours but, in the main, we do have a clear “road map” with our agreed developments and our collaboration with each other and others. However, last session saw us lose three probationers who had worked with us for a year plus two longstanding members of our established school team and it made me think about the dynamics of our school. I have to admit I wasn’t particularly fazed by the changes in staff until a few people began to sympathise/exclaim about the effect that would have on the school. To be honest it hasn’t affected us greatly, thanks to the strength and unity of everyone involved; especially the young people and parents and our school based team.
What it did was put into focus that time marches on and we had people who were no longer there to “always do what they always do.” Suddenly the support team had new members who didn’t know the bell system, the door that sticks or the way the wind can knock you off your feet in the playground. It struck me that these are the little details that are in the fabric of the learning community that is our school. Yes, we ensure that new staff members know about our learning priorities, we have programmes of development for all our staff that support our learning and teaching strategies, we evaluate our performance, support and challenge our young people and build our relationships with the community. What can be forgotten are the little foibles of the school – and these can suddenly come to the fore.
Simple things like playing on the large grass area – when does it stop? How do we safely access the grass? These are all new things to new staff. Where do classes line up, is there a set line order for entering and leaving the building? What do the bells mean outwith break times? Yes, over the start of session these procedures are explained and practiced. No matter how organised we think our information list is something always pops up that “we just do” and someone new doesn’t know about.
We said hello to several new pupils this term after our October break and I was reminded about the start of term with our new support and teaching staff members. Luckily for our new young people there are always plenty of willing helpers to show them where things are, routines at lunch and break and such like but it is something that can’t be taken for granted; everything is the same but new! There is also the shift in dynamics where a new member of the group- be it children or adults either immediately enhances the group or, occasionally, and usually with the children, they ruffle a few feathers. Change is difficult and managing and supporting a new member of the community is really important for everyone. Knowing where to step in, where to support and where to step back and let new relationships develop is not always easy. Sometimes it can show a new path; sometimes it highlights potholes that we’ve been used to side-stepping. Either way as Robert sings it does take every kind of people and the mix we have in our school reflects the wider community and supporting each other as we learn and progress is just as much of our learning journey as numeracy and literacy.

We are back and on our way for another busy session! I am listening to Brian Kennedy, an Irish singer/songwriter. I saw him a couple of times over the summer, playing in Glasgow and in the Fringe and really enjoy his songs and chat. He has a brilliant song Get On With Your Short Life which everyone should listen to and I am sure I’ll come back to it at some point during my blogging. However, just now I am listening to Sunday Morning which is appropriate because it is Sunday morning and I have just finished reading and commenting on the first class blogs of the new session and as always I am amazed by how quickly we are all settled in and routines, learning and engagement are to the fore..
I choose to work on a Sunday morning because it suits me. My BFF in Australia and I Skype each Sunday morning and blether for an hour then I do anything I have to do to be ready in school tomorrow. I talk about life/work balance a lot and at the beginning of a session I always remind folk again of how easy it is to just get caught up in being busy all the time. I look at it, in the main, with regards to juggling everything that goes on in a busy school. Things take planning and organising; from the Lunch Buddies to the thematic planning. It doesn’t just happen. We all have to plan, but be flexible, know where we are going but keep our eye on other routes, get to know our new class, if new; become familiar with the routines and procedures of the school. As well as planning and organising the learning and teaching within each class, staff and children play roles in all aspects of school life; ECO work, The Garden Gang, focus development areas and Professional Update. When it is all set out in a list it can be quite daunting and that’s the secret- not being overwhelmed and having that flexible balance.
