Teacher professionalism and peer relationships: Handling frustration constructively

One aspect of teacher training that often takes ITT students by surprise is the degree to which they need to learn to work alongside their teaching colleagues. Beginning teachers expect that there will be emotional labour involved in teaching pupils, but they rarely think about what it will look like to navigate professional relationships with … Continue reading Teacher professionalism and peer relationships: Handling frustration constructively →

Using purpose not power to create a positive learning culture

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com Fernando, a brilliant mentor in our partnership, is often heard to say that his mentees, need to teach with ‘purpose not power’. Beginning teachers often find classroom management hard, struggling with the idea they have the right to ask for and expect pupils to follow their instructions. Usually this … Continue reading Using purpose not power to create a positive learning culture →

Looking in the mirror: Why lesson evaluation matters for beginning teachers

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com When you’ve spent fifteen or more years as a student, you develop certain expectations. For most of her academic life Billie has been accustomed to producing work, submitting it, and then waiting for someone else—usually an expert—to tell her what was good, what needed work, and what to do … Continue reading Looking in the mirror: Why lesson evaluation matters for beginning teachers →

Sitting on the Other Side of the Table: Understanding how to navigate Parents’ Evening

Photo by Rasyid Ahmad on Pexels.com As a parent attending Parents’ Evening consultations, I often find myself glancing at the beginning teacher sitting alongside their mentor on the other side of the table. Inevitably they look a bit overwhelmed by the occasion. While they may have made the odd phone call home, this is probably … Continue reading Sitting on the Other Side of the Table: Understanding how to navigate Parents’ Evening →

Teaching interview mistakes: Avoiding generic answers

Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com It is that time of year again. You can feel the nervous energy of jobs season approaching, as our beginning teachers start to look beyond the safety of their placement schools and towards their first permanent posts. Previously, I’ve spoken about the ‘Krypton Factor’ nature of modern teaching interviews. … Continue reading Teaching interview mistakes: Avoiding generic answers →

A little bit of a panic: keeping calm to make in-lesson adaptations in the classroom

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com Yesterday, I had a little bit of a crisis while I was on a tight deadline leaving work to make the school run. It had just started to rain and there I was, staring at my coat through my car window, pressing the unlock button with increasing ferocity in … Continue reading A little bit of a panic: keeping calm to make in-lesson adaptations in the classroom →

Settling into a teaching practice placement – it’s a bit like staying at your Auntie’s house.

Photo by Nicole Michalou on Pexels.com Nothing quite prepares you for the feeling of being in, but not of, the school where you on Teaching Practice Placement. But for the majority of beginning teachers this is the reality. So many aspects of the placement school are familiar, but you have entered a new ecosystem with … Continue reading Settling into a teaching practice placement – it’s a bit like staying at your Auntie’s house. →

Recalibrating Your Teacher Identity: When Your Past Success Doesn’t Fit Your Current Experience

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com I feel like a failure At some point every year I will have a conversation with a beginning teacher who confesses that they feel like a total failure. "I just don't think I'm up to the job," they say. “I just don’t seem to be able to do it”. … Continue reading Recalibrating Your Teacher Identity: When Your Past Success Doesn’t Fit Your Current Experience →

Getting email right: Learning to communicate professionally with colleagues in school

Every school has its own culture, ways of being and patterns of interaction and communication. I learnt this sage lesson when starting a new post in my second school. I entered the profession in an age of scribbled notes or printed memos left in pigeon holes to be collected and responded to at the recipient's … Continue reading Getting email right: Learning to communicate professionally with colleagues in school →

You Don’t Have to Be a Natural: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Teaching

Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com “Great teachers are born, not made” is one of the great myths of teacher training. Unfortunately, it is also a myth which makes its way into the subconscious of prospective teachers. As we prepare to begin a new academic year in initial teacher education, I know there are soon-to-be beginning … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Be a Natural: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Teaching →

Serving Up Success: Helping beginning teachers to embrace change and growth

Photo by saeed basseri on Pexels.com Back in March, British tennis player Jack Draper secured his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, the biggest title of his career; securing a Grand Slam title now seems likely. I’m not an avid tennis fan but my ears pricked up when I heard Annabel Croft's radio analysis … Continue reading Serving Up Success: Helping beginning teachers to embrace change and growth →

Getting a foot in the door: Applying for a teaching job

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com As we enter peak job application season in our secondary schools (I’m aware the application window for primary colleagues is different), I am reminded of the huge amount of time beginning teachers spend on applying for jobs. They often find the process of writing the application, and the … Continue reading Getting a foot in the door: Applying for a teaching job →

Moving Schools: Finding your footing in a new school as a teacher

Photo by Victoria Strelka_ph on Pexels.com One of the first blogs I wrote for the mentors of beginning teachers explored why mentees find changing teaching placements so hard. This blog contextualised the feelings that beginning teachers (although this is also true of more experienced teachers) can have when beginning roles in new school settings. It … Continue reading Moving Schools: Finding your footing in a new school as a teacher →

It’s as easy as 1-2-3: The importance of contextualised behaviour routines and mentoring support for beginning teachers

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com Jessie is starting to assume more responsibility for her classes. So far, she’s taught around 15 whole lessons, but hasn’t had to do any teaching completely independently. Her mentor, Jasdeep, has always been on hand to step in if behaviour started to creep out of control or Jessie was … Continue reading It’s as easy as 1-2-3: The importance of contextualised behaviour routines and mentoring support for beginning teachers →

What New Teachers Should Know About Professionalism: It’s about more than your shoes.

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com Most beginning teachers are very concerned about what they should wear on their first day at their school placement. Do they need a tie? Are these shoes (imagine a comfy formal shoe with echoes of trainer) ok? Do tattoos need to be covered, and piercings removed? Why is this one … Continue reading What New Teachers Should Know About Professionalism: It’s about more than your shoes. →