I had just finished a phone call with a parent of a Year 6 student joining our school in September. I had asked her how she and her child were feeling about the transition to high school. For twenty minutes, she had shared a lot of the typical concerns. However, there were also concerns more unique to the moment, including her child not having a ‘usual transition’.
As school leaders grapple with the near impossible mission to start bringing more students into schools from 1st June, there are hundreds of thousands of Year 6 pupils thinking anxiously about their move to secondary school.
As we come to the end of lockdown (apparently), I am reflecting on my lockdown experience as an educator who lives with anxiety, and I have realised that it has been a double-edged sword.
History is an ever-evolving subject and there is always something to read, watch or listen to in order to expand your knowledge as a practitioner. Around two months ago on Twitter I had seen several soon-to-be trainee teachers looking for ways to develop their knowledge and it made me consider how I use my ‘downtime’.
No matter how young or old you are, no matter where you live and no matter what language you speak, this digital citizenship roadmap is meant to help you navigate these uncharted times we all find ourselves learning and working at home.
Google ‘teacher presence’ and you are welcomed by a sea of abstract and nebulous terms: ‘that special something,’ ‘the wow factor,’ ‘a certain vibe,’ ‘a personality that exudes confidence,’ ‘that special je ne sais quoi,’....
Given the current climate that we all find ourselves in, where most of us have been in lockdown for eight weeks now, it would probably be fair to say that for a lot of children and young people being at home is the new norm.
With another week of lockdown continuing, many of us will continue teaching our students online. Engagement through remote learning can vary, it can be especially difficult if you are not teaching a core subject like English, Maths or Science. If you are like me, I have been struggling to keep some of my sociology and psychology students engaged outside of the classroom. It has required me to think outside the ...
When Boris Johnson announced the lockdown at 8pm on Monday 23rd March, I wept. I was relieved to know that I wouldn’t go home after a busy day of teaching 150 different children feeling terrified at the possibility of bringing death into my home. But after suffering from postnatal depression last year following the birth of my first child, I was shaken with the dawning familiarity of feeling trapped and ...
When it comes to teaching STEM, it is important to make learning as creative as possible for students, in order to boost their engagement and deepen subject knowledge.
Global society has been transformed in ways not seen for generations. We are all facing massive challenges in terms of health and education. School leaders, teachers and families around the world have all asked:
For myself and every teacher friend I have, the end of a term has us dragging ourselves towards the holidays like the bright shiny beacon that is a chance to sleep, eat and use the loo at a time of our own choosing.