I listen to colleagues saying they work after dinner, or on a weekend or some other compilation. Now, apart from Sunday morning, when I claim the computer or my weekly blether to said friend, I balance my work and life according to what is happening. If I didn’t then the “balance” would cause me more stress! I have never been one of those people who have a plan about what they do on certain weeks, or the jobs that must be done at the weekend. In school I very much know what has to be done and timescales that I need to be working in. I get organised but I have flexibility. I am always amazed when folk start flapping as a deadline approaches (or passes) and it is something they knew had to be done. Plan ahead! I smile as I write this because the awfully clever DHT is undertaking a post-graduate programme and his planning has taken on a whole new meaning!!!More of this as the session progresses! I am lucky enough to spend most of the summer break in rural France doing little more than reading, walking around beautiful towns, busy markets and eating too much! But it makes me think about how attitudes change- you are on holiday so spending the day doing nothing more than reading a good book is perfectly acceptable. Every August I try to keep a bit of that attitude as I start the new session. We have the important dates sorted for the session way before the end of the last. We know when things need started, checked, completed by but we also know that one of the best bits about working in the school is things are different every day.
Yes, we are incredibly busy and already we are muttering about all the little things that need to be sorted out to support the learning and teaching but we also keep reminding ourselves that we have people out with school who are important to us too. Sometimes, when listening to the young people in school talking about after school activities several nights and busy weekends I do wonder if we need to slow them down too (though from personal experience I do remember being amazed at just how a seventeen year old son can slow down to being immobile at times! Seven years on I can say that it did pass but at the time I had my doubts). I was speaking to someone who told me her eight- four year old mum felt guilty if she wasn’t “working” around the house every day. We do seem to do everything at speed and sometimes I think we need to just stop and enjoy relaxing on Sunday morning like the song says; church bells ringing, children playing and looking at the architecture (it’s a nice song); and actually I think that we need to build that in to every day somewhere and especially let the children do this too and not always look to plan every moment – so now I am off for another coffee.

A sign of summer is without a doubt Sports Day and since we held ours today in beautiful sunshine it brought it home to me that I haven’t blogged this term! I like to muse about things and do enjoy spending a few minutes jotting things down about our school and community throughout the session. However, this last term has just flown past in a blur and, even though I know that things will work out and come together, I seem to be spinning slightly more plates than usual.
This is partly because I was off in the big city of Glasgow at a two day conference twice in two weeks. This rarely (never) happens. I do not go very far afield not because I am not interested but usually it is at an impossible time or it costs too much. These events were Scottish Government initiatives and they were about things that we are going to be involved in. There was also no cost to the school! They were also subjects that run through the core of my beliefs and values when it comes to life in general and education in particular so off I went along the motorway.
One conference was all about The Early Years Collaborative which brought together people from every local authority in Scotland. There were colleagues from health, social care, police, education and loads more. The focus was on our very youngest members of our communities and their families. It was really interesting and often moving in many ways. Early Learning and Childcare is the new title for pre-five education but I was heartened to hear and witness that the child centred, family focussed approaches were still at the heart of all our ideas and hopes to make the early years as positive and enjoyable as possible for all our very young children here in Scotland. It was also interesting to work with and discuss issues with colleagues from the other services and think about issues that we face in Education from a different perspective.
The conference this week was all about our Learning Community being involved in the Scottish Government project to raise attainment for all and work towards equality for all here in Scotland. The message from both was clear- we believe in Scotland and our people and we want to be able to say that Scotland is the best place to grow up in and go to school. That is a very powerful statement to make and no one is pretending that it is going to be quick or easy but the energy and commitment in the main conference centre and the seminars and discussion groups was evident throughout.
It was a challenge leaving school, especially at this time of the session. For me though it gave me a wee boost of why I believe so much in education and it gave the awfully clever DHT and I food for thought to share with our staff. However, that is for next session because just now, like most schools in Scotland we are just trying to get everything in place before that final bell next Friday. It has been as always a challenging, enjoyable and at times frustrating session. Yes, I am ready for my holidays! No, I can’t see how we’ll get everything done in time but experience tells me that we will. I know that I will relax and enjoy all those books I have set aside for my holiday reading. I also know that come August I’ll be thinking about how we make things better for everyone and we will all come back ready for another session amazed at where the time went!

Good Times
1979! Chic brought this song out in 1979! Well, doesn’t time fly when you’re enjoying yourself? I am a hoarder – I blame it on the whole teacher thing; I still see things and think how I could use it in class even though it is several years now since I actually had my own class. Our loft was a treasure trove of all sorts of games, toys, clothes and some items that we actually had no idea where they came from or what they were for. Then there were the photographs; our son’s life so far frame by frame and the many hairstyles (and colours) I have enjoyed, places we’d enjoyed, friends whose company we still enjoy and some people who have moved on from our lives. Good times indeed. We spent a week of our recent holiday finally clearing through years of “stuff”. It got me thinking about how quickly things move on and change. It also made me stop and think about all the time we spend worrying about things when we should just do our best, be kind, and get on with enjoying things.
From a school perspective it got me thinking about all the “good” things we do. I have mentioned so many times of the interesting and engaging learning and teaching that takes place within our learning community in these blog posts and I could write as many again. Sometimes it is hard just to find time to take stock of all we achieve. Like the stereotypical Scottish trait we seem to find it hard to be pleased with our achievements, and instead dwell on the things we could have done better. Now, self-evaluation is a key component to any school and it keeps everyone improving and developing new skills and knowledge. Sometimes though, just as when I looked at the decades of our life through those photographs in the loft, I wish we would stop and just enjoy what is going on now and what we are accomplishing.
Part of this train of thought is due to the time of year; spring cleaning at home and starting the final term of another busy year at school. We have already had conversations as a school team, and with associated colleagues about what we are going to focus on next session, what we are going to further develop and what is going to bubble along nicely. It isn’t anywhere near the finished plan but we have an overview and we have sought ideas and opinions. My job is to have an initial go at bringing it altogether in a “this is what it might look like, sound like, and feel like” type of draft before we get together again to tease it out more. Given time, budget and other challenges, sometimes this can be a very frustrating process. What can we realistically achieve balanced by what we’d like to achieve. Throughout every school session we meet formally and informally and review, evaluate and plan. We always inevitably feel we have fallen short. Sometimes we have, sometimes the challenges did get the better of us, or time was against us, or a hundred other things. However, more often than not we do as we planned, we change and adapt to best suit our young people and what they need to do to improve, and we do some really interesting, enjoyable and worthwhile things. From gardening to creative writing, from a Fairy-tale Wedding to mental maths strategies and recall; we all improve and develop.
Occasionally I can lose sight of our achievements. Occasionally individual staff, young people and their families lose sight of how far we have travelled and how much has been gained. Part of my job is to remind people that as we prepare for the Commonwealth Games we should remember that there is no finish line in this education race – it is a life long journey and it is full of good times. Yes, we are accountable, yes there are challenges, but we do make a difference and we do have good times. Take a minute to look through our class blogs on our school website and you’ll see good times aplenty, each one born out of planning, engagement, evaluation and team work. As we begin our final term I know we will have lots of work to do and it will be busy but, as always, I look forward to the good times to come.

Can’t help but smile and start to shoogle when I hear this song (much to the horror of son when this is in the middle of Glasgow on a Saturday lunchtime!)
The clocks “spring forward” this weekend so it is time to enjoy the lighter days and maybe not having to wear so many vests! It is also a reminder (as if we needed it) that we are nearly at the end of yet another term and in a few short weeks we will be back for our final term of this session.
I am not going to go on about time flying by and such like – but it is warp speed around our school just now. We are beginning to really focus on how this session’s journeys are playing out; which developments have gone as expected, taken different paths, surprised us or gave rise to more questions. As I lament about where this year is disappearing to, I also get the familiar feeling of work done and so much more to do. My son works for a big sports retailor and they have a sign which says “There is no finishing line.” That sums up our school and how we work together. We have milestone checks where we gather up what we are doing and discuss what we are achieving, if we are on the right track or if we need a new route but we never say we are finished. We are all on journeys; professionally and personally and they change course, have peaceful times and some where there are lots of bear traps but they are always parts of a journey.
Our senior pupils enjoyed a great few days away with our cluster schools at an outdoor centre. The awfully clever DHT and two of our teachers went off on a bus and came back slightly dishevelled and grubby looking three days later. As usual, said DHT was muttering about never again, sleep deprivation and the Scottish weather. We at school tend to ignore this (his family do too) and as the stories are told, mused over and chuckled, at he starts muttering about doing it all again next session. Within the week he was delivering a short information session to our next session’s seniors and their families and we are planning again for it to happen next spring. Our annual Open Evening showcased all the amazing learning that goes on and gives everyone a chance to take stock of some great learning experiences that have been going on. It can sometimes be difficult as a busy class teacher to take time just to see all that is being achieved by everyone – lots and lots!
I spend some time over our spring break to revisit all the checks, debates, scribbled pieces of paper and other information pertaining to our School Improvement Plan for this session and the focus we have identified for next session. I enjoy it. I choose a day when everyone else is off doing other things, put on some music and spread everything on the table and muse about this session’s journey and where it may be taking us next session. I always find it brings about mixed emotions. I try to always date any notes or checklists we make so it is really interesting to see what we were thinking say back in October and then where we had reached in February. I remember the talks with groups and individuals, with the young people and adults, and I start to pull threads together to form next session’s plan. It usually takes several more weeks and lots of other input from all sorts of places and people before it takes shape. Sometimes I think we’ll never make it all fit but we do. Sometimes I think we aren’t getting anywhere but this always shows me that we are and that makes me happy.

Like many people I have been watching events in Sochi and enjoying some of the events of the Winter Olympics. Who ever thought that sliding some great big stones on the ice could be exciting to watch? The snowboarders were great to watch too though I am still puzzling about folk getting gold medals when they actually fall over during their routine (ice dancing)! So my title is a nod to the Olympians and all their achievements and of course Spandau Ballet and a nod to my 80s album collection now in the loft somewhere.
It also ties in with the thinking at school just now. We are, as always thinking about what our young people need to learn and have experience of in order to progress. This really is the foundation of all that we do. We therefore have procedures in place to monitor, track, plan and evaluate the learning and teaching going on in school. We try to keep everything as manageable as possible but there is no doubt about it that, like so many other schools, we are all working well over our contracted hours.
We had two in-service days a couple of weeks ago and one thing we did was look at some information asked for by our local education team. The spreadsheet asked about where we felt we were in implementing and developing certain aspects of CfE . There were several of us, but not all staff, there debating and discussing how well we were doing. The stumbling block was deciding what was a strength and area of good practice. We were quicker to highlight aspects we were still working on rather than saying yes, we deliver on that. It got me thinking about the dilemma we often find ourselves in; that hesitancy to say we are good at that. Is it a Scottish thing? Is it just common sense? Is it a safety net? I am not sure. I hope as a leader I promote self-belief and that we have an ethos of support and challenge without going near the blame game approach. I think we do. I believe that we do ask the hard questions and we do look critically at what we are providing as a service that improves people. We are asking our young people what they think about school just now. A couple od senior classes have already had this discussion using a set of questions about all aspects of school life and everyone is going to do it this coming week. Teachers will use their professional judgement as to how they frame the questions given age and stage of the youngsters they are working with.
This takes courage. It takes courage if we are going to use it and think about the responses. We aren’t going to look at an answer and ignore it if we don’t agree. The awfully clever DHT was liking it to 360 degree questionnaires where you can’t look for absolute truth because it doesn’t come into it; the answers are people’s opinions and by that very nature there will be those you agree with and disagree with. However, it is what you do with that information and how it changes practice or ideas. That is the challenge for us as a staff. That brings me back to my title Gold! When is good not good enough? What is gold standard? Is it a snapshot of what happened at a certain moment in time? Is it lasting and evident change that improves outcomes? Is my gold standard any better/worse than yours? That brings me back to getting the gold when you make lots of mistakes- is that then my perception of perfection? (always being aware that this is all stuff that I have no idea how to participate in, I struggle with walking on firm ground let alone do all the amazing stuff they are doing on ice and snow )
I am always mindful of the wider world outside our school community but my professional heart is focussed firmly on our young people and their families. We are striving for gold level opportunities and experiences for them and I very much hope that we don’t forget about ourselves along the way. The term is flying in as always and folk are really busy. The dull and dreich weather is taking its toll on folk as everything is just wet so we need to give ourselves a boost about all the things we are doing while planning just how we manage to fit in yet more!

I was dancing the night away on Hogmanay. What can I say? Our party had fun. Take That songs were blaring and there was even a Robbie tribute act. It all seems so long ago and as I write this, we have survived the first week back and I have been reading and commenting on teacher’s evaluation blogs on how we have started off and their initial thoughts on this term. Take That are on as I take a minute to realise that week one of the new term has come and gone and “Shine” sums up how I am looking at things just now.
Despite a slight power issue that resulted in school not being open for pupils on Monday, everyone quickly settled back into the routines of school when we finally all got together on Tuesday. The teachers had the opportunity to work together on Monday (in the warmth of the Town Hall) and we used the time well. Lots of huddling together with stage partners and wider groups took place and there was also time to catch-up with everyone which as a staff doesn’t always happen because support staff are on duty when the teachers have lunch and the awfully clever DHT and I don’t grab a bite until after school has settled for the afternoon. Thus having a blether over a coffee with everyone was a rare treat and I think it actually was really good for us. As a settled staff we are at ease with each other and we share the news from home so we were eager to share the family time we had all enjoyed. As the title infers I believe that the core staff and our relationships are crucial to the continued self-evaluation, reflection and continuous journey of our learning community. I’d love to see an in-service day at the beginning of the three main terms of winter, spring and summer which are totally in-house and focussed on the term ahead. We got planning glitches and queries ironed out in double quick time because we were all there. We talked about the school developments and the ones we have been beginning to think about for next year. We also talked about Christmas hiccups, surprises and luckily no one had really bad news to share. It was a good day even though at 6.30am when the phone call came I wasn’t struck by the potential!
Change is all around and we deal with it, use it and manage it. That doesn’t mean to say that we don’t change; we develop, we always, always think about what we need to do to help our young people improve and develop their many skills and knowledge. However, there is strength from being comfortable together. This doesn’t mean complacency in any form but rather it gives confidence and courage to voice opinions, challenge aspects of our school policies and routines and offer alternatives. This was also a theme that the awfully clever DHT was thinking about and discussing with me throughout the week. He was musing over school cultures and jolly interesting it was too. I am really enjoying this post graduate study he is doing. We still had to discuss really important things like accessories ( me actually -soft furnishings), how much Christmas cake was left and whether it is better to watch catch-up TV or buy the box set (what if you never watch it again?) Oh yes, we have a wide topic base! Seriously though, it really is getting grey cells a nudge that had definitely gone to sleep as we take on-board the daily running of a school. It is permeating into assessment meetings, evaluation blogs and collegiate times. It is reaffirming my belief that we benefit from professional debate and consideration in an ethos of self- evaluation and improvement. The excitement of learning and teaching doesn’t go away for me or, I hope, the people I work with.Now that last slice of Christmas cake has gone ( I am not a quitter) I am ready to get going again and as a learning community we are going to keep shining.

Yes, the Christmas CDs are playing in the car as I drive into school and there are a few tunes coming out of classrooms too. The season is well and truly here and don’t we know it. It is a wonderful time of year to be in any school. I do think that being in school does help you get into the Christmas spirit. Watching our Nativity performances always makes me tearful and I do have a big smile on my face as I watch it all come together.
Everything we do in school is focused on the children. With all our plans, meetings, learning outcomes, targets and predictions it is all our young people that are uppermost in our minds. Whether it is progress in numeracy or how a young person is coping socially we try our best to work through solutions and have positive outcomes. However, at this very busy time of year I try very hard not to forget everyone else in our learning community too.
We adults are all beginning to feel the strain. No matter how long we have been doing all of this and no matter what job we do here in school; Christmas is hectic and it has been going on for weeks now! The nativity rehearsals started mid November, the Christmas Crafts for our sale started then too. Dancing practices have been thundering on for the last couple of weeks with twirling, dozy-does and contortions as the older pupils try not to actually touch while they do a Canadian Barn Dance!
No, it is we adults who are looking a bit bleary eyed and walking a bit slower as we try to be everywhere at once. The big thing is of course that we are predominantly female in our staff therefore as well as all the things going on here at school; we have homes and families demanding our attention too. That was partly the reason for the Chris Rea song title as last night two more family members confirmed their coming home for Christmas – great, really, our oldest son and our new daughter-in-law, but then it was a quick panic for a few minutes as I reassessed the plan for the big day. Let’s not mention the gift buying and wrapping, the card writing, the festive occasions and sorting who is going where with whom. My wee panic was last night- now I have another, revised list and I am back on track – at home anyway.
Here in school it is always the same. Yet every year we forget the build up, the frayed tempers, the whole new meaning to the term “be flexible” and the way that CDs disappear from one day to the next just when you are ready to practice the hymns and songs. Having an established staff helps. Most of us here have worked together for several years and we take the knocks and the exasperation as it comes. Our big strength, as in most schools, is that we do support each other – sometimes by understanding, sometimes by giving each other a wee reality check– something the awfully clever DHT is good at doing for me( but he has a wife doing most of the afore mentioned jobs so sometimes I just ignore his reasoning!)
By January we will have forgotten all the missed gym times and days when the photocopier stopped working and we will get started on all the new learning and teaching. I ask a lot from my staff, we all do. We have still had attainment meetings, thematic planning conversations about what we will all be doing next term as well as remembering tray bakes and hamper goodies for next week’s Christmas coffee morning concert.
I hope I never forget to say thank you and show them my appreciation. (We should just let folk know throughout the year – not just save it up until Christmas). I appreciate all the extra little things that everyone does, often without asking or any fuss, that make all the difference but I am especially appreciative when I know how busy we all are during this time. Us Heedies find all sorts of extra wee jobs landing on our desk too and most of them aren’t to do with the deep theoretical thinking about education but more likely fall into the category of catering and front of house!
We all have friends and family who will be travelling home for Christmas and it is just too special and magical not to get caught up in it. Season’s greetings and pass the chocolates please!

I love Strictly Come Dancing! I love the whole thing, every glittery minute of the dancing, costumes and music. I tend to record it though so I can watch it without the blethering bits – I just want the glamour and the sparkle. I also envy the talents of the professional dancers – they make it look so easy. Being of the larger type and totally uncoordinated not to mention a total lack of any kind of sequencing ability you can see how this is pure escapism for me. The other thing is, which ties into my theme song is I like Sophie Ellis Bextor’s music and have a selection of it playing as I write this. It makes me want to dance (take not of my previous comments regarding my shortcomings in this field) and I tend to have her singing away while I am doing stuff around the house (out of sight of the public as husband and son never fail to comment). Not that I think she should win…but that’s another story.
Anyway, although upbeat and with a totally different story line, the song playing as I sat down to write this was Take Me Home. The title struck me because I have been thinking about home, family, friends and Christmas quite a lot this last week. In school we are going into our in-service week so it is a three day week for the children and we staff have two days of working in school and with colleagues in and around the authority. It is a busy two days and usually we get a lot done. It gives us time to debate, discuss and also chat and relax together – and that is important. The programme is hectic and varied and we know that for us, when the children return Christmas will be in full swing! The nativity rehearsals are in full swing and there is glitter and tinsel beginning to appear. The P1s were rehearsing their spotlight dance and actually Murder on the Dance Floor may have been more apt – but it will be alright on the night as they say! On a personal note an older, much loved friend has been unwell and is now facing a fairly major operation. This brought home to me how much I depended on her friendship over thirty years and how, I had always taken it for granted that she would be in my life. I have every confidence that when the surgery is completed and successful she will return to full health again but it rocked my stability and made me think about all I hold dear.
I love Christmas, I love the time spent with friends and family. I also realise that I take this for granted, as do most. For some young people their excitement is tinged with uncertainty; who will they spend Christmas with? What will happen at Christmas? Will Santa know where they are? These are all questions that I have been asked by children on occasion and it always brings me up short every time. In our learning community we take time to get to know our young people and their families. We work with an ever growing number of professionals in order to ensure that our young people are as safe, secure and achieving as fully as possible. This is what we do. Sometimes, for me at least, spending time on developing learning and teaching at a purely curricular development level can take a back seat compared to the social and emotional supports we are involved in. I know we are not alone; this is the story, I am sure, in every school the length and breadth of the country. We are a people based work place and all our people are important. Sometimes things at home or in school bring circumstances sharply into focus and as we prepare for this truly magical time in school I do take time, as do other adults in our team, to be extra supportive where its need, to whomever needs it.
Back to Sophie and Take Me Home – home is where the heart is – for most of us but, in reality home can be where the doubt and uncertainty is, and we need to be aware of that at this time more than ever. So when we all set off next week to our annual whole school outing to the pantomime I will, as always, look at all the excited faces, cover my ears to screams, boos and shrieks and not pay the slightest attention the awfully clever DHT who volunteers for permanent toilet duty so he doesn’t have to be in the auditorium (bah humbug and the memory of being the recipient of the Dame’s attentions one year!). I’ll just enjoy the magic of children enjoying the magic.

The awfully clever DHT is doing some studying these days and his reading of “interesting” stuff has increased somewhat. Conversations have always been peppered with “What do you think about…” and “I was reading about….” There are still more than plenty random and crazy conversations that are the core of our working life but I am enjoying the increased frequency of the theoretical musings (especially since I just get the interesting parts and don’t have to wade through the actual texts).
When I finished my last post-graduate study I really missed the conversations over coffee with colleagues and the “taught days” when we all got to leave our schools for a day and talk about education. I didn’t miss the writing of assignments, the evidence gathering and the Harvard Bibliography style haunts me to this day, but I missed talking about education because that really, really interests me.
I was reading an American educationalist online the other week and he was going on at some length about the challenges of educators in America. No surprises that these were pretty much as our own. However, he was making a point that, in his opinion, part of the issue was that teachers have a tendency to blame outside factors for challenges that they face in school. I stopped my usual skimming and scanning when I read this because this, to me, is dangerous ground. Speaking for myself I can get a tad prickly when someone starts in on the challenges of my job and how easy we teachers have it re holidays, working hours etc. We have all heard it. I was mentioning to some new colleagues that no one comes into teaching for the holidays or the pay. If they do then they will be disillusioned and disappointed really quickly.
However, back to the article. He made the observation that there are many things we cannot change about education, schools, pressures, challenges and the likes but we can change ourselves as educators. Now that made me think. Yes, I would broadly agree with that. As an educator I have never stopped learning and I have never stopped changing, developing and thinking about what I am doing and why. To me that is a foundation stone of effective teaching and learning; not being satisfied, not being complacent and not changing for change sake. Keeping things fresh is important to me and I believe it is important to a school. Thinking big while acting small; i.e. taking measured manageable steps towards improvement and development is always a challenge for me no matter which role I have had in a school. I always liked to try out a new theme for learning with each class. I would think about a theme that the children had shown interest in, or was current, or the class and I had been sparked by and I‘d give it a go. I am not a huge fan of Topic Programmes. I know they have many fine qualities and can support breadth and progression and several other very worthwhile educational aspects. For me though it is the progression of skills and knowledge and how we do that and show that through the children’s interest in a theme led to more knowledge or acquiring a new skill. Therefore when a teacher says they’d like to try something new or different and show me a plan that is educational sound and there is interest from the class and had purpose then I am usually sold.
Change is there, it can be hard, it is rarely pain free and we need to adapt, consider and keep a focus on what is important to us and our school community. Singing along with the Take That song that gave me the title for this, reaffirmed my belief that it is how we manage change and how we tackle the challenges that ensures the strength of our learning community. It goes without saying that chocolate also helps.